Verismo Opera Chorus Holding Auditions in March

If you like to sing and want to be part of a professional performing company, join Fort Lee’s own New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera Chorus.

Auditions for the chorus kicked off in January and are continuing throughout March. 

“We have decided to continue the auditions as part of our ongoing work to involve as many local, talented young and older performers as possible in our professional productions," said Giovanni Simone, President of Verismo Opera and a member of the Verismo Opera Chorus. "Bergen County is full of talented artists and musicians, and Verismo Opera can provide them with the opportunity to share their talents or to embark on a professional singing career.”

He also said that by joining the chorus, people who are interested in performing can experience the full gamut of performing live. 

“Choristers will learn stage movement and voice projection; they will perform in period costumes accompanied by a full orchestra under Maestro Anthony Morss in our productions of Il Trovatore and Madama Butterfly on a stage using realistic sets," Simone said. "Then, at the end, they will experience the thunderous applause of the audience. That experience to me is close to winning a million dollars.”

Jacqueline Schwartz, a 38-year resident of Fort Lee, joined the Verismo Opera Chorus about 10 years ago. She started singing at a young age and continued performing solo parts in high school and later with the Rutgers State University of New Jersey Chorus. 

“I love to sing," Schwartz said. "I had recently retired at that time as a high school guidance counselor in Fair Lawn, and I was looking for things to do and saw their ad in the local newspaper.”

Singing with the Verismo Opera Chorus exposes community members to experiences they never had. Schwartz, a coloratura soprano, has appeared in several Verismo Opera productions, singing in the chorus and assuming various roles. 

“I have appeared in at least 10 operas," she said. "The first opera that I sang in with Verismo Opera was Tosca and that was the first opera I ever sang in.  I was a nun, which is funny, because I’m Jewish and told my friends that I’m going to be a Jewish nun.”

Schwartz has sung in several other Verismo Opera productions, including La Boheme as a street person, Madama Butterfly as a geisha, as well as Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Aida, Rigoletto, The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, and Un Ballo in Maschera. She said she looks forward to singing and performing in Il Trovatore for the first time.

Auditions for the Verismo Opera Chorus will be held on Wednesdays, March 14 and 28 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 44 Armory Street in Englewood. Applicants should bring one or two songs to perform. An accompanist will be provided.

Prior experience on the stage is not required. An application may be downloaded. Applicants must should call 201-886-0561 to schedule an appointment to audition.

Discount Tickets Available to Il Trovatore

The company announced a special discount of 35 percent off on $55 and $45 tickets only on March 22, 23 and 24, 2012 for both the April 20 and April 22 performances of Il Trovatore. The code for this special offer is TROV2. Discount tickets may be ordered only through the box office and are not available online.  Tickets may be purchased in person at the bergenPAC box office, located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, or by calling 201-227-1030. 

Verismo Opera’s special ticket offer of $10 for children, ages 12 and under, continues throughout March and April for both performances of Il Trovatore.

Tickets not discounted may be purchased online at www.bergenpac.org, through the bergenPAC box office or by calling 201-227-1030, or toll-free at 1-888-PACSHOW. For special rates or group sales, call 201-224-2809.