European Christmas Concert
Holiday and Winter-Themed Music from Across Europe
Celebrate the festive season with a musical journey through Europe, featuring holiday and winter-themed selections from Germany, France, Romania, and beyond. The evening concludes with beloved holiday classics reimagined in a jazz-inspired Americana style, bringing together the warmth and joy of the season.
Selection will include:
Edvard Grieg
Strange Music
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Nuit de Décembre
Pietro Mascagni
Ave Maria from Cavalleria Rusticana
Franz Schubert
Mille Cherubini in Coro
Romanian Selections
Pace, Cine m-aude cântând, O ce veste minunată, Umbra
Irving Berlin
White Christmas
Jay Evans and Ray Livingston
Silver Bells
Praised for her “powerful, gleaming tone, effortless precision and expressive immediacy” Romanian-American soprano Esther Tonea is a recent San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow, National Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Grand Finals Winner, International Elizabeth Connell Prize for Dramatic Sopranos Finalist, International Tenor Viñas Competition Semi-Finalist, and Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipient.
Her repertoire includes Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Blanche de la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. A frequent collaborator with Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer, Ms. Tonea premiered Diana in If I Were You with Merola Opera Program. She performed as soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana with Richmond Ballet, Haydn’s The Creation with City Choir of Washington and Washington National Opera Orchestra, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Santa Rosa Symphony.
Ms. Tonea will be accompanied by James Sparks, a collaborative pianist and vocal coach. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Morehead State University and a Master of Music in Vocal Coaching and Piano Accompanying from Westminster Choir College. Renowned for his sensitive artistry and insightful guidance, James is highly regarded by both singers and teachers. His performance career has taken him across the United States and abroad, with appearances in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
This Salon Concert is presented by the Classical Music Committee of The Arts Club of Washington in collaboration with the Washington Conservatory of Music, and seeks to offer chamber music in an historic atmosphere evocative of the period during which the music was written.
6:30 - 7:00 PM Cocktails
7:00 - 8:00 PM Recital
8:00 - 9:00 PM Reception with artist
This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
