Sat 1/9/16, 4-6 pm
Short and sweet sets will begin at 4:30 and 5:15
Featuring:
Abigail Krawson, soprano
Kathryn McKellar, soprano
Brendon Shapiro, pianist
Opera on Tap returns to 13FOREST Gallery! A national organization with a Boston affiliate, the mission of Opera on Tap is to promote opera as a vital, progressive art form by taking it out of the concert halls and putting it into venues where people least expect it. OOT is passionate about breaking down misconceptions, building community and showcasing the power of its performers. Singing art songs, jazz standards and music from operas and musicals, they let their hair down and give the audience a taste of what feels like an after hours backstage party.
About the performers:
Abigail Krawson, soprano, has delivered enchanting performances for young audiences in the roles of Yum Yum in The Mikado with Toledo Opera on Wheels and Pamina in The Magic Flute with New England Conservatory’s outreach. She also has shown promise and passion in the area of early music, portraying L’Eternità in La Calisto and Second Woman in Dido and Aeneas. Solo engagements include performances of the soprano solos in Carmina Burana, Poulenc's Gloria, Brahms' Requiem and Vaughn Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem. Most recently Abigail was a featured soloist for the U.S. premiere of the participatory installation, Sonic Blossom, by Lee Mingwei at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Hailed by The Boston Globe for her "elegant singing" and "polish," American soprano Kathryn McKellar has distinguished herself as a "visually and vocally stunning performer" (Classical Music Intelligencer) who "brings palpable emotional power to her performances" (Boston Arts Review) in opera, musical theater, and concert alike. She holds a Masters of Music from the Boston Conservatory and is on the roster of The Boston Lyric Opera. Recent performances include Les Misérables (Cosette) with Reagle Music Theater, Carmen (Micaela) with Greater Worcester Opera, A Christmas Carol (Christmas Past) with Anthem Theatre Company, My Fair Lady with Lyric Stage Company of Boston and La Traviata with Boston Lyric Opera. Kathryn recently finished a holiday tour with the Boston Pops, and looks forward to performing in Boston Lyric Opera's The Merry Widow in the spring. Born in Dallas, Texas, Kathryn currently resides in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Brendon Shapiro is a collaborative pianist, musical director, vocal coach, and conductor based in Boston, Massachusetts. He currently serves as a staff pianist at Boston University and as the piano accompaniment coordinator at Powers Music School. He holds a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano Performance from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Ithaca College School of Music where he won the Mary Hayes North Piano Competition Award.
Recently, Brendon has performed with the Juventas New Music Ensemble for several exciting world premiere performances, conducted a series of choral concerts in Canada with the Boston Saengerfest Men’s Chorus, and appeared in a production of the operatic play Master Class with the New Repertory Theatre, portraying Manny, the onstage pianist character. He served as musical director for the first four seasons of the newly renovated Woodstock Playhouse in Woodstock, New York, and has been part of the music staff at the College Light Opera Company, the Fiddlehead Theatre Company, and the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, as well as performing in the orchestras for many Ithaca College, Boston University, and Boston Conservatory productions.