Kaitlyn McMonigle had special inspiration Saturday performing at The Opera Club of The Villages scholarship benefit in the La Hacienda Regional Recreation Center.
McMonigle, who won a Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship in 2010, was thinking about Maestro Bill Doherty, her mentor and friend. He had a medical emergency and went to the hospital Saturday morning, said Gerri Piscitelli, president of the Opera Club.
Doherty has influenced generations of singers in The Villages as head of the Central Florida Lyric Opera and director of music at St. Timothy Roman Catholic Church. He was supposed to play piano at the benefit, called “An Enchanted Evening.”
“Bill will always be special to me,” said McMonigle, now working on a Master’s Degree in vocal performance at Indiana University. “He taught me what it means to be an artist and a professional, and how to perform on stage.
Watch video of last night’s performance:
“Tonight, I wanted to give the best performance I could, for Bill. I wanted to honor him. Bill Doherty instilled in me and everyone he worked with a commitment to excellence.”
The benefit featured McMonigle, along with pianist Eoin Fleming and violinist Claire Austen from Ireland. Also, performing was lyric tenor Fanyong Du from China. Linda Charlton was a last-minute replacement on piano.
McMonigle showcased her powerful mezzo soprano on two numbers from “Carmen.” Then she turned to lighter fare, singing “Vanilla Ice Cream” from the musical “She Loves Me.” She closed her set with a stirring version of “Over the Rainbow.”
“It’s good to be back in The Villages and give something back to the Opera Club,” McMonigle said. “I know what this scholarship means because it helped me pursue my dreams.”
The Opera Club has raised over $250,000 in scholarships for local performers, Piscitelli said. “We want to help as many young people as we can,” she added. “Tonight, our thoughts and prayers are with Bill Doherty. He has done so much for us and so many in The Villages.”
Eion Fleming is a brilliant 18-year old pianist from Ireland who next week makes his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City. He’s a spunky, energetic lad, who radiates technical mastery at the keyboards, and brings color and life to the music.
Fleming played Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Sonata No. 236.” Then it was Chopin’s “Nocturne in E-Flat” and Liszt’s “Schubert Soiree Vienne.”
“It’s a privilege to be here and play for you,” Fleming told the audience. “I hope to keep doing this as long as I live.”
Fleming makes the piano look easy, but it takes monumental effort.
“You have to work ridiculously hard,” he said after the concert. “It’s pain and suffering. You spend six hours a day locked up in a room with an inanimate object. You practice and practice and practice, but it’s worth it when you come on stage make people happy.”
Claire Austen did just that with a lively violin performance. She paid tribute to her native country with a medley of Irish tunes and some classical numbers. She created an emotional bond with the audience on “Danny Boy.”
Both Fleming and Austen came here through the efforts of Dr. Julie Jordan. She is the founder of the New York Concerti Sinfonietta, which offers opportunities for students and young performers.
Jordan is a member of the Julliard School Evening Division piano faculty and often travels to Ireland, to bring opportunity to young performers.
Villager Pauline Pan is a former student of Jordan’s and she hopes they can work together to bring musicians here.
“We think it will be a benefit for the performers and for people in The Villages,” Pan said.
“This is an ongoing project and we want to bring more performers to The Villages,” Jordan said. “I would love to give a master class in The Villages.”
Fanyong Du, a lyric tenor, closed the benefit concert in memorable style. He grew up in China and lived and studied music in the Ukraine. He has performed in Europe and America.
“I’ve been all over the world and I’m happy to be here tonight,” Du said. “I’m just looking for music and looking for an audience.”
He found an appreciative crowd in The Villages and earned a standing ovation for his dynamic vocals, especially on selections from Puccini’s “La Bohème.”
Du closed with a tender and melancholy tribute to his hometown in China.
“This has been a wonderful night,” Piscitelli said. “These young people have a special gift, and we’re here to help them.”
