CONCERTO LIRICO: ALTA E BASSA. MUSICA PER TENORE, BASSO E PIANOFORTE

Ricardo Pereira, made his professional operatic debut in 1992 in the world premiere of Ronaldo Miranda’s opera Don Casmurroat the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo. He has appeared in numerous musical productions among them Mozart’s Coronation Mass, C minor Massand Requiem; Beethoven’s IX Symphony; Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz; Puccini’s La Bohémeand Gianni Schicchi; Verdi’s La Traviataand Nabucco; Massenet’s Werther; Offenbach’s Barbe-Bleue; Bach’s Johannes Passion; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Handel’s Messiah; Gomes’ A noite do Castelo; and Orff’s Carmina Burana.  His performance repertoire includes Chamber Music, Art Song, Opera and Oratorio including world premieres of works by contemporary composers. Dr. Pereira is a voice professor at the NAU School of Music since 2001 teaching private voice lessons and vocal literature. His main research interest is the Art Song with emphasis in the Brazilian “canção” and the songs of Ernani Braga. Dr. Pereira received his Masters in Music in 2001 and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance in 2007, both degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara, studying with Elizabeth Mosher.  He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Universidade Estadual do Ceará in Brazil in 1991.  In Europe he studied privately in Turin with renowned Italian Maestro Elio Battaglia and in courses at Acquasparta, Naples, and Salzburg.  Under the guidance of Maestro Battaglia, Dr. Pereira perfected his operatic repertoire, German Lied, and performed with acclaimed success. Dr. Pereira was from 1991 to 1998 a vocal instructor at the Universidade of São Paulo Choir and from 1992 to 1998 he was a singer at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo where he performed many works of the international repertoire. He had many of his performances broadcast on Brazilian national public television.  In 1995 he was awarded first prize in the Carlos Gomes Singing Competition in Campinas, Brazil.

Bass, Robert Allen Saunders maintains an active performance schedule of recitals, symphony concerts, and operatic performances. Past concerts include recitals in Paris, France and Florence, Italy, plus operatic performances of Sacristan in Toscawith the Indianapolis Opera, Doctor Bartolo in Indiana Opera North’s performance of Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Doctor Grenville in Verdi’s La Traviatafor the Utah Festival Opera, and Sparafucile in Montana Lyric Opera’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Most recently Saunders sang for a holiday pops concert with the Toledo (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra and was the bass soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphonywith the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Saunders is an associate professor of voice at Northern Arizona University.

Pianist and coach Jeffrey Peterson has appeared in recitals and master classes on five continents, with such important operatic artists as Martina Arroyo, James King, and Teresa Kubiak, in venues as far-reaching as Hoam Hall in Seoul, the Marian Anderson Festival and Competition, and Manaus, Brazil. He has performed throughout the United States with flutists Francesca Arnone, Valerie Potter, and Tadeu Coelho.  Dr. Peterson has taught at Indiana University, the University of Illinois, the University of Akron, and  served on the Opera Studies Faculty at Northwestern University for  five years. He is the director of Music in the Marche, a summer study program in Mondavio, Italy, and is currently a professor at Baylor University.