Sprague Mansion to Host ‘Vintner and Voices’ on Sunday

On Nov. 6 at 4:00 p.m., the Governor Sprague Mansion will present a lecture by wine expert Gino Rebussini, along with popular Broadway hits performed by pianist John Norigian and soprano Kate Norigian.

The topic of the lecture will be “The History of Wine and the Art of Homemade Winemaking.” Rebussini has been producing wine since 1990. His wines have garnered 160 awards. The Cranston resident is currently ranked 24th out of 13,000 winemakers in the nation by the American Wine Society. For his “day job,” Rebussini teaches forensic science at Roger Williams University.

The Norigian siblings will perform a few famous soprano arias from Puccini operas, as well as selections from West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera, among others.

“We chose this particular program because all the selections have a classical feel to them, but are familiar and popular,” said John Norigian.

John will accompany his sister’s singing by playing the Sprague Mansion’s 1880 Steinway Centennial  “D” Concert grand piano. Having played the nine-foot-long piano before, John described it as having “a generally bright tone, with a strong bass register, light action and easy to play.”

John is a graduate in piano performance from the University of Rhode Island and holds a Master of Music Degree from Cleveland Institute of Music. He is on the faculty of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School and the Suzuki School in Newton, Mass. He is also the music director at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Warwick.

A graduate of Rhode Island College, Kate is currently studying with Mezzo-Soprano Margaret Lattimore in New York City. She has studied with acclaimed soprano Maria Spacagna and Renata Scotto at the American Nazionale di Santa in Rome, Italy.

The event is open to the public, but seating is limited. Tickets cost $15 and may be purchased by calling the Cranston Historical Society at 944-9226. The mansion is located at 1351 Cranston Street.