American baritone Mark Rucker almost became a football player. Fortunately for the opera world, he heeded the non-stop encouragement of his high school choral director (“you’re going to sing at the Met one day”) and has since become a world-class dramatic baritone, singing in opera houses all over the U.S. and the world, from The Met to Arena di Verona and the Staatsoper in Berlin. Mr. Rucker and Chelsea Opera soloists will join together for a concert to benefit Chelsea Opera on Sunday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ & St. Stephen’s Church (120 West 69th Street, between Broadway and Columbus, NYC). The program will focus on several operas for which Mr. Rucker has become known internationally, such as Rigoletto, Tosca, Aida, Un ballo in maschera, Pagliacci and Tannhäuser, among many others.
Tickets are $25 (general admission) and $15 (seniors/students), or $30 and $20 at the door. Visit: http://www.chelseaopera.org/events.html or call 1-866-811-4111 for tickets. Christ & St. Stephen’s is fully wheelchair accessible. This production is supported, in part, by the Friends of Chelsea Opera. For more information, visit www.ChelseaOpera.org or call 212-260-1796.
Mr. Rucker made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Amonasro in Aida and has since been heard in the house as Don Carlo in La forza del destino, Tonio in I pagliacci, and as Rigoletto for the Met in the Parks. He made his European debut as Alfio and Tonio for Opera de Nice, and has continued his European career with performances as Alfio at the Vienna State Opera, Amonasro in Aida for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin with Fabio Luisi and with the Concertgebouw Orkest under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, made his Italian debut as Rigoletto with Daniele Gatti at the Teatro Communale in Bologna, and his debut at the Arena di Verona as Amonasro. According to Opera News, “Mark Rucker portrayed Rigoletto, the power and beauty of his voice retaining luster no matter what the dynamics. As an actor, the baritone welled with emotion without becoming maudlin or pathetic.”
With his wife, accompanist Sadie Rucker, Mr. Rucker is very involved in helping young singers just getting started. They are both active with the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s Prelude to Performance, a training program that allows singers to learn a complete role and then perform it in a fully staged and costumed production with orchestra.
Chelsea Opera is a professional company presenting fully staged operas with chamber orchestra and chorus. Now in its seventh year, the company provides an important venue for professional singers to advance their artistry while making opera attractive, affordable and accessible to a broad spectrum of the community. The company is also committed to providing opportunities for young people to learn about and become interested in opera either as a source of entertainment or future employment.
Formed in 2004 by Lynne Hayden-Findlay and Leonarda Priore, the company has produced Cavalleria Rusticana, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Scarf and The Bear (two one-acts based on Chekhov texts) and this past June, Puccini’s Suor Angelica which was the company’s inaugural production and celebrated the 5 th anniversary. It’s up-dated production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors and its 1930 setting of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro brought high accolades from audiences and singers alike. Most recently, Allan Kozinn of The New York Times called Chelsea Opera “enterprising” for its “affecting production” of Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied which has garnered national attention.
Chelsea Opera, a WNYC-FM *STAR* Incentive recipient, has enjoyed tremendous support from The Bettina Baruch Foundation, The NYU Community Fund, the Banfi Winery Foundation, the Joyce Dutka Foundation, the Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, Meet the Composer, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and hundreds of individuals. JetBlue Airways is “the official airline” of Chelsea Opera.
For more information, visit www.ChelseaOpera.org.
Inquiries can be made by email at ChelseaOpera@aol.com or by phone at
212-260-1796.
Tickets may be purchased on-line at OvationTix or by calling 1-866-811-4111.
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