Palmetto Bay resident Amy Ioné Alvarado will be performing with Justin John Moniz in “The Great American Songbook,” a special concert presented by the Miami Conservatory of Music on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The Miami Conservatory of Music Recital Hall is located at 2911 Grand Ave. in Coconut Grove in the Mayfair Promenade.
Celebrating a century of American music, the program features songs from such American musical greats as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and others.
Amy Alvarado finds the program a perfect fit for her.
“I am so honored to be performing such luscious music,” Alvarado said. “It has been one of my dreams to be able to perform a concert set of songs from ‘The Great American Songbook.’As a student in college, I performed with the FIU Big Band singing the songs of Cole Porter and Duke Ellington and Gershwin. “Each song on the program has a special place in my heart. The beautiful melodies along with our arrangements will take you back to a time of love and joy. I am very excited to perform alongside my talented colleagues, Mary and Justin.”
Alvarado began her singing career at age 17, winning an honorable mention award in the Young Arts Competition of the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. She studied opera and classical voice at Florida International University, earning her BM in Vocal Performance, and continued her professional training at the Florence Voice Seminar, the Crittenden Opera Workshop and Opera in the Ozarks. She has served on the vocal faculty of the Miami Conservatory of Music since 2007 and her recent credits include CabarlesQue and Broadway Medley.
Dr. Mary Adelyn Kauffman is a pianist, vocal coach and conductor who has recently returned to Miami from Europe where she enjoyed a career as a freelance pianist, coach, and choral and orchestral conductor in Germany, Italy and Spain before accepting positions within the German state supported opera system, first in Hildesheim and later in Chemnitz. She now is a member of the adjunct faculty at Florida International University.
Tenor Justin John Moniz has starred in more than 50 operas, operettas, and musicals to-date in performances around the country, including the New York Grand Opera, Opera New Jersey, Lake George Music Festival, Orchestra of Northern New York, New Jersey Symphony, College Light Opera Company, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, the Miami Bach Society, SoBe Institute of the Arts, Florida Grand Opera and others
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to present such an exciting program for the Miami community this fall,” Moniz said. “As classical musicians, it’s not every day that we have the opportunity to cut loose and let the emotion dictate what notes and rhythms come out of our mouths. The program will feature songs much of our audience will know and love with some new and exciting surprises along the way.
“Our collaborator, pianist Mary Adelyn Kauffman, is a musical genius, particularly in the genre of American music. Her innovative improvisations and flawless playing leave you in awe. Ms. Alvarado and I are honored and humbled that she has agreed to join us for this project.”
General Admission tickets are $15, Student tickets are $10. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.miamiconservatoryofmusic.com, or call 305-442-2283. Tickets, if available, also can be purchased at the door 30 minutes prior to the performance.
