¡Amor, se apárte! An afternoon of Spanish songs & duets
Chanson Espagnole - Claude Debussy
Erin Ridge & Amanda Densmoor
Cuatro Madrigales Amatorios - Joaquin Rodrigo
Amanda Densmoor
I. Con qué la lavaré?
II. Vos me matásteis
III. De dondé venis, amore?
IV. De los álamos vengo, madre
La gallina - Pauline Viardot
Erin Ridge & Amanda Densmoor
Canciones Amatorias - Enrique Granados
Erin Ridge
VII. No lloréis, ojuelos
VI. Lloraba la niña
I. Mira que soy niña
IV. Gracia mia
El fandango del diablo - Pauline Viardot
Erin Ridge & Amanda Densmoor
About the Artists:
Erin Ridge is an American multidisciplinary artist making a name for herself in the opera industry as both a stage director and a lyric soprano. This fall, Ridge is thrilled to have taken home 1st place in the American International Czech & Slovak Voice Competition and be named a finalist for Mildred Miller International Voice Competition as well as a semi-finalist in the Camille Coloratura and Marcella Sembrich international vocal competitions. This spring Ridge will be joining the Trinity Chamber Orchestra as the soloist for Mahler’s 4th Symphony. Her love of art song has led to two recitals so far this year: The Last Rose of Summer - presented at the Cardella Salon Series, and In Search of the Silent Land - a one woman show about the journey of meditation produced during her residency with The Apiary. Ridge performs regularly across the DC area with groups including Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Annapolis Opera, and Opera Baltimore. Ridge holds degrees in opera performance from Vanderbilt University and the University of Maryland.
Indonesian-American soprano Amanda Densmoor has delighted audiences across the United States and Southeast Asia. The 2024/2025 season will see her debut with Aula Simfonia Jakarta in Jakarta, Indonesia, as the Soprano II soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah and a return to Annapolis Opera as Girl/1st Trio Member in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti. Recently, Amanda was seen as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and as one of the bridesmaids in Le nozze di Figaro with Annapolis Opera, as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the Manassas Ballet Theatre, and as Bella/Juliette in Bel Cantanti Opera’s Franz Lehár Operetta Gala.
With the Maryland Opera Studio, Amanda performed the roles of the Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte) and Valentina Scarcella (Later the Same Evening), and covered Dalinda (Ariodante) and Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro). Other roles include Servilia (La clemenza di Tito), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica), Patience (Patience), Counsel (Trial by Jury), Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas), and Kate (The Pirates of Penzance). As a concert soloist, Amanda has sung solos in Carissimi’s Jephte, Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis, Fauré’s Requiem, and Mozart’s Requiem. Amanda is passionate about new music, and has premiered the roles of Mother in Joseph C. Phillip Jr.’s Four Freedoms, and Meera in Omar Najmi’s This Is Not That Dawn.
Emily Baltzer is a D.C. based pianist, coach, and music director, comfortable in both opera and musical theater settings. Emily’s 2023-2024 season features her continued work with IN Series Opera, where she is the Head of Music; Music Director for the Ader Emerging Artists at Charlottesville Opera; assistant conductor and chorus master at Charlottesville Opera; and coaching faculty at the WNO Opera Institute. Her commitment to vocal arts has taken her throughout the US, working with companies including Utah Festival Opera, Dallas Opera, Portland Opera (OR), and Red River Lyric Opera. Emily holds a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano from the University of North Texas, with a minor in early music, where she worked as the teaching assistant to the opera departments; she also holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from University of Northwestern-St. Paul.
