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New York International Vocal Ensemble
September 21 @ 7:30 pm
A brand-new concert made just for NACC with a rising opera star from New York & An ensemble of WORLD CLASS musicians!
Kofi Hayford is a young, prize-winning Ghanaian-American bass, described as possessing an “impressive, “sonorous”, and “stentorian bass voice”, also produces a distinct sound – easily identified for its unique timbre. With almost 40 different operatic roles under his belt, he is swiftly building his reputation as an accomplished artist by bringing an “exciting” and “stunning” sound to the stage.
In Yellowknife he performs with an ensemble of musicians of diverse backgrounds including Daniel Beliavsky who is an educator, concert pianist, music theorist, composer, and filmmaker. He has performed in Europe and throughout the United States with both orchestra and in recital–notable engagements include concerto performances with the Milwaukee and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. Joining the ensemble in Yellowknife is Dominican tenor José Heredia. Mr. Heredia was a 1st Prize Winner of the 2014 NJ Association of Verismo Opera International Vocal Competition, and a finalist/encouragement award winner of the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition in 2015 and 2017, José Heredia has thrilled audiences with his voice of “Pavarottian shimmer.” They will be accompanied by award-winning Mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson, who was recently praised by Opera News for her “ardent, focused, von-Stadean mezzo” with Juilliard Opera in Handel’s Atalanta with the Juilliard415 historical performance orchestra.
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre is thrilled to welcome Kofi Hayford and his ensemble to the stage again as the opener of our 40th Anniversary Season.
The Ensemble
Daniel Beliavsky, Ph.D., is an educator, concert pianist, music theorist, composer, and filmmaker. Daniel produces music documentaries through his production company, Opus1films, which in 2011 released Sonata (1957), a film about the distinguished American composer Donald Harris’s opus one, the Sonata for piano, and about Harris’s early career in Paris. Now Chair of the Fine Art and Music Department at Yeshiva University in New York City, Daniel has been a visiting professor of music theory, piano performance, aesthetics, writing about music, and history at several universities.
A 1st Prize Winner of the 2014 NJ Association of Verismo Opera International Vocal Competition, and a finalist/encouragement award winner of the Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition in 2015 and 2017, Dominican tenor José Heredia has thrilled audiences with his voice of “Pavarottian shimmer.” Mr. Heredia started singing in a church in New York back in 2006. He attended Nyack College and the Manhattan School of Music, and studied with the tenor Dr. Dana Talley and the mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn of the Metropolitan Opera.
Kofi Hayford is a young, prize-winning Ghanaian-American bass, described as possessing an “impressive” (Brooklyn Discovery) “sonorous”, (Meet Me at the Opera) and “stentorian bass voice” (National Herald) also produces a distinct sound – easily identified for its unique timbre. With almost 40 different operatic roles under his belt, he is swiftly building his reputation as an accomplished artist by bringing an “exciting” and “stunning” sound to the stage.
Mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson was recently praised by OperaNews for her “ardent, focused, von-Stadean mezzo” with Juilliard Opera in Handel’s Atalanta with the Juilliard415 historical performance orchestra. Last summer, she joined the Filene Artists roster at Wolf Trap Opera, singing Siébel in Gounod’s Faust, as well as a recital with pianist Steven Blier.
