The Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra presents “A Taste of Italy” Saturday, April 1 at 7:00pm at Harvey High School in Painesville. The concert will feature soprano Abigayle Williams in the selections from operas by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti. The program also features the overture from Rossini’s Barber of Seville, the prelude from Verdi’s La traviata, and Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony. The concert will be conducted by Snowbelt Musical Arts Association founder Greg Hillis.
A native of Alabama, Ms. Williams is a recent graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has been a frequent finalist in state and regional auditions and is a three-time recipient of the Montgomery Symphony Vann Vocal Institute’s Young Artist Encouragement Award. Abigayle recently portrayed the role of Belinda in a film version of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. In addition to performing, Ms. Williams teaches voice lessons at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby.
“Mozart’s ‘Una donna a quindici anni’ is one of the first arias I learned as a young singer. I remember connecting quite well with the character, who is about the same age as I was at the time. It has been extremely rewarding to return to this aria, which held many challenges for me in my earlier years of study,” said Ms. Williams. “I was cast as Clorinda in a summer festival production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola and was terrified to learn ‘Sventurata! Mi credea’ as it’s a beast of an aria. I wrestled with it all summer. Picking it back up recently made me realize that doing hard things doesn’t just take weeks or months, but sometimes years.”
“Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony is going to be a blast; the orchestra players are really excited about performing it,” said Greg Hillis, conductor of the Snowbelt Symphony. “The first and last movements are super high-energy and the slow movement is absolutely gorgeous.”
Tickets for the A Taste of Italy concert are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $8 for students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.snowbeltmusical.org. Harvey High School is located at 200 W. Walnut Ave in Painesville. Onsite parking is free and the auditorium is ADA accessible.
The Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra is a new 33-player fully-professional orchestra bringing high quality live classical music performances to Lake and Geauga counties.
For more information, please visit www.snowbeltmusical.org. Snowbelt Musical Arts Association can be reached for questions or comments at info@snowbeltmusical.org or 440-296-9610. SMAA can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @snowbeltmusical.
