2/22/2008

LINDSBORG, Kan.—Two rising stars in the American opera scene will perform at Bethany College, as well as offer a special master class.

Soprano Kelly Kaduce and baritone Lee Gregory will perform in recital on Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Presser Hall. Free and open to the public, the performance will include selections by Strauss, Turina and Barber, and opera duets from “Don Giovanni,” “La Traviata” and “Thais.”

A master class with the singers and Bethany students Ashley Coffman, Ann Labes, Sean Boller and Benjamin Mordecai will be offered on Tuesday, March 11 at 2 p.m. in Presser Hall. The class will feature the four students singing arias and art songs, with performance and musical suggestions from Kaduce and Gregory. Geared toward student musicians, it is also open to anyone in the public interested in attending a vocal master class. For more information, contact the Bethany College Music Department at 785-227-3380, ext. 8235.

“To get the caliber of performers such as Kelly and Lee is a huge plus for Bethany College, our students, and the greater Lindsborg area. Both of their careers are really taking off, and it’s an honor for us to bring in such high quality musicians. Our guest artist program here at Bethany College continues to bring talented musicians to the area to work with our students and to help prepare them for their future careers as music educators and performers,” said Jodi Frisbie, assistant professor of music at the college.

Frisbie, who went to school with Kaduce at Boston University, has helped to arrange the event.

Kaduce and Gregory’s visit is one of several visits by clinicians and guest artists to Bethany College this year. The Bethany College Music Department most recently offered jazz artist Kathy Kosins in concert in December.

Husband and wife, Kaduce and Gregory have previously appeared together in recital at Bates College, Maine, and in several opera performances throughout their careers.

Kaduce’s 2007-08 season included her debut with Opera Pacific as Mimi in “La bohème,” and her return to Malmö Opera in Sweden as Marguerite in “Faust.”  In October, she taught a vocal master class at San Diego State University.

She will next perform in recital at St. Olaf College on March 16, followed by performances in the title role in “Rusalka” with the Minnesota Opera, Cio-Cio-San in “Madame Butterfly” with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the title role in “Suor Angelica” with Teatro Municipalidad de Santiago, Chile. In 2008-09, she will make her Kentucky Opera debut as Desdemona in Verdi's “Otello,” her first performance of Violetta in Verdi’s “Traviata” with Malmö Opera and her first performance of the Countess in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” with Florida Grand Opera. She and Gregory also will perform together in Carlson’s “Anna Karenina” with Michigan Opera Theatre.

Of her performance as the title role in the world premiere of David Carlson’s “Anna Karenina,” Entertainment News has written, “In a career making role, Kelly Kaduce dominates the stage. With high notes that thrill and a creamy middle range, this gifted young soprano delivers vocal velvet. But she is also a great singing actress. Kaduce brings Anna’s passion and tragedy vividly alive. Her death scene weaves a dramatic display of vocal colors and intense theatricality. This is an authentically great performance."

Kaduce's 2006-07 season was met with critical acclaim as well for her returns to Boston Lyric Opera to perform Cio-Cio-San in “Madama Butterfly” and to Minnesota Opera to sing Rosasharn in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's “The Grapes of Wrath.” Of her Cio-Cio-San, the Boston Globe effused, "this production succeeds on the strength of Kelly Kaduce's winning performance," while the New Yorker described her in “The Grapes of Wrath” as "warmly expressive as Rosasharn."

Kaduce has performed the role of Juliette in Gounod's “Roméo et Juliette” with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Of the performance, the Johnson County Sun wrote, “Kaduce may well be the best singer heard at the Lyric in recent years, displaying a voice with marvelous fluidity and a wide palette of tonal colors.”

Kaduce is a graduate of both St. Olaf College and Boston University. She was a winner of the 1999 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Gregory's 2007-08 season included his debuts with Opera Pacific as Schaunard in “La bohème,” and Belcore in “L'elisir d'amore” with Opera Naples. In 2007 he returned to Boston Midsummer Opera to sing in an evening of staged arias and ensemble selections, entitled "Tales of Offenbach," and performed Marcello in “La bohème” with ProCantus Lyric Opera.

            He will next perform in recital in Boston, Mass., with the Hammond Concert Series and with the Boston Midsummer Opera as Escamillo in Bizet’s “Carmen.”

Recent highlights include his New York City Opera debut as Moralès in “Carmen,” Mercutio in “Roméo et Juliette” with Toledo Opera and Nashville Opera, and Boston Midsummer Opera's production "The Marriages of Mozart.” As a regular performer with American Opera projects, Gregory has collaborated with new playwrights and composers, performing their works in progress.

The winner of the 2006 Joy in Singing Competition, Gregory recently made his Merkin Hall recital debut. A winner of the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition, he has participated in a number of prestigious training programs including San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program and the Western Opera Theater Tour, Aspen Music Festival, Cincinnati Opera's Apprentice Artist Program and the Des Moines Metro Opera Tour.

For more information on Kelly Kaduce and Lee Gregory, please visit www.herbertbarrett.com.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.