Art Song Preservation Society and Opera America Present Virginie Verrez in Recital Tonight

The Art Song Preservation Society (ASPS) will present French Mezzo-Soprano, Virginie Verrez in recital with accomplished piano collaborator, Thomas Muraco. Ms. Verrez, the first place winner of the 2014 Mary Trueman Vocal Art Song Competition sponsored by the Art Song Preservation Society, will present works by Brahms, Monteverdi, Poulenc, Duparc, Canteloube among others.

The recital is tonight, March 21 at 2pm at the National Opera Center (330 7th Avenue) in New York City. Tickets are $25 at the door. You can purchase tickets by visiting the Art Song Preservation Society website at www.artsongpreservationsocietyny.org.

About the Art Song Preservation Society of New York - ASPS is a nonprofit organization comprised of an esteemed advisory board, a devoted creative team, talented emerging recitalists and piano accompanists, and art song enthusiasts who are dedicated to preserving this exceptional area of vocal literature and enriching the New York classical music environment. ASPS explores the unique union between artists, musicians, and poets with monthly workshops, educational lectures, a master class series, and concert performance opportunities. Recent master class events have featured distinguished guest artists such as Dalton Baldwin, Thomas Grubb, Marni Nixon, Margaret Lattimore, and Thomas Muraco. The art song company has collaborated with the September Foundation, performing American Art Songs for a full house at the Liederkranz Foundation Ballroom on September 10, 2011 and has partnered with artists like Benita Valente, Corradina Caporello, and Michel Sénéchal in featured presentations.

ASPS serves the New York City area by creating opportunities for education and performance in the genre of classical art song vocal literature to classical singers, piano collaborators, and art song aficionados. The organization also generates exposure for emerging and established composers of art song to their key public - singers, teachers, accompanists, and enthusiasts!

About Virginie Verrez - A native from France, mezzo-soprano, Virginie Verrez, has appeared in recitals in Paris, Baden bei Wien, in Vienna, and in Rheinbeck; and sang in Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus in Limoges. In 2013, Ms. Verrez performed at the Juilliard School the role of Beatrice in Wolf-Ferrari's Donne Curiose as well as the role of Zenobia in Handel's Radamisto. She also appeared in Juilliard's "Wednesdays at One" series in Alice Tully Hall and in the 2013 New York Festival of Song. She won the Lissner Charitable Fund of the 2013 Opera Index competition and is the winner of the 2014 Mary Trueman Art Song Vocal Competition sponsored by ASPS.

About Thomas Muraco - Thomas Muraco has earned such accolades through a combination of technical virtuosity, tonal beauty, and a unique understanding of the underlying poetry of music. His performances in major concert halls throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia reflect his command of a repertoire remarkable for its complete range of musical styles, periods and forms. He has been praised for his insightful interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Wolf, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, and premieres of William Schuman and George Perle. Mr. Muraco has partnered among others such singers as Adele Addison, John Aler, Martina Arroyo, Arleen Augér, John Cheek, Phyllis Curtin, Mary Dunleavy, Faith Esham, Maureen Forrester, Denyce Graves, Ben Heppner, Henry Herford, Ying Huang, Sumi Jo, Chris Merritt, Roberta Peters, Hermann Prey, Twyla Robinson, Jennie Tourel, Benita Valente and Dolora Zajick, and instrumentalists John Graham, Robert Mann, Arnold Steinhardt, Zara Nelsova, Ransom Wilson, Peter Winograd, and the American and Shanghai String Quartets. Highlights of his career include appearances at The White House, the Library of Congress, the Aspen, Banff, Bermuda, Casals, Cincinnati May and Ravinia Festivals, and on recital series at New York's major concert halls and at museums, universities and cultural centers throughout the US, Europe and Asia.

Tickets to all programs are $25 unless otherwise indicated. The Recital takes place at Opera America (330 7th Avenue, between 28th and 29th street, New York). If you are interested in tickets, contact Blaire Boone-Migura at ASPSNY@gmail.com or visit The Art Song Preservation website.