Nadine Sierra to Headline Richard Tucker Music Foundation's 2017 Gala at Carnegie Hall; Lineup Announced!

By: Sep. 15, 2017
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Back home at Carnegie Hall for the second year after more than a quarter century's absence, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation's annual gala concert, one of the most highly anticipated operatic events of the season, will take place on Sunday, December 10, with single tickets going on sale today.

The 2017 Richard Tucker Award-winner, soprano Nadine Sierra, will be joined in the concert by opera luminaries from around the world: past Tucker Award-winners, sopranos Ailyn Pérez and TaMara Wilson and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe; mezzo-sopranos Tara Erraught and Ekaterina Semenchuk; tenors Javier Camarena and Vittorio Grigolo; and bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel.

This star-studded evening of beloved arias and ensembles from the works of Donizetti, Handel, Puccini, Verdi and more will be led by Maestro Nicola Luisotti, with The New York Choral Society and members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Tickets for the concert, which range from $40 to $750, can be purchased through carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, or from the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue. For information about the Gala Dinner at the Plaza Hotel immediately following the performance, call (212) 757-2218.

After Richard Tucker unexpectedly died on tour in 1975, his duo partner and friend Robert Merrill worked with the Tucker family to organize a gathering of opera legends, including Martina Arroyo and Roberta Peters, to take place on what would have been the duo's next date at Carnegie Hall. The Richard Tucker Music Foundation was formed later that year, and the concert became an annual tradition, raising funds to support young American opera singers and keep the beloved tenor's memory alive. Having relocated across town to Lincoln Center in 1989, the gala made a triumphant return to its original home at Carnegie Hall with a sold-out house last season. For more than four decades, audiences at both locations have been able to depend on the foundation's annual gala to bring together some of opera's most illustrious stars, including Leonard Bernstein, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leontyne Price, and Joan Sutherland.

Previously the recipient of a 2010 Sara Tucker Study Grant and a 2013 Richard Tucker Career Grant, Florida native Nadine Sierra is being hailed as one of the most promising young talents in opera today. The rising-star soprano's already long list of house debuts includes the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris Opera, Berlin Staatsoper, and Zürich Opera, as well as recent summer debuts at the Ravinia, Tanglewood, and Mostly Mozart festivals. On the concert stage, she has been a soloist with the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, and featured in televised concerts from Lincoln Center and Venice's Teatro la Fenice. She has appeared in recital at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the U.S. Supreme Court. Recently, she signed an exclusive recording contract jointly with Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Gold, Universal Music Classics' new U.S. label.

Founded in 1975, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to perpetuating the artistic legacy of the great Brooklyn-born tenor by nurturing the careers of talented young American opera singers. Through awards, grants for study, performance opportunities, and other activities, the foundation provides professional development for singers at various stages of their careers. It also offers free performances in The New York metropolitan area, and supports music education enrichment programs. Each year, the foundation confers its most prestigious prize, the Richard Tucker Award, on an artist poised at the edge of a major international career. Often referred to as the "Heisman Trophy of Opera," the award comes with a $50,000 cash prize as well as the ongoing support of the Tucker family and foundation. Past winners include Lawrence Brownlee, Stephen Costello, Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Deborah Voigt, and Dolora Zajick.


Richard Tucker Music Foundation presents:

2017 Richard Tucker GALA

Sunday, December 10 at 6:00pm
Carnegie Hall, New York City

2017 Richard Tucker Award winner Nadine Sierra

Winners of past Richard Tucker Awards and honored guests:
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano (1999 Richard Tucker Award winner)
Javier Camarena, tenor
Tara Erraught, mezzo-soprano
Vittorio Grigolo, tenor
Ailyn Pérez, soprano (2012 Richard Tucker Award winner)
Ekaterina Semenchuk, mezzo-soprano
Sir Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone
TaMara Wilson, soprano (2016 Richard Tucker Award winner)

Maestro Nicola Luisotti
Members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
New York Choral Society

Program to feature works by composers including Donizetti, Handel, Puccini, and Verdi

Pictured: Nadine Sierra performs at the Richard Tucker Music Foundation's 2016 gala. Photo by Dario Acosta.



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