Salon/Sanctuary Concerts Present Anthony Roth Costanzo Tonight, 9/28

Tonight, September 28, 2012 at 7:00pm in the historic Players Club, Salon/Sanctuary Concerts-the series that presents early music in intimate alternative venues-opens its fourth season with a unique collaborative event featuring three renowned artists who share a love of baroque music. The performance will include songs of Henry Purcell, arias of Handel, and cantatas of Vivaldi. Program details will be announced shortly. A post-performance dinner with the artists follows at the club.

The 30-year old countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo has established himself as an arriving opera star, with a string of press raves in inverse proportion to his years. Winner of the First Prize in Placido Domingo's 2012 Operalia Competition (watch his aria here), the singer was recently praised by Le Monde as "a perfect musician" and by Musical America for "perfectly placed vocalism" after his recent Metropolitan Opera appearances as Ferdinand and Prospero in The Enchanted Island. Mr. Costanzo graces the cover of Opera News this month for a cover story on the next generation of operatic stars.

Jared Angle is Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet, and beloved by audiences for his many featured roles in masterworks of Balanchine, Martins, Robbins, and others. Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania where he began his early dance training at age six at the Allegheny Ballet Academy, Mr. Angle became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in March 1998 and joined The company as a member of the corps de ballet in July 1998. He was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2001, and promoted to principal dancer following a performance during a Company visit for the reopening of the Tivoli Concert Hall in 2005. When not dancing, Mr. Angle enjoys playing the piano and exploring interdisciplinary collaboration in new projects.

Bradley Brookshire is an Assistant Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, where he most recently performed harpsichord for The Enchanted Island. Brookshire's distinctive approach to Bach's harpsichord music has led to sustained critical acclaim by The New York Times (his interpretation of Bach's French Suites was named a New York Times "Critic's Choice" Recording of year 2001), Goldberg magazine (who awarded his 2007 recording of The Art of the Fugue their top rating of five stars), and many others. He has served as musical assistant to legendary choreographer Trisha Brown, and as repetiteur for Les Arts Florissants/Paris.

Founded in 1888 by America's pre-eminent Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth, The Players Club is located in Booth's former home, a Greek Revival townhouse facing historic Gramercy Park. The club's 15 other founders include Mark Twain and General William Tecumseh Sherman. It was the first American Club of its kind, modeled after London's famed Garrick Club. Its purpose-"The promotion of social intercourse between Members of The dramatic profession and the kindred professions of literature, painting, architecture, sculpture and music, law and medicine, and the patrons of the arts"-makes the club an ideal location for the opening of the Salon/Sanctuary season, as the series dedicates itself to interdisciplinary exploration.

Salon/Sanctuary Concerts was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director and soprano Jessica Gould as an alternative to the conventional concert hall. Like no other series in New York, Salon/Sanctuary presents early music performances in intimate venues which evoke the historical ambience of the music. Salon/Sanctuary offers concerts of secular music in elegant salon spaces and performances of sacred music in houses of worship appropriate to the repertoire. Pleased to present special projects that offer the opportunity to view historical issues through the prism of music, Salon/Sanctuary takes pride in many interdisciplinary performances featuring luminaries from the worlds of opera, theater, film, and dance. The series has garnered critical praise for its innovative programming, and continues to attract a diverse audience for its path-breaking offerings and renowned artists throughout the season. For more, visit www.salonsanctuary.org.

Tickets at $35–$250 can be purchased on the Salon/Sanctuary website at http://www.salonsanctuary.org or by calling Showclix at 1 888/718-4253

Photo credit: Dario Acosta