Written by Mary Dan Eades on November 22, 2013
Music Academy of the West fans (and we know there are many among you) will immediately rejoice to learn that the velvet voice of American Bass, De Andre Simmons, will be featured in the upcoming Hallelujah Project 2013 at the Lobero, with appearances on December 14 and 15. This year’s repertoire includes British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols, scored for orchestra, chorus, and baritone soloist. While he is making quite a name for himself in his low register–he is a bass–Mr. Simmons is quick to clarify that he still has the high notes. The audience will, therefore, be treated to both ends of his considerable range!
Here’s a bit more about him:
American bass, DeAndre Simmons, is quickly gaining recognition for his velvety voice, incisive musicianship, and captivating stage presence. He has performed to great acclaim with several companies and symphony orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Columbia Pro Cantare, Opera Panama, Pacific Opera Victoria (Canada), Curtis Opera Theatre, Collegiate Chorale of New York, Bohème Opera, The Kansas City Symphony, and others.
Mr. Simmons has delighted Santa Barbara audiences as a three-season veteran of the Music Academy of the West and as soloist with Santa Barbara Symphony in Mozart’s Coronation Mass last April. He has previously performed as bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah in New York, New Jersey, San Diego and with Santa Barbara Choral Society last season. A frequent recitalist, he has performed recitals in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and San Diego and workshops at Carnegie Hall.
Recognized as a finalist in the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2008 Greenfield Competition, winner of the George London Encouragement Grant, and a grant recipient of the Singer’s Development Foundation are among his list of awards and honors. He is an alumnus of The Curtis Institute of Music and The Music Academy of the West.
Ticketing through the Lobero box office online or by calling 805-963-0761.
Ticket prices are $25 for section C seats, $35 for section B seats, and $45 for section A seats.
(Additional $1.50 Lobero facility fee applied to all ticket prices and a convenience fee added to online ticketing orders by the Lobero Theatre.)
Saturday December 14 at 8 pm
Sunday December 15 at 3 pm
The Lobero Theatre
33 E Canon Perdido
Santa Barbara
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.