Opera Divas Raise Money for Cancer Care at St. Luke's

Opera Outreach, a non-profit organization with the tagline “opera singers helping those in need,” will hold a special concert next Wednesday, Aug. 21, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, entitled, “A Night At The Opera: Divas in Distress”.

The performance will start at 7:30 p.m. featuring arias and duets from Bizet’s Carmen, Saint-Saens’ Samson and Delilah, Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte and The Marriage of Figaro, Verdi’s Don Carlo and Massenet’s Werther.

The evening’s performers include: Maariana Vikse, mezzo-soprano, noted for her performances as Tessa in The Gondoliers at City Center, Melissa in Princess Ida and Lady Angela in Patience at Symphony Space, and Kate in The Pirates of Penzance with the Buffalo Philharmonic, at City Center, the Mann Center, and Wolf Trap; Mieke Rickert, soprano, known for playing the roles of Alcina, The Countess, The Governess, Giulietta, Donna Elvira, Mrs. Maurrant, Micaela, Marzenka and Madama Butterfly with companies including Knoxville Opera, Opera Company of Brooklyn, Skagit Opera, Opera NUOVA, La Musica Lirica, and University of Tennessee Opera Theater;  Jessica Tucker, mezzo-soprano,  whose recent roles include include Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Miss Jessel in Britten’s Turn of the Screw, Béatrice in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict, and Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito; and pianist Dmitry Glivinskiy,  assistant conductor at Regina Opera, has participated in many festivals and performed in venues such as CAMi Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Ukrainian Institute and Bohemian National Hall among others around Europe and in China.

Tickets are $35, and all proceeds raised go toward CancerCare, which “provides free, professional support services to individuals, families, caregivers and the bereaved to help them cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges of cancer. Their services include counseling, support groups, educational publications, workshops and financial assistance. All of their services are provided by professional oncology social workers and are offered completely free of charge."  Find out more at www.cancercare.org

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is Located at 18 James Lane. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: www.operaoutreach.org/