MID-WINTER MOZART
Thank you for joining us for an afternoon of song and celebration at our inaugural winter concert!
Sunday, March 27, 2022
4:00 PM
(75 minutes, no intermission)
Saint James Place
352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA
In anticipation of BOF's 2022 season mainstage opera Don Giovanni, this special concert will feature arias and duets from throughout Mozart’s career — from earlier, lesser-known works to the later masterpieces — as well as selections from his three dozen art songs. A not-to-be-missed performance for classical music and Mozart enthusiasts of all ages!
This concert is made possible in part by a generous donation from John O'Brien and Jamie Lehrer.
Ticketing and COVID-19 Safety Information
Ticket Prices
PREMIUM: $100
Includes priority seating at the concert and post-show reception with the artists. Reception includes an open bar and light bites.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $50
YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS: $25
Available to concertgoers age 30 or younger with ID
Note: Patrons who purchased tickets before the postponement will automatically have their tickets exchanged to this new date. In the event of a scheduling conflict, please contact BOF at Events@BerkshireOperaFestival.org to either request a refund or to convert your ticket purchase to a tax-deductible donation. We respectfully request that any refund requests be submitted to BOF no later than Friday, March 18. Thank you.
COVID-19 Safety Information
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All BOF Staff and Performers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19
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This is a full-capacity event with no socially-distanced audience seating
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All patrons must wear face masks while indoors for the performance
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All patrons must show proof of vaccination at the door (acceptable forms include physical card, digital copy - including an image of one’s card on a mobile device, and Excelsior Pass) along with a valid ID
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These requirements apply to ALL patrons, including children ages 5 - 17
Get To Know The Artists
Maria Valdes, Soprano
American soprano Maria Valdes (Gilda in BOF's 2018 production of Rigoletto and Younger Alyce in 2021's Glory Denied) was described as a “first-rate singing actress and a perfectly charming Gilda” by The New York Times.
During the 2020-21 season, Ms. Valdes was slated to return to Houston Grand Opera to sing Amy in the world premiere of Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day, and to make her Hawaii Opera Theater debut as Euridice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. In 2021, Ms. Valdes sang the role of Younger Alyce in Glory Denied at Atlanta Opera, joined NYFOS@Home for their “It’s Summer in South America” recital, covered the role of Lucy in Weill’s The Threepenny Opera for Atlanta Opera, and joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for their series of short films called “In the Key of Bach.”
Highlights of her 2018-19 season included a debut with Atlanta Opera as Doris Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, a company debut with Washington Concert Opera, and a return to the Phoenix Symphony for Handel’s Messiah. Ms. Valdes also made her company and role debut as Violetta in La Traviata at Gulfshore Opera, her Rochester Philharmonic debut reprising the role of Despina in Così fan tutte, and debuted with West Edge Opera as Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.
Alex McKissick, Tenor
American tenor Alex McKissick returns to live singing in a 2021 concert series of songs and arias at Waterline Square Park, and takes part in a collaboration between National Sawdust and Beth Morrison Projects in a program featuring female composers.
Mr. McKissick was scheduled to make his debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute with Opera San José under the baton of Donato Cabrera before the current pandemic forced its cancellation.
Previously, he covered the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème with Des Moines Metro Opera conducted by Michael Christie, and performed the title role in Roméo et Juliette with Wolf Trap Opera led by Eric Melear.
Mr. McKissick also has been engaged by Washington National Opera, Richmond Symphony,Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and Aspen Music Festival, and has worked with conductors Eun Sun Kim, Daniele Callegari, Keri-Lynn Wilson, and Nicole Paiement, as well as stage directors David Alden, Francesca Zambello, Tomer Zvulun, Octavio Cardenas, Christopher Mattaliano, and Garnett Bruce. His recordings of Bernstein's Songfest and “Una Notte a Napoli” are available at select locations. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School of Music and is an alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera.
Conductor and pianist Noah Palmer is one of the Capital Region’s most in-demand collaborators. As choral director at Skidmore College in 2021, he led the college’s two choral ensembles through innovative virtual performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Battenkill Chorale. He is assistant director and accompanist for Albany Pro Musica, and assistant conductor of the Broad Street Chorale and Orchestra in Kinderhook, NY. He also directs, in collaboration with soprano Sylvia Stoner, the Skidmore College Opera Workshop. He made debuts conducting both Albany Pro Musica and the Broad Street Orchestra in 2018, and in 2019 conducted the Broad Street Chorale and Orchestra in Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music. In 2016, Mr. Palmer was an apprentice coach and chorus master with the Merola Opera Program, the San Francisco Opera’s prestigious young artist program. He spent two seasons on the music staff of the Midwestern Institute of Opera in Illinois, where he made his debut conducting Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilèges, and has worked with regional opera companies such as Sarasota Opera and Opera North.
