From the Small Stage

LIVE – ONLINE – CT Lyric Opera presents a selection of arias, songs, and more.

Friday 11/13 8pm

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I invite you to join us this Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m. for From the Small Stage – a special virtual concert from Connecticut Lyric Opera featuring five longtime principal and frequent contributing artists. The concert will be broadcast live on the Opera’s Facebook page.

As the pandemic continues to prevent us from performing together in indoor public spaces, we look forward to reconnecting with you online and sharing the talents of these gifted musicians and singers. It is my honor to host this intimate, hour-long concert, which will include a selection of arias, songs, and much more. Joining me for this special night of music and song are Mezzo-Soprano Rebecca de Almeida, Pianist Aymeric Dupré la Tour, Pianist Blake Hansen, Violinist Brunilda Myftaraj, and Soprano Jūratė Švedaitė.

You will certainly recognize our wonderful company members from their work with Connecticut Lyric Opera in seasons past. Here’s a little bit about each artist and their many accomplishments.

Mezzo-Soprano Rebecca de Almeida, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has performed a wide variety of roles throughout the United States and Europe, including Mercédès (Carmen) with Connecticut Lyric Opera and Giulio Cesare (Giulio Cesare) with the Connecticut Virtuosi Summer Institute. Rebecca, who is also an accomplished pianist, has been involved in many internationally renowned festivals, workshops, and masterclasses and has been awarded several prizes in significant piano competitions. Her leading vocal debut was with the East Coast Chamber Opera, singing the role of Bradamante in Händel’s Alcina. In 2016, she made her debut with the Connecticut Lyric Opera performing Fillipevna in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Rebecca is the Music Director for the Church of the Good Shepherd in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Administrator of the Greve Opera Academy & Music Festival. Rebecca actively performs throughout New England with Connecticut Lyric Opera, Hartford Opera Theatre, and East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

An award-winning harpsichordist, Aymeric Dupré la Tour began his training at the Conservatoire National de Région of Lyon, France, his native town. He has performed throughout France, as well as in the United States, Canada, and South America. While at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he earned an Artist Diploma in Organ Performance and a Master of Music in Historical Performance. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School. Aymeric is the Assistant Artistic Director and Accompanist of the Mystic River Chorale in Mystic, Connecticut. He is also the harpsichordist at Zuckermann Harpsichord International in Stonington, Connecticut. Aymeric is a faculty vocal coach for the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and accompanist for the Student Education Outreach Program of the Salt Marsh Opera. Last year, he performed in the Connecticut Lyric Opera’s production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Baroque opera Daphnis et Eglé.

Blake Hansen graduated from the Hartt School, University of Hartford, with a Master of Music in piano performance. Although primarily a pianist, Blake has also pursued studies in violin, double majoring in both instruments in his undergraduate program at Principia College. A winner of numerous piano competitions, including the University of Redlands Merit Awards, the Inland Empire Piano Festival, both in California, and the Sigma Alpha Iota music competitions in St. Louis, Blake remains an active participant in concerto competitions. He is an experienced chamber musician and performs frequently as an accompanist and soloist in the Greater Hartford area, including Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Connecticut Lyric Opera. Blake has participated in numerous piano masterclasses in the United States and Europe. He also frequently attends summer festivals, such as the Semana Internacional de Piano de Obidos (SIPO) in Portugal and the summer courses at the Conservatori Liceu in Barcelona, Spain. He has soloed on the piano and violin with the Principia College Orchestra and on piano with the Mt. San Jacinto College Orchestra.

Albanian-American violinist Brunilda Myftaraj has drawn enthusiastic accolades from audiences as well as critical acclaim for her masterful musicianship in Albania, Italy, Greece, France, Morocco, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, and the United States. Most recently, Brunilda performed with the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra for the world premiere of Stays the Year One Moment. Her recordings – “Naked Violin” and “The American Pie” – both received high praise from Fanfare magazine. Brunilda is the Concertmaster for the Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Connecticut Lyric Opera, and Greve Opera Festival and Chamber Music Academy in Greve-In-Chianti, Italy. She is the Director of the Virtuosi Music Academy and the Summer Music Institute in Farmington, Connecticut, where she also teaches violin and chamber music.

Lithuanian Soprano Jūratė Švedaitė has performed throughout Europe and the United States with the Lithuanian National Chamber Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Connecticut Lyric Opera, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Kaunas Chamber Orchestra, Classical Orchestra of Piła, Greve Opera Festival, and Pazaislis International Music Festival. The granddaughter of one of Lithuania’s most revered composers and arrangers of traditional music, Jonas Švedas, Jūratė began performing at an early age and made her recording debut when she was 12; also at that time, she hosted several programs for children on national television. Jūratė later attended the Lithuanian Music Academy where she earned Bachelor and Master Degrees in Opera Performance and Vocal Instruction. Her many Connecticut Lyric Opera credits include Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Mimi in La Bohème, Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Micaëla in Carmen, and Desdemona in Otello. Jūratė is an Associate Professor at Connecticut College and a voice instructor at Thames Valley Music School. While From the Small Stage concert is free to enjoy, please consider making a donation to the Connecticut Lyric Opera at https://ctlyricopera.org/support-clo/make-a-donation/ to help sustain our work and support our artists.

With gratitude,
Adrian Sylveen
Artistic and Executive Director