George London Foundation for Singers Announces 2011-2012 Season

The George London Foundation for Singers has been honoring, supporting, and presenting the finest young opera singers in the U.S. and Canada for decades. In the 2011-2012 season, which marks the 40th anniversary of the George London Awards, the foundation presents three duo-recitals by six stellar singers; the U.S. premiere screening of a new documentary on the life and career of George London; and the foundation's annual competition, which since 1971 has given George London Awards to a roster of artists that includes some of the greatest singers performing today.

All the season's events take place at Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum.

The 17th annual George London Foundation Recital Series - which presents pairs of outstanding opera singers, many of whom were winners of a George London prize early in their careers or recent George London Award recipients - features three events:

Stephen Costello, tenor, and Ailyn Pérez, soprano, with Ken Noda, piano, on Sunday, October 16, 2011, at 5:00 PM. Both singers - who are married to each other - are 2006 George London Award winners. Ms. Pérez will sing the world premiere of Thomas Pasatieri's Bel Canto Songs, a work that was to have been performed on the series in 2010-2011.
Marcello Giordani, tenor, and Meagan Miller, soprano, with Craig Rutenberg, piano, on Sunday, March 4, 2012, at 5:00 PM. This is the only New York recital of the season for Ms. Miller, a 2008 George London Award winner.

Lisette Oropesa, soprano, and Brian Mulligan, baritone, with Ken Noda, piano, on Sunday, April 1, 2012, at 5:00 PM. Ms. Oropesa, a 2008 George London Award winner; and Mr. Mulligan, who won the award in 2003, perform their only New York recitals.

The U.S. premiere screening of George London: Between Gods and Demons, a 2011 documentary from Arthaus Musik, the world's leading classical music DVD label, will be hosted by baritone Sherrill Milnes on Sunday, November 13, 2011, at 3:00 PM - the exact 60th anniversary of George London's Metropolitan Opera debut in Aida. This video portrait of the career of the legendary bass-baritone features previously unreleased performance footage and interviews with colleagues and students, including many George London Award winners.

The 41st annual George London Foundation Awards Competition begins with three days of preliminary auditions and culminates with the final round and award ceremony open to the public. The 2012 competition takes place February 13-17, and the public is invited to attend the competition finals and awards announcement on Friday, February 17, 2012.

All events will be in the Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street. A subscription to the series of all three recitals is $120. Single tickets will be sold beginning September 15 for $45 each. Tickets to the competition finals are $20, $10 for series subscribers.

For tickets to all these events, for information, and to join London Foundation mailing list, call (212) 212-956-2809, or e-mail info@georgelondon.org. www.georgelondon.org

George London: Between Gods and Demons - U.S. Premiere Screening
Arthaus Musik says of the documentary: "George London was one of the most impressive bass-baritone of the postwar era. He sang with Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas and Nicolai Gedda, to name only a few, and captured the audience's hearts with his distinctive voice and his charismatic stage presence. The film portrays this exceptional artist in all his diversity, shows rare archive footage of his great performances as an opera singer, but also as an interpreter of traditional spirituals and operetta. Another important element of the film are interviews with his widow Nora London and former colleagues, experts and current stars of the opera scene such as Neil Shicoff, Catherine Malfitano and Deborah Polaski, who have been taught by George London and supported in their careers by George London Foundation." The documentary was directed by Marita Stocker.

Bel Canto Songs
Of his Bel Canto Songs, Thomas Pasatieri says, "I have always been attracted to the music of the Italian Bel Canto composers. They expressed different emotions with the vocal ornamentation and poignant melodic shaping of this style. In my songs and operas, I always incorporated these principles along with the dramatic thrust of the verismo school. For some time I had been thinking of writing a group of songs which employed a pure bel canto aspect in the vocal line but which also featured a contemporary harmonic palette in the piano part. It was interesting to me to set texts in English in this way since all the bel canto composers wrote in Italian. Last year, reading the poetry of William Blake, the image of six songs became clear to me, his poetry perfect for this kind of vocal shading. I call the cycle Bel Canto Songs, separated by over a hundred and fifty years from their models but sharing the same muse."

2011-2012 Artists
Stephen Costello (www.stephencostellotenor.com), a 2006 George London Award winner, debuted at the Wiener Staatsoper at its 2010-2011 season opener, singing Rodolfo in La Bohème. Stephen will be starring at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera's 2011-2012 season with Anna Netrebko in Anna Bolena. His many other upcoming engagements include Nemorino with the Vienna Opera, Alfredo at Convent Garden and Rodolfo with Los Angeles Opera. Ailyn Pérez (biography), also a 2006 George London Award winner, counts among her upcoming season highlights Marguerite in Faust with Santa Fe Opera, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra with Deutsche Staatsoper, Liu in Turandot at Convent Garden, and Violetta in La Traviata at Deutsch Oper.

Marcello Giordani (www.marcellogiordani.com) made a series of major role debuts in 2010-2011: Radames in Aida at the San Francisco Opera; Ramerrez in La Fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan Opera (opposite Deborah Voigt in a production that marked the 100th anniversary of the opera's premiere); Vasco de Gama in L'Africaine with Opera Orchestra of New York; and Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Pagliacci, both at Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona. Meagan Miller (www.meaganmillersoprano.com), who in 2008 won both a George London Award and a George London Vienna Prize, stars in this summer's Bard Summerscape production of Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae, the first fully-staged production of the opera in New York. Highlights of her 2011-2012 season include Elisabetta in Don Carlo with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and the title role in Daphne at the Vienna State Opera.

Lisette Oropesa (biography), a 2008 George London Award winner, will in 2011-2012 make her San Francisco Opera debut as Romilda in Xerxes, as well as sing Miranda in the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island with the Metropolitan Opera, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Ismene in a revival of Mitridate, rè di Ponto with the Bayerische Staatsoper. Brian Mulligan (www.brian-mulligan.com), a 2003 George London Award winner, sings Valentin in Faust at The Metropolitan Opera in 2011-2012, as well as the title role in Nixon in China at the San Francisco Opera and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Washington National Opera. Among this past season's notable engagements were performances as Leon Klinghoffer in The Death of Klinghoffer ("penetrating eloquence" -The New York Times) at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

The George London Foundation Awards and Recital Series
The George London Foundation Awards competition is one of the oldest vocal competitions in the United States and Canada, and it offers among the most substantial awards. Through the annual juried competition for outstanding young North American opera singers (U.S. or Canadian citizens under the age of 35 who must have performed at least one professional engagement), awards are given to the most promising performers: in 2011, a total of $73,000 was given in the form of six George London Awards of $10,000, and eight Encouragement Grants of $1,000, with Honorable Mention awards of $500 going to the remaining finalists.
As is not always the case in musical competitions, no fee is charged to the applicants or competitors, a pianist is provided for the competition rounds, and the prizes are awarded immediately.
A further career development opportunity is given through the Vienna Prize, which is given to one of the award-winners: a two-week residency in Austria where the prize-winner receives an audition with the Vienna Opera and intensive musical coaching in German repertoire and language.
The recital series began at the Morgan in 1995 as a way to give grantees exposure and experience, and, in many cases, a New York debut. Each season consists of three recitals featuring a recent award winner with a well-known international artist - often a past George London Award winner - that have in recent years included Christine Brewer, Lauren Flanigan, Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, René Pape, Samuel Ramey, Frederica von Stade, Bryn Terfel, and Dawn Upshaw.

George London Foundation Board of Directors
The Executive Board of the George London Foundation Board of Directors consists of Nora London, President; Bruce Donnell and Deirdre Howley, Vice Presidents; William D. Robbins, Esq., Treasurer; Thurmond Smithgall, Secretary; Maria Bedo, Executive Director; and Ken Benson, Liliane L. Brochu, Pamela Drexel, Matthew Epstein, Giovanni D. Favretti, Richard Gaddes, Alfred F. Hubay, Mary E. Kirk, Dr. Marc London, Marina London, Susanne Mentzer, Hope S. Miller, James Morris, James D. Rigler, Vera Stern, Nicoletta Valletti, and John Wolberg.

Recent Activities of Recent George London Award Winners
Ellie Dehn, soprano, 2007 George London Award Winner
2010-2011 Season:
Musetta in La Bohème at The Metropolitan Opera
Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at San Francisco Opera and Houston Grand Opera
Inez in L'Africaine with Opera Orchestra of New York
Upcoming in 2011-2012:
Antonia in Les contes d'Hoffmann at Teatro alla Scala (role debut)
Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at San Francisco Opera
Musetta in La Bohème at Teatro dell'Opera (role debut)
Angela Meade, soprano, 2007 George London Award Winner
2010-2011 Season:
Virginia, title role, at the Wexford Festival
Armida, title role, at The Metropolitan Opera
Verdi Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Upcoming in 2011-2012:
Title role in Anna Bolena and Elivira in Ernani at The Metropolitan Opera
Lucrezia in I due Foscari at Opera Berlin
Susanna Phillips, soprano, 2005 George London Award Winner
2010-2011 Season:
Pamina in The Magic Flute and Musetta in La Bohème at The Metropolitan Opera
Helen in A Midsummer's Night Dream at Boston Lyric Opera
Upcoming in 2011-2012:
Aria concert with Mostly Mozart Festival
Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Musetta in La Bohème at The Metropolitan Opera
Pamina in The Magic Flute at Gran Teatre de Liceu
Dimitri Pittas, tenor, 2004 George London Award Winner
2010-2011 Season:
Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Houston Grand Opera
Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at Bayerische Staatsoper
MacDuff in Macbeth at the The Royal Opera, Covent Garden
Upcoming in 2011-2012:
Faust at Santa Fe Opera
Duca in Rigoletto at Canadian Opera Company
Rodolfo in La Bohème at The Metropolitan Opera
Russell Thomas, tenor, 2006 George London Award Winner
2010-2011 Season:
Tamino in The Magic Flute at The Metropolitan Opera
Oedipus in Oedipus Rex with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Faust in La Damnation de Faust at Oper Frankfurt
Upcoming in 2011-2012:
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Title role in Les Contes d'Hoffman with Canadian Opera Company
John Adams premiere with the Los Angeles Philharmonic

THE George London FOUNDATION FOR SINGERS 2011-2012 SEASON

Sunday, October 16, 2011, at 5:00 PM
The Morgan Library & Museum
George London Foundation Recital
Stephen Costello, Tenor
Ailyn Pérez, Soprano
Ken Noda, Piano
PASATIERI Bel Canto Songs (World Premiere)
Tickets: $45

Sunday, November 13, 2011, at 3:00 PM
The Morgan Library & Museum
U.S. Premiere Screening
George London: Between Gods & Demons
Hosted by Sherrill Milnes

Tickets: Free for series subscribers,
$20 for general public

Friday, February 17, 2012, at 4:00 PM
The Morgan Library & Museum
41st Annual George London Awards Competition
Final Round and Awards Announcement

Tickets: $10 for series subscribers,
$20 for general public

Sunday, March 4, 2012, at 5:00 PM
George London Foundation Recital
The Morgan Library & Museum
George London Foundation Recital
Marcello Giordano, Tenor
Meagan Miller, Soprano (Only New York Recital)
Craig Rutenberg, Piano
Tickets: $45

Sunday, April 1, 2012, at 5:00 PM
The Morgan Library & Museum
George London Foundation Recital
Lisette Oropesa, Soprano (Only New York Recital)
Brian Mulligan, Baritone (Only New York Recital)
Ken Noda, Piano

Tickets: $45

Subscription to the three-recital series: $120
For tickets, information, and to join London Foundation mailing list:
Call: (212) 212-956-2809
E-mail: info@georgelondon.org

The George London Foundation for Singers
460 West 49th Street, Office
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-956-2809
Fax: 212-956-2817
info@georgelondon.org
www.georgelondon.org