Angel Blue Joins the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra for a Holiday Performance on Saturday, December 3rd in Miller Auditorium

    KALAMAZOO, MI, November 18, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is proud to present the second concert in its 2016-17 Special Event Series, Sounds of the Season - Christmas with Angel Blue featuring laureate of Placido Domingo's international Operalia competition, Angel Blue.

Joining the orchestra and Ms. Blue, the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus, directed by Fred Sang, will delight audiences with their pure sound and excellent musicianship. The program, to be announced from stage, will include many of your holiday favorites - even Santa Claus will make an appearance.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Raymond Harvey
For more than 35 years, Raymond Harvey has made a significant impact as an American conductor of great skill and insight. Born in New York City, he studied piano and conducting, receiving Bachelor's and Master's degrees in choral conducting from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music; and then studied orchestral conducting at the Yale School of Music, earning Master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees.

This season Maestro Harvey celebrates 18 years as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the top post at the Fresno Philharmonic (California), Springfield Symphony (Massachusetts), and El Paso Opera (Texas).

Maestro Harvey has appeared as guest conductor with many of America's leading orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Detroit, New Orleans and Minnesota, as well as the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts and the Boston Pops. He has also had engagements with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra of Florence, Italy, the Pusan Symphony of South Korea, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. He regularly performs as a pianist, both in chamber music and as pianist/conductor in works of Gershwin, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff.

In addition to his commitment to Kalamazoo, Dr. Harvey has been named an Associate Professor at the University of Houston, where he serves as Music Director of the Moores School of Music opera department. His operatic repertoire is extensive, including favorites such as Carmen, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme, Turandot, and Aida; as well as the more rarely performed The Consul, The Rape of Lucretia, and Samson and Delilah.

The Kalamazoo community continues to embrace Raymond Harvey through appreciation of his compelling performances and engaging lectures.

Angel Blue
American soprano Angel Blue has performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Munchener Philharmoniker, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Frankfurt Opera, and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Theater an der Wien, Auditorio Nacional de Musica, Seoul Arts Center and Edinburgh International Festival.

Her operatic roles include Violetta (La Traviata), Musetta and Mimi (La Boheme), Micaela (Carmen), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Liu (Turandot), Manon (Manon), Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Giulietta and Antonia (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), while on the concert platform she sings Mahler's Symphony No 2, Verdi's Requiem und Strauss Vier Letzte Lieder.

Angel Blue regularly appears with Zubin Mehta, Placido Domingo and Simon Rattle. Her engagements this and the coming seasons include La Boheme at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Dresden, Valencia and for the NDR in Hannover, Helena (Mefistofele) in Baden-Baden, Myrtle in The Great Gatsby in Dresden, Violetta in La Traviata in Seattle and for the Royal Opera House. She will also sing new productions of Porgy and Bess in Milan and in New York.

Fred Sang
Fred Sang is the Artistic Director and Director for the Touring Choir. Mr. Sang received his undergraduate and graduate training at Western Michigan University. Mr. Sang retired from Portage Public Schools after thirty-two years of teaching. During those thirty-two years, he taught in London, England, Constantine, Hartford, Paw Paw, and Portage Michigan. His public-school choirs received consistent Superior ratings at District and State Choral Festivals. His students have recognized Mr. Sang by nominating him to Who's Who among America's Teachers nine times.

Mr. Sang is an active clinician and adjudicator for Michigan School Vocal Music Association and under their auspices began a mentor program for new and emerging choral directors in the public schools of Michigan. He was elected by his colleagues around the state to be the SSA Middle School State Honors Choir Director in 2012. He is also active as a mentor for teachers and maintains an active schedule visiting classrooms in the public schools. Mr. Sang continues to act as a consultant for and advocate of choral music in the public schools. He is also a member of the American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America. He is the recipient of the Greater Kalamazoo Arts Council Arts Leadership award for 2015.

Kalamazoo Children's Chorus
The Kalamazoo Children's Chorus has been providing outstanding choral music to our community for over 36 years. Starting as a single choir in 1980, the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus is now five choirs strong and KCC students range from 3rd grade to 12th grade. Each year about 200 children, ages 8 to 18, learn and perform in an atmosphere of artistic excellence, and by so doing, enrich the artistic life of our community.

The Touring Choir is KCC's most experienced choir, made up of an auditioned ensemble of middle and high school children under the artistic direction of Fred Sang. The Touring Choir has collaborated with every major musical organization in Kalamazoo and has sung with many artists who visit Kalamazoo to perform at Miller Auditorium and other venues. Over the years they have also shared the stage with: Numazu Boys and Girls Choir (Japan), Bloemfontein Children's Choir (South Africa), St. Mary's Children's Chorus (Canada) and The Young People's Chorus of New York City (America).

Singing a varied repertoire of sacred and secular music, the Touring Choir has sung throughout Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. In 2013 they performed in Rome, Florence, Mezza Villa, and in Venice at the Bacillica of St. Mark's. Auditions are held by appointment on the last two Saturday's in April 2016 or by e-mailing Artistic Director, Fred Sang, at [email protected].

CALENDAR LISTING
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents

Special Event
Sounds of the Season - Christmas with Angel Blue
Raymond Harvey, Conductor
Angel Blue, Soprano
Kalamazoo Children's Chorus, directed by Fred Sang

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is joined by Angel Blue, laureate of Placido Domingo's international Operalia competition, and the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus, under the direction of Fred Sang, to light up the stage for our annual Sounds of the Season concert. Santa Claus himself makes an appearance, too.

Program to be announced from stage

Saturday, December 3, 2016 | 8pm
Miller Auditorium

Tickets: $60 - $24
Student & Veteran discounts available.
$5 Student Rush and Harvey's Hideaway tickets available at the box office the night of the concert.

For tickets, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com, call the KSO Box Office at (269) 349-7759 or call Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300.

Visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com for up-to-date information, details and schedules. Prices, artists, dates, time and program are subject to change without notice.

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra also receives generous support from other local, state and national foundations, as well as private and corporate support. For more information, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com.

ABOUT THE KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1921, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is Southwest Michigan's premier musical organization, providing musical enrichment to over 80,000 adults and youth per year. The third-largest professional orchestra in the state, the KSO has won numerous awards and grants, including the Met Life Award for Arts Access in Underserved Communities, the National Endowment for the Arts for its extensive education programs, and a major Ford Foundation grant to found its innovative Artist-in-Residence program.

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