Artist Series Concerts Makes It Outdoor Concert Debut With Under The Stars At Selby Gardens

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota makes its first foray into outdoor concerts with Under the Stars, an inspired celebration of opera and musical theatre featuring the voices of soprano Jennifer Kreider and tenor Austin Cripe, October 26, 5:30 p.m., on the bay front at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota.

Kreider and Cripe were both prizewinners at Artist Series Concerts' 2016 National Voice Competition. Joined by pianist Joseph Holt, they'll perform favorites by Brahms, Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern, and many others.

To ensure the safety of audience members, musicians and staff, in addition to the outdoor setting, all seating (provided by Michaels on the Bay at Selby Gardens), will be socially distanced, guests' temperatures will be taken upon arrival and masks or face coverings will be required. As a further safeguard, there will be no will call and tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets are $25 and are available online at ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or by calling 941-306-1202, Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Jennifer Kreider and Austin Cripe delighted judges and audience members alike at Artist Series Concerts' 2016 National Voice Competition, where they took first and second place respectively. Fast-forward to 2020 and the duo, each now pursuing a busy music career, returns to Sarasota, this time not as competitors, but as co-stars, performing together at Artist Series Concerts' first outdoor concert ever. "Jennifer and Austin are both outstanding young singers and are a further embodiment of our mission to present and support the exciting new stars of tomorrow," says Joseph Holt, director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts.

Highlights of the one-hour program (with no intermission) include a trio of Brahms' Lieder, Donizetti's Duet between Adina and Nemorino from L'elisir d'Amore, Jerome Kern's Make Believe from Showboat, plus selections of works by Paolo Tosti, Kurt Weill and others.

Soprano Jennifer Kreider is pursuing a performer's diploma under the guidance of Jane Dutton at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Her past roles include Musetta (La Bohème), Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Linfea (La Calisto) and many others. She has been a young artist at Opera in the Ozarks, the CoOPERAtive Program in Princeton, New Jersey, and the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien, Austria.

A native of Brandon, Florida, tenor Austin Cripe holds a master's degree from Florida State University. He has performed with Florida State Opera in the roles of Gastone in La Traviata, King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, the title role in Candide and others. He has also performed with Red River Lyric Opera, the Savannah Voice Festival and Opera Tampa.

"It's hard to believe that after 25 years of presenting concerts in a variety of settings, we're finally bringing the music outdoors," says Marcy Miller, executive director of Artist Series Concerts. "And the starry skies, lush greenery and panoramic bay views of Selby Gardens by dusk will be a perfect and safe backdrop for an evening of fresh air and great music under the stars."