Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Presents 'Viva Italia!' 2010 New Year's Eve Celebration Concert

The tradition continues – Friday, December 31, 8 p.m. at the Schuster Center

DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Voyages Season continues on Friday, December 31, 2010 at 8 p.m. in the Schuster Center, as the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Kettering Health Network present the Annual New Year's Eve Celebration Concert.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101215/DC18003)

Maestro Neal Gittleman has chosen a festive Italian theme for this year's concert: "Viva Italia!" A wide variety of Italian music will be highlighted, including light selections from the classics and some of the great moments from Italian opera and Neapolitan song. Joining Neal and the DPO will be four outstanding soloists: soprano Karin Wolverton, tenor Scott Piper, and the DPO's own Jessica Hung, violinist, and Ashley Hall, trumpeter. The program will include the following works:

The concert includes complimentary sparkling Moscato (sparkling non-alcoholic wine available as well) at intermission and a festive balloon drop at its conclusion. The concert will end around 10:30 p.m. with plenty of time for your party at home or out and about town. In addition to the concert festivities, the DPO will unveil its new 2011-2012 season at this performance.

Citilites, the restaurant at the Schuster Center, invites patrons to join us early in the Wintergarden for Dinner-by-the-Bites, featuring the following items:

Antipasto Skewer ($2)

Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta ($2)

Cannoli ($2)

Italian Meringue Cookies ($2)

Flutes of Cava Champagne ($5)

For patrons choosing a full pre-concert dinner at Citilites, the feature will be Gnocchi Ragu w/ Italian Sausage ($19) as well as a Surf n' Turf special,  plus a full menu. Call for reservations at (937) 222-0623.

Tickets for the New Year's Eve performance range from $5 - $65 and are available by calling (888) 228-3630 or by ordering on the web at www.daytonphilharmonic.com. The concert is presented by Kettering Health Network.

About Karin Wolverton

Soprano Karin Wolverton has been described by Opera News as "a young soprano to watch", having "a lovely warm tone, easy agility and winning musicality". Recently Ms. Wolverton sang the role of Mimi in La boheme with Pensacola Opera and sang the Spirit as well as covering the title role in Rusalka with Minnesota Opera.  Engagements for 2009-2010 included Musetta in La boheme with Minnesota Opera, as well as covering the title role of Salome with the company and a concert appearance with Great Falls Symphony.  Engagements for 2008-2009 included a reprisal of her role in The Grapes of Wrath with Pittsburgh Opera, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with Piedmont Opera, and Mimi in La boheme with Teatro Nacional de Managua in Nicaragua.  Ms. Wolverton has been seen as Micaela in Carmen with Des Moines Metro Opera, where in previous seasons she has been seen in the roles of Anne Trulove in The Rake's Progress, and Antonia in Les Contes d' Hoffmann. read more

About Scott Piper

Tenor Scott Piper's rich, resonate voice and charismatic stage presence are quickly establishing him as a sought after interpreter of opera's romantic leading men, in roles such as the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto, Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen, Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Rodolfo in La boheme. The Washington Post wrote of his Virginia Opera performance: "Scott Piper, as the Duke of Mantua, was given some of the finest tenor music in Italian opera and rose to its challenges impressively." In the 2009-2010 season he was seen as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Tulsa Opera, Cleveland Opera and Seattle Opera, and the title role in Faust with Dayton Opera as well as The New Israeli Opera.  

About Jessica Hung

At age 24, violinist Jessica Hung has already established herself as a rising young artist in the American orchestral world. Her appointment in 2008 as Concertmaster of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra is a first career milestone for the Cleveland Institute of Music graduate. However, Jessica is no stranger to the leadership role of first-chair fiddle: she previously held the same title with the Annapolis, Chicago Civic, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Northwestern University Symphony Orchestras, as well as the position of Assistant Concertmaster with the Akron Symphony Orchestra. She is also a substitute violinist for The Cleveland Orchestra and the Baltimore and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras.

About Ashley Hall

Trumpeter Ashley Hall has appeared in concert halls, recital venues and churches around the world. From Boston's Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to St. John's College Cathedral in Cambridge, England, she dazzles audiences with her virtuosic technique and expressive tone. An active artist in the solo and orchestral realms, she holds the position of principal trumpet with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Gulf Coast. She also plays third trumpet with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.  At the age of 13, she made her solo debut with the Capitol Winds Ensemble from Washington, D.C. at the National Trumpet Competition, playing the third movement of Johann Hummel's Concerto for Trumpet. She also has been a featured soloist with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) Wind Symphony, the CCM Concert Orchestra, and three-time soloist with the Washington Chamber Symphony at the Kennedy Center.

About the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra is the largest and oldest performing arts organization in the community. Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio's cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents.

SOURCE Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra