Soprano Marnie Breckenridge Headlines Opera Orlando's Summer Concert Series Opener on Aug. 13

Soprano Marnie Breckenridge headlines Opera Orlando’s annual Summer Concert Series on August 13 at the University Club of Winter Park. Ms. Breckenridge and pianist Robin Stamper will present Art Is Calling for Me, a concert of classical arias and popular tunes sure to enchant Opera fans and summer concertgoers. Also for this concert only, audiences will be treated to an exclusive 2023-24 All for Art season presentation by the Company’s general director Gabriel Preisser and artistic director Grant Preisser.

“We are thrilled to have Marnie kick off our Summer Concert Series, and I personally cannot wait to sing Enrico to her Lucia in our April production of Lucia di Lammermoor,” says Opera Orlando general director and Grammy award-winning baritone Gabriel Preisser. “Her summer concert is a perfect opportunity for our audiences to get to know Marnie before seeing her on our MainStage, and I am very excited to get our All for Art season started with such a great concert.”

Ms. Breckenridge’s sparkling soprano and intelligent musicianship has been praised around the world, including by The Globe and Mail, which said, “she sings extraordinarily…bell-like ring over an enormous range and personality spilling from every note.” She has won international acclaim for her interpretations of music from the Baroque period to the modern era. She is also a go-to performer of critically acclaimed new works. In 2020, she won the DORA award for “Outstanding Performance by an Individual in Opera” for her role in Jacqueline, about the life of cellist Jacqueline Du Pre.  

Ms. Breckenridge made her Carnegie Hall debut singing soprano solos in Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and has performed in dozens of other concerts and full-scale productions around the world, including Die Zauberflöte, Our Town, and The Merry Widow. She recently recorded a compilation of holiday tunes called Happy Golden Days, which was released on all streaming platforms in 2020. 

Robin Stamper, conductor and pianist, is currently the artistic director and chorus master for Opera Tampa. His credits include director of music for the Kentucky Opera where he made his conducting debut with The Mikado. Subsequently, he was artistic director for the Nevada Opera, where he conducted mainstage productions of The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Rigoletto. Mr. Stamper has also served as music director for the previous Orlando Opera Company and Orlando Opera Chorus. He also served as artistic director for Florida Opera Theatre prior to its re-birth as Opera Orlando. 

All Summer Concert Series performances take place at the University Club of Winter Park, located at 841 North Park Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. Subscribe to the full Summer Concert Series line-up for $125 or pay $49 for each individual concert. Admission includes meet-the-artist receptions following each concert, with light hors d'oeuvres and wine graciously donated by Winter Park Wine. 

Additionally, Opera Orlando’s 2023-24 Opera on the MainStage subscriptions are also currently on sale through the Dr. Phillips Center’s Bill & Mary Darden Box Office, (445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando), online at www.DrPhillipsCenter.org, or by calling (407) 839-0119, ext. 0.

See YOU at the Opera!!

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About Opera Orlando:     Celebrating, expanding, and sharing the world’s greatest art form,  the 2023-24 season marks Opera Orlando’s eighth season producing high-quality operatic entertainment and educational programs that engage Central Florida audiences.