Tucson Desert Song Festival
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The Tucson Desert Song Festival provides a world-class experience for music enthusiasts and novices alike—of enjoyment, education, and interaction with acclaimed classical voices singing with some of Tucson’s leading performing arts groups. Ultimately the mission is to elevate Tucson to a world-class destination for music lovers.
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Lawrence Brownlee Recital
March 13, 2024 at 7 PM MST
Holsclaw Hall at The University of Arizona, Tucson
Arizona Opera is thrilled to present tenor Lawrence Brownlee and pianist Kevin J. Miller in Recital as part of the company’s continued partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival. Lawrence Brownlee is a leading figure in opera, both as a singer on the world's top stages and as a voice for activism and diversity in the industry. Captivating audiences and critics around the globe, Brownlee has been hailed as "an international star in the bel canto operatic repertory" (The New York Times), “one of the world’s leading bel canto stars” (The Guardian), and “one of the most in-demand opera singers in the world today” (NPR).
Since the inception of its long-standing partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival, Arizona Opera has collaborated with the Festival to bring some of today’s most celebrated artists to perform in Arizona Opera’s birth city. This partnership has brought nearly two dozen recitals over the years, of illustrious artists like Susan Graham, Matthew Polenzani, Lisette Oropesa, and Angel Blue.
Cecilia Duarte Recital
January 26, 2024 at 7 PM MST
Holsclaw Hall at The University of Arizona, Tucson
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano with Trio Chapultepec, guitars, and Jesús Pacheco on percussion, with special appearance by Misael Barraza-Díaz, classical and flamenco guitar.
A soloist in the GRAMMY® winning album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works, Cecilia has been praised by The New York Times as “A creamy voiced mezzo-soprano.” Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, Duarte is a versatile singer who has performed around the world singing a variety of music styles, with a focus on early and contemporary music. She has been greatly recognized for creating the role of Renata in the first Mariachi Opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with the famous Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in 2010. Duarte has taken this opera to many stages around the world. She reprised the role of Renata with Houston Grand Opera in the opera El Milagro del Recuerdo, along with the musicians who perform on her album Reencuentros.
Michael Fabiano Recital
February 15, 2024 at 7 PM MST
Holsclaw Hall at The University of Arizona, Tucson
Renowned tenor Michael Fabiano and collaborative pianist Laurent Philippe will present the World Premiere of a song cycle by Jimmy López Bellido. The work, titled “Quiet Poems,” is commissioned by Tucson Desert Song Festival through the Wesley Green Composer Project. Best known for his enormously successful opera Bel Canto commissioned and premiered by Chicago Lyric Opera, the Peruvian composer has had works performed by major orchestras and opera companies around the world. His champions include Renée Fleming and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Michael Fabiano stands among the most dynamic and prolific tenors on the world stage today: The recipient of the 2014 Beverly Sills Artist Award and the 2014 Richard Tucker Award, he is the first singer to win both awards in the same year, and is considered one of the great voices of our time. Recent appearances at The Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, and San Francisco Opera drew critical accolades. Pianist Laurent Philippe, Michael’s frequent and long-time performing partner, joins him onstage for a full recital program featuring Jimmy Lopez’s premiere.
On February 14 at 7 PM the composer and performers join Tucson Desert Song Festival’s George Hanson at Holsclaw Hall for a lively discussion of the creative process.
Nicole Cabell Recital
April 9, 2024 at 7 PM MST
Holsclaw Hall at The University of Arizona, Tucson
The fabulous soprano Nicole Cabell – winner of the BBC Singer of the World Competition, one of the most prestigious prizes won by such luminaries as Barton, Hvorostovsky, and Terfel – makes her Tucson Desert Song Festival debut. Her Tucson area appearance begins with Poulenc's Gloria, a masterwork filled with exquisite melodies and breathtaking harmonies, with True Concord Voices and Orchestra on April 5, 6, and 7.
On April 9, True Concord presents Nicole Cabell in recital with a program that will include favorite opera and Great American Songbook selections including Puccini, Gounod, Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter.
Recitals will be at the Fred Fox School of Music, Holsclaw Hall