Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Witches on the Heath, by Theodore Chasseriau, 1855
Macbeth in Concert
Opera for Earth Porch Concerts
October 2, 2021 | 6:00PM
Doors at 5:30, Performance at 6:00
Tickets
$25 General Admission
$20 NCHM Member/Student
$10 Children Under 12
The Neill-Cochran House Museum is excited to present the Opera for Earth Porch Concerts. Join us as we explore the connection between the arts and nature while experiencing an enchanting performance from the grand front porch of the Neill-Cochran House Museum.
Celebrate the spooky month with a semi-staged and condensed version of Verdi’s Macbeth. With drama from beginning to end, the story is narrated in English so all can easily understand. Enter the cunning and suspenseful world of the Macbeths and descend into madness. This performance is the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season.
Feeling thirsty? Our friends from Still Austin Whiskey Co will be on site serving their delicious cocktails. There’s no better way to celebrate the start of the spooky season!
CAST AND BIOS
MARCUS KING (Macbeth)
Marcus King is a graduate of The University of Memphis with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education, and a Master's in vocal performance. In 2013, he made his European debut in the UK as Demetrius in the Yorke Trust Opera production of Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2014, King rejoined the company as Ubalde in Gluck’s Armide. In December of 2014, he traveled to Japan as a soloist for the New York based professional touring group D&P Joubert LLC/ The Glory Gospel Singers. He has been a young artist for the Utah Festival Opera as well as The Charlottesville Opera. For the Utah Festival, King was engaged for the roles of Jake in Porgy and Bess and Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime. For Charlottesville Opera, he played the role Monterone in Verdi’s Rigoletto. For Opera Memphis, he has had many solo roles such as Mr. Gobineau in The Medium, Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas, Vernon in Blue Viola, Samuel in Pirates of Penzance, Joe Harland in Later the Same Evening, the doctor in La Traviata, and Erminio in The Triumph of Honor. In 2019, he was a part of an opera co-commissioned by Opera Memphis and The United States Department of Defense called The Falling and The Rising, playing the role of the Homecoming Soldier.
JODI KAREM BARRAVECCHIO (Lady Macbeth)
A Lebanese-American soprano, Jodi Karēm Barravecchio has been described as having a rich sound and creamy legato as well as being a sensitive performer. She performs in both opera and concert in a variety of roles throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East. In 2019, she was a prize winner in the Lyra New York International Vocal Competition, Opera Division.
Ms. Karem Barravecchio’s 2019 performances include the role Alice Ford in Fidelio and Gertrud in A Hand of Bridge as well as concert performances in Dubai, UAE and in Germany. Other recent roles include Lady Macbeth at Opera America’s Marc A. Scorca Hall in New York City, as well as the role of Venus in Wagner’s Dresden version of Tannhäuser with Apotheosis Opera in New York. In her portrayal as the Mother in Amahl & the Night Visitors, Karēm Barravecchio “reached emotional and vocal heights that set the pulse racing and the emotional barometer practically bursting”
KOFI HAYFORD (Banquo, Medico)
Kofi Hayford, prize-winning Ghanaian-American bass, described as possessing an “impressive” (Brooklyn Discovery) “sonorous,” (Meet Me at the Opera) and “stentorian bass voice” (National Herald) also produces a distinct sound - easily identified for its unique timbre. With over 30 different operatic roles under his belt, he is swiftly building his reputation as an accomplished bass by bringing an ‘exciting’ and ‘stunning’ sound to the stage. Kofi has performed with many prestigious organizations including: The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, United Nations Symphony Orchestra, and many others. In 2019, Hayford created the role of Pedro in the US debut of The Andean Hope, with The United Nations Symphony Orchestra. His major opera roles have included: Mephistopheles in Faust, Ramphis and The King in Aida, Timur in Turandot, La Roche in Strauss’ Capriccio, Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Rodolfo in La Sonnambula, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, and Baldassare in La Favorita. He recently toured in Canada’s beautiful Northwest Territories performing a series of solo concerts as far north as the Arctic Circle. Additionally, Hayford made his European performance debut through the Berlin Opera Academy in Kandersteg, Switzerland playing the role of Simone in Puccini’s comedic opera Gianni Schicchi.
Mr. Hayford made his small stage Carnegie Hall debut singing at Weill Recital Hall performing Verdi and also sang the inaugural performance of the Greek Opera Olympic Flame singing the role of the titan Prometheus at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium - later receiving an award from UNESCO for this performance. He is the 2018 1st Place Winner of the Tchaikovsky Music Competition (Albany, NY), a 2017 NJ State Opera Guild Competition Finalist, and a 2007 Songfest Young Artist. He received his Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from SUNY Buffalo and is a founder of the DictionBuddy mobile app.
NICHOLAS SIMPSON (Macduff)
Nicholas Simpson, a tenor, has been praised by Opera News for his performances which “immediately seized attention with his full- bodied, brightly projected voice.” An award-winning tenor, Nicholas’ singing has taken him to all seven continents in repertoire stretching from Broadway to opera. His roles include Cavaradossi in Tosca (Maryland Symphony), Charles II in Prince of Players (Little Opera Theatre of NY), Tannhäuser (Apotheosis Opera), Kronprinz in Silent Night (Fort Worth Opera), Paul in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt with Cleveland Opera. Cleveland Classical noted that he was “... splendid as Paul, negotiating a punishingly high and demanding vocal line with strength and agility.” In July of 2021, Simpson made his Lincoln Center debut as Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Teatro Nuovo, and was priased by the New York times for his "bright sound and expansive lyricism ," and by Opera Wire as a "fantastic young tenor at his best, combining compelling acting with technical virtuosity.”
WILLIE CASPER (Malcolm)
Willie Casper is a tenor native to Austin, Texas. His recent engagements at the Boston Conservatory included Tenor in Philip Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox, Young Thompson in Cipullo’s Glory Denied, and Prologue Tenor in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. He attended the Seagle Festival, in the summer of 2019, where he performed the roles of Don Curzio in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, and Andrew Hanley in Kevin Puts', The Manchurian Candidate. Simpson reprised Young Thompson at Painted Sky Opera’s production of Glory Denied. He graduated with his Master’s degree from The Boston Conservatory in 2020.
MONICA CAMAFREITA (Dama, Witch)
A Cuban-American mezzo soprano, Monica Camafreita, is a native of Miami, Florida. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as Soprano Soloist in Rutter's Magnificat with Mid-America Productions. She later relocated to New York City to further her studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She has studied privately with Oscar Diaz, Jr., in Miami, and Neil Rosenshein, Mignon Dunn, Greta Damrau, and David Jones, in NYC.
Ms. Camafreita has appeared on stage throughout the United States and abroad, in both opera and concert. Most recently she has bowed with Brooklyn Opera Works, Regina Opera, New York Lyric Opera, MORE Opera, The Hannah Senesh Society, and New York Opera Forum and has performed such roles as Serpina in Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona, L'Amour in Gluck's Echo et Narcisse, Sophie de Palma in Terrence McNally's Master Class, Zweite Dame in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Amore in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, Almirena in Handel's Rinaldo, Wellgunde in Wagner's Das Rheingold, Inez in Verdi's Il Trovatore, Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, and La Ciesca in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.
In late 2019, Monica was a Soloist in the World Premiere of Harry Bialor's The Uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto with the Hannah Senesh Society and, also, the Soprano Soloist in Rutter's Requiem with MORE Opera. In early 2020, Monica was contracted to sing a recital with the Vienna - Tel Aviv Vocal Connection and later in the year Dritte Dame in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva in Tel Aviv, Israel. She has won various awards and scholarships from South Florida Arts Organizations as well as the National Association of Teachers of Singing and was nominated by the Arts Recognition and Talent Search to receive an award recognition and for her biography to be published in “Who’s Who in America”. Monica is on the board of directors of Opera for Earth Corporation, an arts non-profit, where she serves as the Vice President and Treasurer.
MANUEL ARELLANO (on piano)
Manuel Arellano has worked throughout the United States as a collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and musical director and has appeared in concert throughout Europe, Cuba, New Zealand, and Australia. After completing a Master’s degree in collaborative piano with Martin Katz, he freelanced for a year in Berlin and continued his German studies to C1 proficiency. After returning to California to work as a full-time vocal coach at El Camino College he met Tamara Sanikidze with whom he is now finishing a doctorate in opera coaching at the University of Texas at Austin on full scholarship.
He has served as a coaching fellow at Music Academy of the West and Aspen Opera Theater. Manuel has also been taught in master classes by Graham Johnson, Margo Garrett, Alain Lefèvre, Cynthia Munzer, and Jake Heggie, and has accompanied Julia Migenes, VOX from America’s Got Talent, and Stevie Wonder in concert.
Presented in Partnership with:
Opera for Earth Corporation is a 501(c)3 corporation that uses performing arts to raise awareness to the value of preserving and caring for our natural resources. Opera for Earth also uses performing arts to raise funding for environmental education for children in grades K - 8. We are opera singers who really care about the environment. We don't want to eat toxic food or drink water with contaminants. We want to live in a clean environment. We understand the inspiration that nature carries to music and we carry that to our audience.
