Opera House presents Fredonia native in concert
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The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center will present rising opera singer and Fredonia native Michael J. Hawk in concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The baritone will present a varied program of songs representing several musical genres including classical, Broadway and opera.
A SUNY Fredonia alumnus, Hawk is a recent graduate of the Los Angeles Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. This season at LA Opera, he sang as Bass Soloist in the St. Matthew Passion in a co-production with the Hamburg Ballet, and covered Dandini in Gioachino Rossini's La Cenerentola. He also he sang Ford in Verdi's Falstaff (opposite Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role) and the title role in Don Giovanni with the Aspen Opera Theater.
Locally this season, he appeared in April as Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute with the Buffalo Philharmonic (under the baton of Grammy Award-winning Maestra JoAnn Falletta). He also returned to Fredonia this past fall as a guest artist singing Dr. Buchanan in Lee Hoiby's Summer and Smoke with the Hillman Opera and presented a recital featuring the music of Johnathan Dove with pianist Sandra Leary at Rosch Recital Hall.
In previous seasons at LA Opera, Hawk sang Ophemon in Joseph Bologne's L'amant Anonyme, Schaunard in La Boheme, Der Sprecher in Die Zauberflote, Sir Walter Raleigh in Roberto Devereux, and Caireles in El gato monte. In the 2018-19 season, he sang the title role in the world premiere of Henry Mollicone's Moses, under the baton of Maestro James Conlon.
He also has performed Demetrius in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Santa Fe Opera, Escamillo in Carmen with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Der funfte Richter in the U.S. Premier of Korngold's immense Das Wunder der Heliane and the Baritone Soloist in Zemlinsky's Lyrische Symphonie at the Bard Summerscape and Music Festival. He also has performed at Wolf Trap Opera as the Cobbler in Philip Glass's The Juniper Tree.
Hawk's appearance is part of the Spotlight Series at the Opera House, which is generously sponsored by DFT Communications. Tickets are $18 (Adults), $16 (Opera House Members) and $10 (Students) and can be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716-679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, 12-4:30 p.m., or online anytime at www.fredopera.org.
Opera House programming is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and in part by the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to "present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region ... providing access to artistic diversity ... and high quality programming at an affordable price." It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.