News Release
October 2005
Bethlehem, Pa. October 14, 2005—Moravian College’s annual Great Artist Series
will present a special evening with world-renowned opera soprano Angela Brown, on Wednesday,
November 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Foy Concert Hall. Brown is considered to be one of the opera
world's fastest rising stars. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in October of 2004
singing the title role of Aida. Her performance won critical acclaim from both The
New York Times and the Associated Press. Her favorite opera roles are the title characters
in Aida and Tosca, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos and Bess in
Porgy and Bess. For her recital at Moravian, Brown will draw on her eclectic inventory
of opera arias, arts songs by African-American composers, and spirituals from her “Mosaic” CD.
In honor of the occasion, a Great Artist Celebration Reception with Ms. Brown will be
held in Peter Hall immediately following the concert.
The public is invited also to attend a master class led by Brown intended for Moravian
College voice students on Thursday, November 10, at 11 a.m., in Foy Concert Hall. The
master class will provide a close-up look at the opera star as she shares her insights
and techniques while offering helpful instruction to voice students.
Brown earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oakwood College in
Alabama, where she studied under Ginger Beazley. She also studied with Virginia Zeani,
an accomplished opera singer, now teaching at Indiana University School of Music. Brown
did not pursue a career in opera until college, although she began singing in her grandfather’s
church as a child.
Brown has won numerous awards for her performances, including the
1994 Opera Carolina Competition, the 1996 Stewart Awards in Oklahoma City, the 1998
G. B. Viotti Verdi Vocal Competition in Italy, and the 2001 Altamura/Enrico Caruso
International Voice Competition Audience Award, where she was also the co-Grand First
Prize winner. Brown is widely traveled, performing throughout the United States as
well as in Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, and Africa. She was a guest also in
1997 on The Joy of Music Television Series, filmed on location in Heidelberg, Germany.
In 1997, Brown’s talents were also recognized
when she won the National Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions.
Admission to the November 9 recital is $50. Admission to the Great Artists Celebration
Reception is $125, which includes a ticket to the concert. Admission to the Master Class
on November 10 is $10.
Foy Concert Hall, and Peter Hall are located at Moravian College’s
Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus on the corner of Main and Church Streets in Bethlehem.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 610-861-1650 or email music@moravian.edu.
The Great Artist Series is sponsored in part by Pennsylvania Council
on the Arts, The Rider-Pool Foundation, The Dexter F; & Dorothy H. Baker Foundation,
and Amaranth Foundation.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective liberal arts college located
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's
sixth-oldest college. Visit the web site at www.moravian.edu.
