Sunday, November 22, 2015 — 4:00 p.m.
Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Rd., Little Rock, AR
Premium tickets $100 (includes VIP seating and parking)
General admission $50, student admission $15
A portion of the proceeds will directly benefit the Kristin Lewis Foundation Vocal Scholarship Fund
Purchase tickets at the Wildwood Park for the Arts website or call 501-821-7275
International opera sensation Kristin Lewis returns to Little Rock this November to present a program of opera favorites in support of her one-year-old vocal foundation scholarship. Ms. Lewis will perform arias from works by Verdi, a suite from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and the second act of Puccini’s La Boheme.
Internationally renowned American bass-baritone Kevin Short will appear as a guest artist, singing arias from Verdi and Gounod, and performing with Ms. Lewis in the Porgy and Bess and La Boheme excerpts. Acclaimed Manhattan-born collaborative pianist Louis Menendez will also perform, along with last year’s scholarship grand prize winner, soprano Anna Berry, and a quartet of emerging professional singers from Little Rock’s performing arts organization, Praeclara. Bevan Keating, artistic director for Praeclara, will conduct.
The Kristin Lewis Foundation Scholarship Fund supports college-level vocal students in their professional development, providing funds for tuition costs, attendance at master classes, and national or international travel. Students between the ages of 18 and 23 are invited to apply. Applications are being accepted through early February 2016. For details about the scholarship application process, visit the Kristin Lewis Foundation website.
Kristin Lewis, a lyrico-spinto soprano lauded for her interpretations of Verdi heroines, is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas. Formerly a section leader in the choir at Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock, Ms. Lewis began her vocal studies at the University of Central Arkansas under the guidance of Dr. Martha Antolik. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree, she continued with her Master of Music studies at the University of Tennessee with Ms. Kay Paschal and Mr. Andrew Wentzel. Her postgraduate instruction was led by Dr. Jonathan Retzlaff until her move to Vienna, Austria, where she currently resides. She is now under the tutelage of Ms. Carol Byers.
In 2012, Ms. Lewis was awarded the Orazio Tosi Prize, given by the Club Lirica Parma at the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi. Ms. Lewis was named the 2010 Artist of the Year by the Savonlinna Opera Festival. She was also voted a 2010 recipient of the coveted “Oscars of the Opera” by the Foundation of Verona for the Arena. She is a two-time National Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition.
Offstage, Ms. Lewis is active in humanitarian work. She was recently named an Ambassador for the Red Cross in Vienna, Austria. She is also a supporter of Animal Care Austria, an animal rescue agency based in Vienna.
To read more about her many roles and accomplishments, please visit Kristin Lewis’s official website.