HUNTINGDON COLLEGE
Faith | Wisdom | Service
NEWS RELEASE
February 21, 2018
For more information, contact:
Su Ofe
(334) 833-4515; news@hawks.huntingdon.edu
Vann Vocal Institute and Celebrity Recital Set to Delight Audiences
Montgomery, Ala.—Since the first Vann Vocal Institute Celebrity Recital was offered at Huntingdon College 11 years ago, stars representing every corner of the opera universe have amazed and delighted audiences during this nearly annual event. Thursday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m. in Ligon Chapel, Flowers Hall, world-renowned operatic artists who normally perform with such landmark companies as the Metropolitan in New York and the Lyric Opera of Chicago will converge on stage once again for the Celebrity Recital, a free public concert for the Montgomery community.
Brought to Montgomery to serve as faculty for the Montgomery Symphony’s annual Vann Vocal Institute, this year’s concert will feature performers Steven Crawford, who has conducted for the Metropolitan Opera for 9 years and operates one of the most successful vocal coaching studios in New York City; baritone Franco Pomponi; mezzo soprano Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet; tenor Dinyar Vania; soprano Christine Arand; vocal coach Laurie Rogers; pianist Dale Williams; and operatic tenor David Cangelosi. As he has for 11 years, Mr. Cangelosi will serve as artistic director and lead faculty for the Institute and will welcome the audience to the Celebrity Recital.
The Vann Vocal Institute brings selected student opera and classical singers from high school and college campuses for specialized vocal training and coaching by professional operatic artists. The program was made possible by a bequest from Roy D. Vann and is supported by the NIB Foundation, The Pauls Foundation, and the Wilson family, in addition to Huntingdon College.
The Celebrity Recital precedes a day-long (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) public master class conducted by Mr. Cangelosi, Friday, March 9, and a day-long (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) “Super Master Class” conducted by Institute faculty, Saturday, March 10. At the conclusion of the Institute, the most accomplished participating young singers will perform in an Emerging Artists Recital Competition, Saturday, March 10, at 5:00 p.m. The master classes and the Emerging Artists Recital will be held in Ligon Chapel, Flowers Hall. Prize money totaling $11,000 will be awarded.
Last year, through a special gift, Mr. Cangelosi was engaged to serve as the Glenn and Betty Seymour Perdue Distinguished Artist in Residence at Huntingdon College. He will be on campus and traveling throughout the region in that capacity February 25–March 2. He will perform a concert in Vestavia Hills at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, Sunday, February 25, at 4:00 p.m. VHUMC is located at 2061 Kentucky Avenue.
VVI is part of Huntingdon College’s Community and Cultural Events Series, sponsored by Baptist Health.
Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college recognized as a top 10 best buy among regional colleges and in the top tier of regional colleges by U.S. News and World Report; among the top tier of regional colleges by the Princeton Review; among “Colleges that Contribute to the Public Good,” by Washington Monthly; and on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Huntingdon campus, a Tree Campus USA, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Suellen (Su) Ofe
Vice President
for Marketing and Communications
Huntingdon College
1500 E. Fairview Ave., Montgomery, AL 36106
(334) 833-4515; Cell (334) 324-6591
www.huntingdon.edu
