Don’t miss this live, in-person concert/class filled with gorgeous music & interesting insights. Seating is limited; get your ticket today!
Midweek Musical Matinee
Exploring Opera: A History in Six Arias – A Unique Concert/Class
Thursday, December 5
1:00-2:30pm – Concert/Class
2:30-3:30pm – Private Patron Reception w/Guest Artists
In-person at the Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road (San Rafael)
Don’t miss this very special, live concert/class created specifically for our Midweek Musical Matinee series!
First developed around 1600, opera has evolved dramatically in the over 400 years and six periods since. Baroque, Classical, Bel Canto, Romantic, Verismo & Modern; each era has its own style and beauty!
Join Metropolitan Opera soprano Olga Makarina, pianist Ron Valentino and instructor James Sokol for a beautiful, interesting and fun journey to compare and contrast the various ages of opera.
For each period, Sokol and our special guests will introduce interesting insights; a bit of history, things to listen for, and fun facts. Makarina and Valentino will then perform an aria which exemplifies the period.
Your ticket purchase for this one-time concert helps to support our Midweek Musical Matinee series.
Due to limited seating, this event may sell out. Reserve your ticket(s) early!
A very special “thanks” to the following donors
for helping to make this event possible:
Gail & Hal Glassberg
Joan & Jim Kirsner
Edie Pankratz
Jackie & Larry Slayen
Let the music play! Join these special donors by supporting our live music series; make a gift designated to our “Adult Learning Programs” at www.marinjcc.org/donate.
About Olga Makarina
A soprano at The Metropolitan Opera for 18 seasons, Ms. Makarina has also been a regular on other stages of the city – the New York City Opera, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall… Outside New York, she performed on stages all over the world, including the Canadian Opera, Teatro Liceu in Barcelona, Las Palmas Opera, Opera di Roma, Teatro Regio in Rome, Opera La Coruna, Mariinsky Theater, Teatro de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Kirov Opera, National Theater in Prague, Slovak National Opera, Opera Pacific, Palm Beach Opera and Warsaw’s Grand Theater.
Ms. Makarina performed in highly acclaimed festivals among which are the Spoleto festival, the Cesky Krumlov Festival with the Brno Philharmonic that was televised in Eurovision, Macau Festival, Rome’s Euro Festival Mediterraneo where she sang a concert of bel canto arias and scenes with Eve Queler and the Malta Symphony at the site of Hadrian’s Villa which was telecast in Italy, and Bard Festival.
On the concert stage, Ms. Makarina made her stage debut singing Mozart’s C minor mass with Yehudi Menuhin. She has since performed with many top conductors such as James Levine, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Nello Santi and Bruno Campanella. Her concert appearances include numerous recitals opera houses and concert halls around the world.
Ms. Makarina has recorded three solo albums with Romeo Records
“Her singing showed intelligence, lovely phrasing, agile passagework and affecting sensitivity…” – The New York Times
About Ron Valentino
Pianist Ron Valentino has performed with many of today’s best-known classical artists including Ruth Ann Swenson, Nathan Gunn and Deborah Voigt. In addition to concert work, Valentino has been on the music staff of the San Francisco Opera and Opera Center, Los Angeles Opera, and the New National Theatre Tokyo. Additional credits include the American Conservatory Theatre and the record-breaking San Francisco production of The Phantom of the Opera.
Ron is currently the Music Director at Trinity Church in Menlo Park, the Music Director of the Opera and Music Theatre Scenes Class at San Francisco Conservatory’s Pre-Collegiate Division, and the mastermind behind the supertitles for the San Francisco Symphony.
About James Sokol
James Sokol, MA, MBA worked in opera for over two decades, having started his career under Beverly Sills at NYC Opera. A Founding Member of The Singers Development Foundation, Sokol has also worked on projects with Cincinnati Opera and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He has worked and lectured for San Francisco Opera and is a former executive director of Pocket Opera. He teaches opera and musical theater appreciation classes throughout the SF Bay Area and via Zoom.
In addition, Sokol is the Director of the Kurland Center for Adult Learning & Living at the Osher Marin JCC for which he creates an array of programs for adults of all ages. He designs and leads popular cultural arts trips to destinations from Broadway to Los Angeles, from The Netheralnds to Argentina, from India to Vietnam and beyond.
Tickets & Notes:
As your ticket purchase to this concert will help to support our Midweek Musical Matinee series, please consider buying either level of our patron tickets.
“Premiere Patron” Ticket: $100; includes premiere reserved concert/class seating and private patron reception with guest artists. Available until noon on Dec 4 or until sold-out, whichever comes first.
“Patron” Ticket: $75; includes reserved concert/class seating and private patron reception with guest artists. : $100; includes premiere reserved concert/class seating and private patron reception with guest artists. Available until noon on Dec 4 or until sold-out, whichever comes first.
“Regular” Ticket: $25; includes general concert/class seating. : $100; includes premiere reserved concert/class seating and private patron reception with guest artists. Available until 1pm on Dec 5 or until sold-out, whichever comes first.
All tickets are non-refundable & non-exchangeable.
Midweek Musical Matinees are created and offered by the Osher Marin JCC‘s (San Rafael, CA) Kurland Center for Adult Learning & Living.
ALL ARE WELCOME to join in our activities! JCC members, non-members, those who live near or far, people of all backgrounds, faiths, ethnicities, hair styles, fashion choices, chocolate preferences, etc. “The more the merrier!”
