HUNTINGDON COLLEGE
Faith | Wisdom | Service
NEWS RELEASE
February 19, 2019
For more information, contact:
Su Ofe
(334) 833-4515; news@hawks.huntingdon.edu
Vann Vocal Institute and Celebrity Recital Return to Delight Montgomery Audiences
Montgomery, Ala.—Since the first Vann Vocal Institute Celebrity Recital was offered at Huntingdon College 12 years ago, stars representing every corner of the operatic universe have amazed and delighted audiences during this annual event. Thursday, March 7, at 7:00 p.m. in Ligon Chapel, Flowers Hall, world-renowned opera singers who normally perform with such landmark companies as the Metropolitan in New York and the Paris Opera will converge on the Huntingdon stage once again for the Vann Vocal Institute Celebrity Recital, a free public concert for the Montgomery community.
This year’s concert will feature performers David Cangelosi, lead faculty and artistic director; Steven Crawford, head vocal coach; Thomas Muraco, senior vocal coach; Lori Phillips, soprano; MaryAnn McCormick, mezzo soprano; Dinyar Vania, tenor; and Franco Pomponi, baritone. Crawford has conducted for the Metropolitan Opera for a decade and operates one of the most successful vocal coaching studios in New York City. Muraco has performed in major concert halls throughout the U.S., Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia. Mezzo soprano MaryAnn McCormick has performed at top theaters all over the world for 25 years and is a 20-year veteran of the Metropolitan Opera, where she won a Grammy Award for her participation in the Met’s production of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” Baritone Franco Pomponi has mesmerized Montgomery and Metropolitan Opera audiences as well as opera enthusiasts around the world. He has shared the stage with Luciano Pavarotti and Renee Fleming, and has garnered the highest acclaim in lead roles in numerous operas. Also returning to Montgomery this year is tenor Dinyar Vania, recognized as one of the country’s most exciting young tenors, who has recently joined the roster at the Metropolitan Opera. Known for her “formidable vocal power,” (Opera News) soprano Lori Phillips was honored at the Puccini Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Gala for outstanding achievement in opera. Finally, operatic tenor David Cangelosi will serve as artistic director and lead faculty for the Institute for the 12th consecutive year and will welcome the audience to the Celebrity Recital. Mr. Cangelosi also serves as the Glenn and Betty Seymour Perdue Distinguished Artist in Residence at Huntingdon College.
The Vann Vocal Institute, a program of the Montgomery Symphony, 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 Vann Vocal Institute Celebrity Recital precedes two day-long (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) public master classes conducted by Mr. Cangelosi and fellow professional singer-teachers, Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9. The master classes are open to the public and are held in Huntingdon’s Ligon Chapel, Flowers Hall. At the conclusion of the Institute, the most accomplished participating young singers will perform in an Emerging Artists Recital Competition, Saturday, March 9, at 5:00 p.m. in Ligon Chapel, Flowers Hall. Cash prizes will be awarded.
VVI is part of Huntingdon College’s Community and Cultural Events Series, sponsored by Baptist Health.
Huntingdon College has been named a top 6 regional Best Value and top 11 regional college in the South by U.S. News and World Report; among a list of Colleges that Change Lives, by Washington Monthly; among the Best Colleges in Alabama and the Best Small Colleges in America by College Consensus; and among the Best Colleges: Region by Region (South) by the Princeton Review. Through the Huntingdon Plan, each full-time day student is provided a laptop computer, books and information resources, active learning experiences, and senior-year travel-study opportunities—all within regular tuition and fees. Huntingdon’s Evening Studies program offers degree completion programs at nine locations across the state. Huntingdon College continues a legacy of faith, wisdom, and service through a liberal arts academic tradition grounded in the Judeo-Christian heritage of the United Methodist Church.
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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
