Don’t miss this special evening of Gershwin in Concert featuring the Porgy and Bess Suite. A true American classic, Porgy and Bess encompasses the essence of Americana combining the spiritual with blues and the jazz of New Orleans. Included are such hits as “Summertime”, “My Man’s Gone Now” and “Bess, You is My Woman Now”. This is coupled with El Paso’s own Maestro Raymond Harvey performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. Click here to purchase your tickets for this exciting evening!
Porgy and Bess Cast
Maestro Raymond Harvey, pianist and conductor. Raymond Harvey has garnered critical acclaim on symphonic podiums throughout the United States. Now in his eleventh season as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Harvey has also appeared as guest conductor with many of America’s leading orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Utah, Indianapolis, Detroit, New Orleans and Minnesota, as well as the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts and the Boston Pops. He has also had engagements with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra of Florence, Italy; the Pusan Symphony of South Korea and the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. Equally at home in the world of opera, Dr. Harvey served for 15 years as Music Director of El Paso Opera. Among the many productions he has conducted are Carmen, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Aïda, La traviata, and The Marriage of Figaro. He has also appeared with the Houston Grand Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Texas Opera Theater, Opera Idaho, and Indiana University Music Theater. Recognized as an outstanding pianist, Dr. Harvey holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music.
Geraldine McMillian as Bess. Ms. McMillian made her debut with the New York City Opera as Mimi in La Bohème and returned there as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly. She is a frequent guest performer with orchestras throughout the world, including the Detroit Symphony, Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Glendale Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, Sinfonieorchester Hamburg Orchestra, the New World Orchestra in Mexico City, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México. In November 2008, Ms. McMillian will return to Mexico City in a concert of American music for the Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo. A native of Connecticut, Ms. McMillian studied music at the Juilliard School, where she worked with Eleanor Steber. She is the beneficiary of awards from the Liederkranz Foundation, the National Federation of Music Clubs, the American Opera Auditions and the Connecticut Opera Guild.
Lori Hicks as Serena. Debuting as Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s “magnetic” Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess this past February, soprano Lori Celeste Hicks has only begun to leave her mark on the world of classical music. Ms. Hicks has “completely amazed everyone with her beautiful voice and warm personality.” An active recitalist and concert performer, Ms. Hicks will sing Verdi’s Requiem with the Jackson Michigan Symphony Orchestra. She sang a recital in Detroit in September at the Westminster Church and will perform a recital at Claflin University. In addition, she will take part in an African Women’s Composer’s Forum at the University of Dayton. Internationally, Ms. Hicks was featured in concerts and recitals throughout Italy and France, as well as starring as Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff under the baton of Maestro Joseph Rescigno. A frequent performer in the Midwest area, Lori has sung Mimi in La Bohème, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Laetitia in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief, and the world premiere of James P. Johnson’s jazz opera, Dreamy Kid.
Roland Burks as Porgy. Mr. Burks was most recently tapped by New York City Opera and composer Jonathan Dawe (Armide) to step in at the eleventh hour and perform in their highly acclaimed VOX Festival, at which he “rocked the Vox” in a role that required his skills in both French Baroque Operatic style, as well as his ability to rap! Roland has performed extensively throughout the United States with such companies as New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Anchorage Opera, Knoxville Opera, Connecticut Opera, Opera Theater of Philadelphia, and San Antonio Opera. International appearances include performances with the Bregenz festival Austria, International Opera Theatre in Umbria, Italy, Mercury Opera in Edmonton, Canada, and Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain. He pursued graduate studies in Opera and Theater Arts at the University of North Texas, and the University of Houston under the tutelage of famed Greek mezzo, Elena Nikolaidi. In addition to portrayals of operatic characters like Scarpia in Tosca, Tonio in Pagliacci, and the Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Roland is equally at home in the world of contemporary Opera and Musical Theater, with such roles as Sweeney in Sweeney Todd, Jim in Big River, and Porgy in Porgy and Bess.
Timothy Robert Blevins as Sportin’ Life. Baritone Timothy Robert Blevins’ upcoming engagements include Crown in Porgy and Bess at the Edinburgh Festival and Opéra National de Lyon, a role he has sung at New York City Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Virginia Opera, and Pablo Casal's Festival in Puerto Rico. Past career highlights include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro and Il barbiere di Siviglia, Escamillo in Carmen, Ford in Falstaff, and most recently, The Beggar/Happy Mac in Duke Ellington’s Beggar’s Holiday. Mr. Blevins created the role of Miguel in Tania Leon's The Scourge of Hyacinths, performed at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the National Theater of Mexico City, L’Opera de Nancy, and St. Polten Festspielhaus. He also sang the title role for the world premiere of Anthony Davis' opera Amistad at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Blevins was also featured on the soundtracks of two Disney films, Home on the Range and Enchanted.
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