Gregory Hughes, conductor
Alexis Magarò, soprano

Smetana: Vltava (Die Moldau)
Elgar: Sea Pictures
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

Internationally renowned soprano Alexis Magarò returns for Elgar's Sea Pictures, while Smetana's captivating Vltava and Sibelius' expansive Symphony No. 5 conclude our 5th Anniversary Season.

This concert will last approximately 90 minutes, including one intermission.

Alexis Magarò (soprano), is a native Californian who received a degree in English and Italian literature from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she was also one of the star performers in its opera program. She then immediately moved to Florence, Italy where she studied voice with soprano Jolanda Meneguzzer and the conductor Bruno Rigacci.

Having distinguished herself in a series of vocal competitions in Italy and the United States, Ms. Magarò made her opera debut in Innsbruck, Austria in “Il Tito” by Antonio Cesti under the baton of famed baroque specialist, Alan Curtis. Performances were aired live on radio and television throughout Europe, leading to a position as principal soloist at Opernhaus Halle in Händel’s birthplace. There she sang a variety of roles ranging from Violetta to Mélisande, Tatjana, Vitellia, and Queen of the Night. She subsequently made her home in Berlin and then Paris, accepting engagements throughout Europe and perhaps most frequently in Prague where she was repeatedly called upon as Mozart’s Donna Anna.

A dramatic coloratura, Ms. Magarò has appeared frequently on television and often been the subject of radio broadcasts with both live and recorded performances of everything from Mozart to Puccini, Richard Strauss and Villa-Lobos. She currently resides in Chicago.