Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Announces its 2022-2023 Season

The Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Announces its 2022-2023 Season

The Connecticut Virtuosi has had a busy summer overseas and at home. As Autumn is soon to begin, so is the Virtuosi’s concert season.

We the People is a program that highlights musical elements and talent from immigrants. In October, the season kicks off with the third installment of the We the People series. This concert focuses on the musical influences of Mexico. The program is called “Re:stos (Re: mains)”. The vocalist performing is Rosa Evangelina Beltran. There will be two performances, the first is on October 9 at the New Britain Museum of American Art at 3 p.m. The second one is on October 16 in Bushnell Center’s Seaverns Room.

In November, the Virtuosi Orchestra and the Connecticut Lyric Opera will be performing the opera “Tosca”, by Giacomo Puccini. The first performance is at Trinity-On-Main in New Britain on November 2, 2022. The second performance will be at The Bushnell in the Belding Theatre on November 11.

In December, the orchestra will perform a Polish Christmas Concert at Central Connecticut State University.

The fourth installment of the We the People series focuses on African-American musical elements with Elisabeth Lyra Ross as its headline soprano. The first concert will be on February 12, 2023, at the New Britain Museum of American Art. The second will be on February 19 in Bushnell’s Seaverns Room.

In May, the Virtuosi Orchestra and the Connecticut Lyric Opera will return to perform the opera “Don Giovanni”, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The first performance is at Trinity-On-Main on May 5, 2023. The second performance will be at The Belding Theatre on May 7.

The season closes out with the fifth and final part of We the People. This South American-inspired program features the Alturas Duo: guitarist Scott Hill and charangist and violist Carlos Boltes. The first performance will be on May 23, 2023, in the Seaverns Room. The second will be on June 11 in the New Britain Museum of American Art.

PERFORMERS

Rosa Evangelina Beltrán is a Mexican-American vocalist and poet based in Los Angeles. She has recently performed with CalArts Opera Theater, Pacific Opera Project, Brown Fist Productions, and Santa Monica College Opera Theater. Her opera and operetta credits include Kopernikus (Vivier), The Dream Maker (Haukoos), Die Zauberflöte, Gianni Schicchi, Carmen, Il Campanello, The Pirates of Penzance, and Utopia, Limited. In addition to performing the roles of Xochiquetzal/Monarca in El Circo Anahuac in 2019 and 2020, recent highlights include performing a vocal rendition of The Soldier’s Tale (Stravinksy) with The Ensemble at CalArts and taracatá trabaja (Sarno/Krygier) at MASS MoCA. Raised in Ontario, California, Rosa is an alumna of Opera NEO, OperaWorks, and the LA Valley College and applied for the music program. Currently, Rosa is pursuing an MFA degree in Voice Arts and Creative Writing at CalArts and earned a BA in History and Literature from Harvard. She is a first-generation college graduate and a passionate advocate for arts education and trauma-informed care.

Elizabeth Lyra Ross’ international career has included the opera roles of Aida, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly. She made her debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1989, and she was in the New York City Opera production of Porgy and Bess which was nominated for an Emmy Award for the Live from Lincoln Center Series. Ross debuted with the New Britain Chorale as a soprano soloist in Karol Szymanowski’s “Stabat Mater”, followed by her performance in Verdi’s Requiem in 1999. She has also been the featured soprano soloist with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. In July 2014, Elizabeth, who was the first African American female member of The United States Army Band and Chorus, appeared with them as a guest soloist in two concerts, including one on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

Scott Hill, guitar and Carlos Boltes, viola & charango have sent rhythmic vibrations straight to the heart of audience members with their groundbreaking performances, Alturas Duo—the only group of its kind—has been recognized as one of the most entertaining and engaging ensembles performing in the chamber music world today. With its unusual combination of viola, charango, and guitar; Alturas Duo creates spirited and passionate programs that move with ease between the Baroque of Bach, South American melodies and rhythms learned through the oral tradition and newly commissioned repertoire. Their performances oscillate from beautiful and serene to strong and pulsating, taking audiences on a journey to new musical heights and earning Alturas Duo numerous awards from First Prize at the New England International Chamber Music Competition, a CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, and the 2020 World Folk Vision popular vote award and jury selection for best Latin Music Band.