Meet the stars of Al Fresco Arias: Toni Marie Palmertree (soprano)

Soprano TONI MARIE PALMERTREE makes her OD debut in Al Fresco Arias (April 24 & 25)!

A heavenly voice: A graduate of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Adler Fellowship program (where she appeared as the Voice of Heaven in Don Carlo and High Priestess in Aida), Toni Marie’s star began to rise after she stepped in to cover the role of Cio-Cio-San in the company’s production of Madama Butterfly (2016). San Francisco Classical Voice raved of her performance, “The young soprano not only met the challenge, but she claimed her place among the finest vocal interpreters of the role...” Other notable appearances include the title role of Suor Angelica in West Bay Opera’s Il trittico (2017), her return to San Francisco Opera as Liù in Turandot (2017) and Nedda in Pagliacci (2018), and the title role of Luisa Miller at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (2019). She also joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for their 2019/20 season productions of Madama Butterfly and Il Trovatore.

The show must go online: With theaters still closed, the Fleetwood, PA, native embraced live-streaming, producing and performing in The Heart of a Woman, a digital concert celebrating women composers with pianist Ellen Rissinger. “I have missed the nervous excitement anticipating an opening night for the past year,” she posted on Instagram about the show. “This one feels no different because I'm singing for a purpose... I sing because people need to escape for just a few minutes… This year hasn't been easy, but that is what will make my art even better. So many artists long to connect with their audiences, and I'm excited to have that opportunity.”

Live from the fire escape: We’re delighted to introduce Toni Marie to OD audiences (in person!) with Al Fresco Arias on April 24 & 25. Expect to hear Toni Marie perform favorites from Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Tannhäuser, and more! [Read more: tonimariepalmertree.com]

VIDEO: #DoMore24DE thank you - "Nessun dorma"

WATCH NOW: “Nessun dorma” performed by tenor Matthew Vickers and OD's Head of Music Staff Aurelien Eulert

Exciting #DoMore24DE update:

Thanks to your generous support of our Do More 24 Delaware fundraising campaign, we just received word that OD was awarded $61,000 in stretch pool funding from the Delaware Division of the Arts! This additional gift of support will allow us to offer more performances to our community this spring and summer, and it puts us in a great position to return to the theater when it is allowed.

Many thanks to Do More 24 Delaware and DDOA, and thank you for making OD the top-performing nonprofit on Delaware’s biggest day of giving! As a special thank-you, please enjoy this gorgeous performance of Puccini’s “Nessun dorma” by tenor Matthew Vickers and OD's Head of Music Staff Aurelien Eulert from our Opera Jukebox, 75th-anniversary celebration. GRAZIE MILLE! [More info: domore24delaware.org]

Meet the stars of Al Fresco Arias: Jarrod Lee (bass-baritone)

We’re delighted to welcome back bass-baritone JARROD LEE for Al Fresco Arias (April 24 & 25)! 

Previous OD appearances: Hailed by critics for his “seemingly effortless bass baritone” (The Washington Post) and “vocal artistry and versatility” (The Baltimore Sun), Jarrod made his OperaDelaware debut as Le Bailli in Werther (2017). 

And the Grammy goes to…: The Baltimore-based singer was a featured soloist in the ensemble of The Met’s 2019/20 production of Porgy and Bess, which recently won a Grammy for Best Opera Recording. Other notable appearances include his Atlanta Opera debut as the Undertaker in Porgy and Bess (2020), soloist in Figaro Meets Frederick Douglass with Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, Giulio Cesare in an excerpt from Giulio Cesare with the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) Festival Orchestra in Austria, and Angelotti/Jailer in Tosca and Marchese d’Obigny in La Traviata with Annapolis Opera.

A vocal knockout: An advocate of new works, especially operas championing diverse voices, Jarrod premiered the roles of boxing great Joe Louis in Shadowboxer with Maryland Opera Studio, and Levi in Cloud Nebula, an Afro-futuristic opera/ballet with Afro House Baltimore. He also serves as a Project Manager for the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA), and as a librettist enjoys creating works that are rooted in the experience of being black, gay, and American; adding to the cannon of stories in opera written by Black Americans which are rarely seen on the operatic stage. [Read more: jarrodlee.com]

Meet Forrópera star Felipe Hostins

Get to know accordionist FELIPE HOSTINS, who stars with wife CHRYSTAL E. WILLIAMS in Forrópera, our next Sunday Spotlight with Baltimore Concert Opera (streaming Feb. 7 & 10).

KEY PLAYER: An in-demand touring and recording musician who’s performed all over the globe, Felipe began playing the accordion at just 3 years old with his grandfather, Valmor Hostins. After completing his studies at the School of Music Amormega in his hometown of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Felipe went on to tour and collaborate with Latin music giants including Téo & Edu, Padre Fábio de Melo, Eliano Braz, Davi Vieira, Mauro Refosco, and more. 

LOVE SONGS: Felipe specializes in Brazilian rhythms including forró (a type of folk music and dance with origins in northeast Brazil) and música gaúcha, but perhaps the music closest to his heart is Forrópera, a genre he created with his wife, mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams. [Read more about Chrystal here.] Combining forró (which translates to “for all”) and opera (which means “work of art”), the couple hopes that this joyous blending of Brazilian folk and classical music will break down barriers and diversify audiences while fostering unity, peace, and understanding through music. 

Felipe and Chrystal’s repertoire includes everything from Bizet and jazz to forró and spirituals, but we’re especially blown away by “Meu Brasil de Cristal”, a gorgeous piece Felipe composed specifically for Chrystal. Get a sneak peek of the couple performing the song and hear the poignant story behind it here:

Streams Feb. 7 (2 pm) and Feb. 10 (7:30 pm); Tickets: $15 per household

Also: Meet Chrystal E. Williams and hear how Chrystal and Felipe created Forrópera

Meet Forrópera star CHRYSTAL E. WILLIAMS

Get to know mezzo-soprano CHRYSTAL E. WILLIAMS, who stars with husband Felipe Hostins in Forrópera, our next Sunday Spotlight with Baltimore Concert Opera (streaming Feb. 7 & 10).

PREVIOUS OD APPEARANCES: OD fans may remember Chrystal from her stunning performances as Charlotte in our concert production of Werther and last summer’s Al Fresco Arias. Other recent appearances include her Met Opera debut as Maketaten in Akhnaten (2019), Rebecca Parker in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with Seattle Opera (2019), and The Stewardess in Flight with Minnesota Opera (2020).

MUSICAL CALLING: An alum of the Academy of Vocal Arts and Yale School of Music, Chrystal credits her opera awakening to seeing the great Leontyne Price perform live while on a student trip to NYC. “You couldn’t help but be inspired by her, and it occurred to me that I could help people doing what she was doing,” Williams told Classical Singer magazine in a recent interview. “If I could make people feel what I was feeling and experience what I was experiencing, then I could help people through music.” 

GIVING BACK & BREAKING BARRIERS: “For me to be able to see someone like Leontyne Price made all the difference in the world,” Williams continued in her CSM interview. “There was someone who looked like me, singing opera professionally. I needed that. To be able to go into schools now and have that kind of an impact, where young people can see someone whose skin looks like theirs and whose hair looks like theirs and sings opera—that has a huge effect on the entire direction of the future of the art form.” She also founded the Chrystal E. Williams scholarship in 2004 to help support students pursuing performing arts careers.

Chrystal and husband Felipe, an accordionist who’s toured with world music greats including João Lucas e Marcelo and Guilherme e Santiago, are also breaking barriers with Forrópera, their super-catchy amalgam of opera and forró (a type of traditional folk music and dance with origins in northeast Brazil). “Music is music. We really just wanted to highlight that there are no barriers, no walls, and all this kind of other stuff. It’s just great theater!” says Chrystal. “We also wanted to use Forrópera to foster unity, peace, and understanding through music because a lot of times it literally came down to black and white audiences… We just wanted to create a space of unity and harmony where all can just go and be and enjoy music and enjoy art.”

Also: Meet Chrystal’s husband and co-star, Felipe Hostins, and get sneak peek at Forrópera

Streams Feb. 7 (2 pm) and Feb. 10 (7:30 pm); Tickets: $15 per household