The Florentine Welcomes Three New Artists to Resident Ensemble

By: May. 02, 2017
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This email contains The Florentine Opera proudly announces it will expand its successful Studio Artist program to include a summer quartet in 2017, and welcome three new singers to its program for the 2017-18 season.

Joining the Florentine in the fall will be: soprano Rachel Blaustein, mezzo-soprano (incumbent) Ashley Puenner, tenor Edward Graves, and baritone Nate Hill.

Soprano Rachel Blaustein is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory. Ashley Puenner returns for her second season with the Florentine as a Studio Aritst. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas. Edward Graves is a graduate of Indiana University. Nate Hill is a graduate of Northwestern University.

The Florentine artistic staff saw nearly 75 live auditions, and viewed more than 200 video submissions, for both the 2017-18 full season program and the 2017 summer program.

Performing for community engagement performances all over the area this summer will be: Soprano Rachel Blaustein, Mezzo-Soprano Jessica Blau, Tenor Thomas Leighton, and Baritone Leroy Y. Davis.

Rachel Blaustein will be with the company for both the summer and the season-long program. Mezzo-soprano Jessica Blau recently completed a Performance Certificate at the University of Houston. Thomas Leighton and Leroy Davis have spent the past two seasons with the Florentine as Studio Artists, and will remain with the company through the summer.

General Director William Florescu and Director of Artistic Administration Lisa Hanson decided to solidify the Florentine Opera's community outreach efforts and its increasingly active summer concert schedule with this new Studio Artist Summer Quartet program. The new quartet will perform at all of the Florentine's summer programming-including Pasta & Puccini, Colectivo, Estabrook Beer Garden, the Galena Festival of the Arts, and Festa Italiana-and workshopping of the world premiere children's opera, A Busy Bee.


WHY YOUR AUDIENCE WILL CARE

The Florentine Opera Studio Artist Program is entering its tenth anniversary season. The Florentine Opera Company is among an elite handful of opera companies around the country that offers a full-season, young professional training program. With our Studio Artist program, we serve the art form with peers likes the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fort Worth Opera, and Houston Grand Opera

Three years ago, we opened the Kate and Don Wilson Casa di Opera, the residential home right next to our Opera Center, where our young artists now live. This puts them right in the center of our artistic campus and business model, with easy access to rehearsals, practice sessions, and coaching. Their proximity also makes them available for a remarkable number of community performances.

The rigor and pace of our Studio Artist program is unparalleled. Our young artists learn and perform a truly amazing range of repertoire. They become our year-round artistic face, and allow us to serve nearly 50,000 people each season, from all ages and walks of life.

The Studio Artist program:

  • Provides crucial training for the next generation of American opera stars
  • Adds to the Florentine's artistry. Our Studio Artists perform mainstage roles alongside national and international stars.
  • Shares great opera with neighborhood audiences. Our Studio Artists are the featured performers in our @ the Center Series, and perform dozens of concerts each year at area music festivals, senior homes, neighborhood centers, and more
  • Inspires young audiences. Our Studio Artists are the stars in our Opera in the Schools touring program and introduce more than 20,000 students to world-class opera every yea

General Director William Florescu said the Studio Artist program is mutually beneficial for the company and the artists.

"It's become the masthead of the company. They're involved in every part of our mission, and really embody our efforts to provide Opera for All! Before we had this, we only existed when we had a mainstage show. Now, we have a constant presence in the community," said Florescu.

THE FLORENTINE OPERA COMPANY
83 years of world-class opera in Milwaukee!

The Florentine Opera Company's productions reflect the highest musical and theatrical standards, while supporting community and educational programs. As a leader in Wisconsin's art community and the nation's sixth-oldest opera company, the Florentine Opera seeks to establish a significant presence in the cultural, educational and civic life of the state of Wisconsin and beyond. The Florentine provides vital arts education experiences for children, nurtures new audiences, and expands cultural horizons for the next generation. The Florentine Opera is a cornerstone member organization of the United Performing Arts Fund and receives funds from Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin (with support from the National Endowment for the Arts), as well as corporations, foundations and individuals. The Florentine Opera Company is an organizational member of OPERA America.


 

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