THE STARS ALIGN
Saturday | Feb. 17, 2018 | 8:00 p.m.
THE STARS ALIGN, starring world famous opera star Susan Graham, a mezzo-soprano with one of the most commanding voices in opera today. THE STARS ALIGN is a music-filled evening inspired by the stars in the heavens.
Joining Graham will be Tulsa’s own silvery soprano, Sarah Coburn. A hometown favorite, Coburn brings her agile coloratura and riveting presence to the Tulsa Opera. Timothy Long, an Oklahoma native and Native American conductor, will accompany the voices with full orchestra. Experience an unforgettable season of opera during the Tulsa Opera’s 70th year.
Our supple-voiced artists will perform recognizable songs from opera, jazz, and musical theatre, as well as contemporary favorites from classic composers and songwriters. THE STARS ALIGN is a dreamy, glittering night to thrill and arouse every audience.
Susan GrahamMezzo Soprano
Headlining Tulsa Opera’s 70th Gala is opera superstar Susan Graham, who makes her first appearance on the Tulsa Opera stage. Graham has been lauded as “an artist to treasure” by The New York Times. The Texas native has earned prominence on all of the world’s major opera stages, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, La Scala, Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival, among many others.
Sarah Coburn
Soprano
Tulsa’s own silver-voiced soprano Sarah Coburn. A Tulsa audience hometown favorite, Coburn brings to Tulsa Opera her agile coloratura and riveting presence. An internationally acclaimed opera soprano, Coburn has performed in the Tulsa Opera productions of Romeo and Juliet, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Barber of Seville and The Daughter of the Regiment. She’s also performed with many of the country’s leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Seattle Opera and Chicago Opera Theater. Internationally, Coburn has performed in Great Britain, Austria and Moscow.
Aaron Blake
Tenor
http://www.lombardoassociates.org/aaron-blake
Aaron Blake, described by Tulsa audiences as robust, passionate and possessing exquisite tenderness, is sought after by many of the world’s opera houses. Touted as “a vocal powerhouse” by The Los Angeles Times, Blake performs all over the U.S. and abroad. He was this year’s winner of the prestigious George London-Lissner Charitable Fund Award – only five singers are selected for this honor annually.
David Portillio
Tenor
David Portillo’s vivacious and honey-toned voice has opera lovers around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, abuzz. After making his Tulsa Opera debut as Count Almaviva in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in 2011 – a stage he shared with Coburn − the busy San Antonio, Texas, native has gone on to perform in productions all over the country and in Europe. His debut at The Metropolitan Opera in The Barber of Seville was a huge success, with him earning rave reviews for his lush vocal quality and fearless coloratura.
Timonthy Long
Conductor
http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/music/aboutus/faculty/long_timothy.html
Timothy Long, an Oklahoma native and Native American conductor, in his Tulsa Opera debut will lead a full orchestra to accompany the supple-voiced singing artists. He was an Associate Conductor at New York City Opera and the Assistant Conductor for Robert Spano at the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has held faculty positions at the Yale School of Music, The Juilliard School, the University of Maryland and the Aspen Music Festival and School.