The Opera Club of The Villages nurtures musical prodigies with scholarship money and opportunities to perform. But it may also provide something more important – hope for the future.
“We want to help these young people follow their dreams and pursue their goals,” Gerri Piscitelli, president of the Opera Club of The Villages, said Saturday at Savannah Center during the group’s fundraiser, “An Enchanted Evening.”
Piscitelli offered the magic formula to success for any aspiring diva: “practice, practice.”
“An Enchanted Evening” featured four extraordinarily talented young performers. Maestro Bill Doherty accompanied the singers on piano. Money raised benefitted the Harold Schwartz Music Student Scholarships. The club has awarded more than $430,000 in scholarships.
This was the fourth consecutive year the Opera Club has brought young performers from across the United States to The Villages for the event, and they enjoyed the trip.
“I haven’t been to Florida in about eight years,” said soprano Jocelyn Hansen, who traveled from Fort Worth, Texas. “I usually come here for vacation. It’s nice to come here and sing for you, instead of going to Disney World.”
Pianist Moriah Trenk came from Boston, while classical guitarist Collin Holloway had to fly from Rochester, N.Y. Both battled winter weather.
“Florida is warm; it’s so cold in Rochester – we just got about six inches of snow,” said Holloway, who is studying at The Eastman School of Music.
Trenk was happy that her family came in from New York State to watch her perform.
“It’s great to be here to play for you, and for them,” she said.
Baritone Malcolm Payne Jr. is used to a warm climate, as he attended the University of North Texas and currently tours with the Dallas Opera Outreach Program.
He also knows his way around a kitchen stove.
“I love to bake,” Payne said.
On Saturday night, he was cooking from the start, opening the concert in stirring fashion with “Some Enchanted Evening” from “South Pacific.”
Versatility was a hallmark for all the performers on this night. Payne was equally skilled at opera and Broadway music. He also plays the flute and sang “Bella siccome un angelo” from “Don Pasquale.” Later, he came back with a rousing version of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from “Oklahoma.”
Villagers will get another chance to hear Payne perform on Nov. 26 when he appears in the Central Florida Lyric Opera production of “The Magic Flute” at Savannah Center.
Hansen also has a deep affinity for show tunes, as well as opera. She was just five years old when she saw her first musical, “Showboat.”
“Five may seem a little young for ‘Showboat,’ but I loved it,” Hansen said, adding that she enjoys the “grandiosity” of stage musicals. She then displayed her classic Broadway soprano on a powerful “Make Believe” from “Showboat.”
Hansen showed her whimsical, operatic side while singing “Gavotte” from “Manon.” Later, she performed a couple more stage numbers, “’Til There Was You” from “Music Man” and “I Have Confidence” from “The Sound of Music.”
Holloway offered a tender and emot ional classic guitar performance on the Beatles’ classic “Yesterday.” And he effortlessly moved into a classical style on “Asturius (Leyenda)” by Isaac Albeniz.
Trenk featured a fluid and graceful style on “Nocturne in C sharp minor,” Opus by Chopin and Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in G minor” Opus 53.
Tony Violanti is a veteran journalist and writes for Villages-News.com.
