IlluminArts Presents SONGS OF THE CITY, SONGS IN THE DARK Tonight

IlluminArts presents immersive musical performance in conjunction with LISTEN TO THIS BUILDING: A collaboration by Exile Books, the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, and the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. Called SONGS OF THE CITY, SONGS IN THE DARK, the concert is set for tonight, October 1, 2015 from 6:30PM to 8:30 PM at the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, 100 NE 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33132. Free admission. RSVP recommended at www.illuminarts.org.

IlluminArts is Miami's Art Song and Vocal Chamber Music series, collaborating with museums and galleries to present programs of music that are inspired the visual art in the space. Join us for an unforgettable immersive musical experience that will encourage you to engage with sound through all of your senses!

IlluminArts presents an evening of song and poetry to highlight the groundbreaking collaboration between EXILE Books and the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, LISTEN TO THIS BUILDING, a program that seeks to bridge the understanding between downtown Miami architecture, independent publishing, and accessibility.

Featuring songs to explore life in the city, how places define us, and the characters who bring the buildings and the city to life, along with music of composers who overcame physical challenges to create timeless masterworks.

PROGRAM:

1. Entrance by David Conte

2. The Dream City by Gustav Holst

3. Let's Take a Walk by Virgil Thomson

4. Is it Dirty? by Christopher Berg

5. Places to Live by William Bolcom

6. Bus Stop by Ricky Ian Gordon

7. The Girl in 14G by Jeanine Tesori

8. An die ferne Geliebte by Ludwig von Beethoven

9. Selections by Joaquín Rodrigo

· Coplas del pastor enamorado

· De los álamos vengo, Madre

· En Aranjuez, con tu amor

· De ronda

PERFORMANCES BY:

Susan Hellman Spatafora, Soprano - Soprano Susan Hellman exudes a "youthful freshness combined with an ardent sense of phrasing and a thrilling top register." Known for her winning interpretations of Puccini's soprano heroines, Ms. Hellman has performed Mimi in La Bohème with Palm Beach Opera and Sarasota Opera, as well as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly with Central City Opera. Upcoming engagements include soprano soloist in the Mozart Mass in c minor and the Dvorak Stabat Mater with the Tampa Oratorio Singers, as well as a performance of music from Madame Butterfly with the Tampa Bay Symphony. Engagements in the 2014-2015 season included appearances as soprano soloist with the Tampa Oratorio Society in Verdi's Requiem and Mendelssohn's Elijah, as well as an Evenings and Mornings with the Maestro concert series with St. Petersburg Opera, and a concert for the Young Patronesses of the Florida Grand Opera. Ms. Hellman was recently heard as soprano soloist in a recital with the IlluminArts song series in Miami, FL, a performance of Andrea Clearfield's The Long Bright with the North Carolina Women's Voices Chorus, and the premiere of Allan Friedman's With Perfect Faith at Duke University. In previous seasons, she has been a soprano soloist in the Bach Magnificat with the Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches and has sung a concert tour with the Arrowhead Chorale in Duluth, MN.

Ms. Hellman has performed with opera companies such as Glimmerglass Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, and Vermont's Green Mountain Opera. Her featured roles have included Susannah in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, Micaëla in Carmen, Mimì in La Bohème, Clotilde in Norma, and Giannetta in L'Elisir d'Amore. She has covered the roles of Marzelline in Fidelio, Liù in Turandot, La Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro and Violetta in La Traviata, among others. Ms. Hellman's international credits include performances with the Opera Theater Festival of Lucca, and EPCASO in Oderzo, Italy. Ms. Hellman was an apprentice with Glimmerglass Opera, Central City Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Sarasota Opera. She was awarded the Darla Mabee Larson Memorial Award for her outstanding performance of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with Central City Opera. She has also been recognized for her rich soprano voice as a prize winner in competitions including the Florida Grand Opera Young Patronesses of the Opera competition, the Palm Beach Opera International Vocal Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters Voice Competition.Ms. Hellman received her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University and Master's degree from the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati.

Daniel Bates, Tenor - Daniel Bates, a native of Elmira, NY, is returning as a Young Artist at Florida Grand Opera for the 2015-2016 season to perform the role of Ernesto in Don Pasquale and Third SS Man in The Passenger. During the 2014-2015 season at Florida Grand Opera, Daniel had the pleasure of performing the roles of Goro in Madama Butterfly, Ferrando in Cosí fan tutte and Nadir in The Pearl Fishers, as well as covering The Magician in The Consul. Daniel will be returning to Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist this summer and will perform the roles of Junior and Charlie in the World Premiere of Cold Mountain, and the Slave in Salome, as well as performing in the chorus of the other mainstage productions.

During the 2013-2014 season, Daniel spent his first summer as an Apprentice Artist at Santa Fe Opera, and was a Resident Artist at Shreveport Opera. He performed the roles of Nanki-poo in The Mikado, Pang in Turandot, and covered Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore. During the summer of 2013, Daniel was a Studio Artist with Opera Saratoga. Daniel was also a District Winner and Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2013.

Daniel has performed Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Lurcanio in Ariodante, Laurie in Little Women and Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, The Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and covered Ferrando in Così fan tutte at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). In the summer of 2011, he performed Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S Pinafore with the Cornell Savoyards. While at Ithaca College, Daniel performed Orfeo in L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, the Drunkard in The Little Prince by Rachel Portman, and Le Comte Barigoule in Cendrillion by Pauline Viardot. In the summer of 2012 was a festival artist with Utah Festival Opera where he performed in productions of Tosca, Faust, and Kiss Me Kate, and covered The Evangelist in Bach's St. Matthew Passion. In the summer of 2010, he performed as a soloist for DCINY at Lincoln Center's Avery Fischer Hall. Daniel is a Master's student at San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying with Catherine Cook. Daniel holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College, where he studied with Dr. Brad Hougham.

Anna Fateeva, Pianist - Pianist Anna Fateeva holds a DMA diploma in Accompanying and Chamber Music from the University of Miami, a Professional Studies Certificate in Vocal Accompanying from Manhattan School of Music (studio of Warren Jones), MM in Piano Performance from the University of Northern Iowa, MM in Piano Performance from St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia, and BM in Piano Performance from Rimsky-Korsakov Music College. She has performed in Russia, Finland, Scotland, Austria, Bulgaria, and USA. In 1997 Ms. Fateeva received the "Best Accompanist" award at the International Music Festival in Albena (Bulgaria). In 2005, Ms. Fateeva worked as a stuff pianist at the University of Miami Summer School in Salzburg, Austria. Ms. Fateeva was a staff pianist at the International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI) 2006 Summer Program in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she worked with Joan Dornemann, Paul Nadler, and Ruth Falcon; Regina opera company in Brooklyn, Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, and Opera Showcase at Manhattan School of music. Ms. Fateeva attended Music Academy of the West as a vocal piano fellow in 2007 and 2008 where she studied with Warren Jones and John Churchwell. She also served as a pianist for Dawn Upshaw and Marilyn Horne master classes in Carnegie Hall. Ms. Fateeva has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Renée Fleming, Vivica Genaux, Kevin Short, Wendy Bryn Harmer, Nadine Sierra, Simone Osborne, Amanda Crider, and vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire. Engagements in the 2014 - 2015 season included the audio recording of the new CD "American Voices" with Seraphic Fire, participation in its series of concerts and performances within IlluminArts concert series.