 |
In a concert program of J.S. Bach arias and Russian composers including Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Glinka
Heidi Van der Veer – Voice Admission $28 |
Classical
Sunday, Aug 29th – The Tarquinia Trio – 7:00pm
Bach Festival July 23th and 30th 11AM
|
|
Lute player Daniel Swenberg has concocted a humorous, rollicking modern ballad-opera based on author Mandeville’s “Fable of the Bees”.
Featuring vocal quartet and instrumental ensemble. |
Saturday, May 16th Richard and Norma Mayer Present “Opera for Kids”
| Kids of All Ages 2:00-4:00PM Admission $5 child $10 adult |
|
| The mission of Opera-Essence Performances, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is to provide audiences with an opportunity to create art by encouraging interactive participation in staged musical events. In so doing, Opera-Essence Performances involves the audience in an art form that is not generally accessible or available to all.Saluting the creative spirit in all of us, soprano Norma Mayer has developed an interactive program of operatic arias and classical music used to introduce audiences of all ages to the classics. During the show, historical facts are presented in an enjoyable and accessible manner. Audience members are invited to participate on stage to create the drama of the scenes being performed. This show encourages dramatic creativity through improvisatory acting, as well as musical creativity through the use of various percussion instruments. Costume pieces and props are also provided for the participants.This concept was developed by Norma in Austin, Texas for Waldorf school children.During 2003 and 2004, the Monterey Opera Association engaged Norma to present this show in Monterey County schools. During 2005, the show toured Monterey County schools under the auspices of the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts. In addition during 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and continuing in 2009 this show has toured locally, throughout the United States, as well as in France and Estonia. It is featured on the Monterey First Night program, where it attracts audiences of all ages.Join us here at Wave Street Studios for an afternoon of Opera for all ages.Contact Richard and Norma Mayer at richardmayer@hotmail.com | |
Monday, February 2nd: Norma and Richard Mayer 7:00PM
| Wave Street Studios presents Norma and Richard MayerHosted by the multi-talented Bill Minor. | |
|
|
Norma and Richard Mayer play a fiery brand of chamber music not often associated with their rare musical blend — music for unaccompanied voice and flute.They have performed to great acclaim from Russia to France to California, with points in between, with a vast repertoire encompassing early music, classical music, African-American spirituals, show tunes, and jazz. Their combined sounds manage to conjure up cathedrals and opera stages, with stops in the Elysium Fields along the way.Norma and Richard were thrown together by chance in the musical cauldron of Austin, Texas in the late 1980’s, where a rich brew of country, classical, and popular music attracted international attention.Their early concerts drew upon a diverse audience, fitting for an unusual repertoire, which has expanded over the years to include their own dynamic arrangements of operatic arias, songs, and spirituals. |
The glorious, award-winning voice of Norma Mayer has thrilled audiences from the Italian opera stage to the African-American church, and she is now making a name for herself in the American musical theater, as well.
Critics have been ecstatic in their praise (Santa Cruz Good Times: “…remarkable opera diva…true operatic force to contend with…a unique essence, an attractive nuance that she brings to the role.” Coast Weekly: “…a real find.” Monterey Herald: “…splendid singer…a meltingly rich voice…”)Richard Mayer is at home in many musical genres, including classical, jazz, and pop. He was a founding member of the trail-blazing Russian rock group ZA in 1970’s Leningrad, which pointed the way for the subsequent acoustic folk-jazz movement there, epitomized by Boris Grebenshchikov’s Aquarium. ZA’s recordings have become an underground classic in the U.S. and Europe, too.
Find out more about Norma and Richard Mayer’s recordings and upcoming concerts at www.mbay.net/~nrmayer, or call 831.372.2941
