The Hammond Performing Arts Series Presents the 2016 New England Regional Finalists - MET Council Auditions

Soprano Jacquelyn Stucker, mezzo-soprano Allegra De Vita, and bass-baritone Erik Van Heyningen, New England regional finalists of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, will perform a program of arias, songs, duets, and trios at the Hammond Performing Arts series concert on Sunday, October 16. The concert, which is sponsored by Hammond Residential Real Estate and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, will take place 3:00 p.m. at Brimmer & May School, which is located at 69 Middlesex Road in Chestnut Hill.

The trio will be accompanied by host and pianist John Moriarty. Complimentary ticket reservations can be made by calling 617-731-4644, ext. 254.

The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. The auditions take place in 42 districts and 12 regions throughout the United States and Canada, all run locally by volunteers. Winners of the district auditions compete to win a trip to New York to participate in the national semi-finals on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Noted opera singers who have come through the audition program include Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, Ben Heppner, and Deborah Voight.

Jacquelyn Stucker is quickly being recognized as a versatile singer of new and interesting repertoire from concert works to opera to contemporary music. Her 2015/2016 performances include solo cantata BWV 199 (“Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut”) at Boston’s King’s Chapel; the soprano solos in the Poulenc “Stabat Mater” and “St. Matthew Passion” with Mo. Scott Allen Jarrett; Schubert’s “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” in Jordan Hall; a role debut as Bystrouska in “Přihody Ilšky Bystroušky”; and a gala performance with North Carolina Opera as Ada in selections from Jennifer Higdon’s “Cold Mountain.” Stucker was also recently named the 2015 Ruth Freehof Award winner.

Allegra De Vita is part of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program for the 2016-2017 season. She was recently a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia where she performed the role of Charlotte in “Werther,” Zerlina in “Don Giovanni,” and Zita in “Gianni Schicchi.” She earned a master’s degree in vocal performance under the direction of Dr. Stephen King at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Upcoming roles at the Washington National Opera include Cherubino (Emerging Artist Performance) in “Le Nozze di Figaro”; title role in “The Dictator’s Wife”; and Kate Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly.” Her 2017 engagements include Roggiero in “Tancredi” at Opera Philadelphia, Olga in “Eugene Onegin” at Opera Syracuse, and Arsamenes in “Xerxes” at the 2017 Glimmerglass Festival.

Erik Van Heyningen is a first-year resident artist at the Boston University Opera Institute. In 2015, he joined the Opera Theatre of St. Louis for a second year as a Gerdine Young Artist, where he was seen as Crébillon in “La rondine,” Simon Fenton in “Emmeline,” and covered Berardo in the American premiere of Handel’s “Riccardo Primo.” His operatic credits at Boston University include Roy Cohn in “Angels in America”; Masetto in “Don Giovanni”; Publio in “La clemenza di Tito”; Alvaro in “Florencia en el Amazonas”; Melchior in “Amahl and the Night Visitors”; Dottore Grenvil in “La traviata”; and Captain in “Siren Song.” Future performances at Boston University include Bottom in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” At the Atlantic Music Festival, he performed Figaro in “Le nozze di Figaro,” where he was a fellowship recipient for two consecutive seasons.

John Moriarty has conducted and stage-directed productions at opera companies throughout the United States, including the Boston Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Opera Theater of St. Louis. After retiring as chairman of the Opera Department at New England Conservatory in 2001, Moriarty continues to serve on the faculty where he teaches Collaborative Piano and Vocal Coaching. For the past 50 years, he has been the official accompanist for the Metropolitan Council Auditions in Boston.

Hammond Residential Real Estate has made the visual and performing arts the primary focus of its corporate philanthropy. In 1996, the Hammond Performing Arts Series was created to enrich the cultural communities that Hammond services, as well as to provide talented up-and-coming musicians with performance opportunities. Hammond regularly presents admission-free concerts in Boston, Chestnut Hill, Concord, Lexington, and Weston. In addition, Hammond’s South End, Hingham and Hull offices prominently display revolving exhibits featuring well-known artists from the area.

Hammond Residential Real Estate, part of NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company, is headquartered in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The firm has three Boston locations and approximately 14 suburban branch offices. In 2015, the company reported more than $1.8 billion in sales volume according to MLS PIN and is ranked No. 76 nationwide by volume. Hammond is well known as the publisher of the region’s finest magazines featuring local properties for sale. For more information, visit http://www.hammondre.com/community-outreach/performing-arts-series.html