Meet the cast of Sotto Voce’s SUOR ANGELICA!

May 17, 2024May 17, 2024 ~ sottovocevocalcollective ~ Leave a comment

**From top left:** Jamie Gangemi (The Monitor), Laurie Pastena (The Abbess/ Second Lay Sister), Maria Jacobi (The Novice), Sarah Arrowsmith (Suor Osmina), Emily Yancey (First Traveling Sister), Jessie Downs (Suor Angelica), Rosa Vu (Suor Dolcina), Maria Parker (The Nursing Sister), Aleksandra Tirone (First Lay Sister/ Second Traveling Sister), Ola Rafalo (La Principessa), Julia Anne Cordani (Suor Genovieffa), Erin Alexander (The Mistress of the Novices)

We are so thrilled to have assembled such a fantastic cast for our upcoming production of Suor Angelica! Our core team of Alex Huddleston (director), Jessie Downs (Suor Angelica), and Julia Anne Cordani (Suor Genovieffa) are joined by returning guest artist (Disakana in The Second Sight) Chicago-based mezzo-soprano Ola Rafalo (La Principessa); returning Spirits from The Magic Flute – Jamie Gangemi (The Monitor), Erin Alexander (The Mistress of the Novices), and Rosa Vu (Suor Dolcina), as well as Magic Flute chorister Sarah Arrowsmith (Suor Osmina); and our newest members – Laurie Pastena (The Abbess/ Second Lay Sister), Aleksandra Tirone (First Lay Sister/ Second Traveling Sister), Emily Yancey (First Traveling Sister), Maria Parker (The Nursing Sister), and Maria Jacobi (The Novice). You can read more about these wonderful people on our FEATURED ARTISTS page and get your tickets to hear them in the shows!

The Sister rehearsing the choral sections of the opera, led by Julia Anne Cordani at the piano.

Also, consider coming out to hear some of these fabulous artists in recital on Saturday June 8th at 7pm at our home base – the UU Church of Buffalo – singing selections from Mozart, Puccini, and more. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged to help support our show!

On Tuesday June 18th at 7pm at Randall Baptist Church of Williamsville, you can also join us for a special edition of “Let’s Do Lunch” called “Let’s Get Together.” The evening’s program will feature desserts, informative yet fun talks about Sotto Voce’s “opera nouveau” project, opportunities to meet our newest members, excerpts from the The Magic Flute, and previews of both Suor Angelica and shows for the 2024-25 Sotto Voce season and beyond. Write to AACPP_Lets_Do_Lunch AT protonmail.com for more information.

We’re Almost There!

April 24, 2024April 24, 2024 ~ sottovocevocalcollective ~ Leave a comment

Thanks so much to all those who made donations large and small last week to help us better our chances at earning $1,000 through our fiscal sponsor’s Spring Match Campaign. Unfortunately, we were not one of Fractured Atlas’s chosen winners, but THANKS TO YOUR GENEROSITY, WE ARE NOW TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY TO OUR $6,000 goal for our online Suor Angelica campaign. If you didn’t give last week, please consider making a donation this week instead. As the start of the rehearsal process for this show is now just under a week away, your gift will help us to start production from a place of financial security, a gift that is so invaluable to our little collective of multi-tasking artists. Thank you so much again for supporting opera nouveau. Let’s keep this good energy going TOGETHER!

Sotto Voce needs YOUR HELP this week!

April 16, 2024April 18, 2024 ~ sottovocevocalcollective ~ Leave a comment

Our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, is distributing $1,000 to 20 different projects for their annual Spring Match campaign. Every donation made to Sotto Voce THIS WEEK ONLY – between Monday April 15 and Friday April 19, 2024 – gives us an extra chance to receive the $1k. Please consider making a donation of any amount to improve our odds, and be sure to share our fundraiser far and wide—every donation counts! Note also that Fractured Atlas is a non-profit arts service organization, and so contributions for the charitable purposes of Sotto Voce are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

When you donate this week, your gift will support our June 2024 production of Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica. Check out a sneak preview of the show above, with Sotto Voce founding director Jessie Downs performing the famous aria, “Senza Mamma.” This video was directed and produced by Jessie’s co-director and partner Alex Huddleston with piano accompaniment by Sotto Voce Key Artist Jon Vogtle. Please check it out, like, comment, and subscribe! Anything you can do or give helps us so much! From all of us, thank you!

On our campaign page (linked above) you can also read more about this show and our “opera nouveau” take!

A ceremonial start

January 10, 2024January 10, 2024 ~ sottovocevocalcollective ~ Leave a comment

Priests Will Botsford, Phil Nicolai, Riley Nahlik, Brad Lessen, Ky VerHoef, and Leo Mitchell processing us into the start of filming for Sotto Voce’s *The Magic Flute*!

Tim Flynn (Sarastro) at the heart of his temple.

This past weekend, our production of W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute got off to a ceremonial start! After an impressive first rehearsal with our Three Spirits (Rosa Vu, Jamie Gangemi, and Erin Alexander) and Pamina (Jessie Downs), as well as a fun coaching with our Monostatos (Shaun Doyle), the entire cast gathered for a table read of Alex Huddleston’s adapted screenplay. Laughter abounded as we read through his fresh new take on a classic tale. The very next day, our fabulous director and crew filmed the opening scene of the second act – featuring our regal Sarastro (Tim Flynn) and his Priests (Leo Mitchell, Riley Nahlik, Brad Lessen, Phil Nicolai, Ky VerHoef, Alexander Chervyavsky, and Will Botsford) along with our angsty Tamino (Tyler Huk). This weekend, we are gearing up for more music rehearsals and filming. Stay tuned for more updates as this magical production continues to unfold!

Our cast and crew hard at work, filming more Priestly rituals. FAR LEFT: Josh Dissek – Stage Manager / CENTER: Alexander Chernyavsky – Priest, Alex Huddleston – Director/ FAR RIGHT: Zane Merritt -Assistant Film Director.

Relaunch Rehearsals Have Begun!

September 12, 2023 ~ sottovocevocalcollective ~ Leave a comment

This past Friday 9/8/23, our new team of artists began rehearsing for our fall relaunch and gala event “Incantations”! Stay tuned here, as well as on our FaceBook and Instagram, for more “behind the scene” updates as this beautiful program comes together. You can also buy your tickets for the event on our Incantations eventbrite page.