New Streamed Content from Pocket Opera

Yesterday Pocket Opera announced that its 3-Song Mini Concert Series, which was launched on YouTube on April 13 of last year, would be continued in 2021. As the name implies, these are relatively brief performances, since only three songs are performed. As was the case last year, each recital is captured on video, which is then uploaded to the Pocket Opera YouTube channel. As of this writing, three such recitals, all available for streaming on a Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., have been planned for the first half of this year as follows:

Phillip Harris, Jacqueline Hairston, and Tammy L Hall (courtesy of Pocket Opera)

• February 28: The title of the program is Songs of Concealment. All three of the songs will be works composed by Jacqueline Hairston, making this the first time that Pocket Opera has presented works by a female composer, as well as by an African-American. The vocalist will be baritone Phillip Harris. He will be accompanied at the piano by Tammy L Hall. Suitably, this offering will mark the end of Black History Month.
• April 18: As might be guessed, the three songs to be performed in the concert entitled Handel, with Care, will be selections by George Frideric Handel. The vocalist will be soprano Marcelle Dronkers, who has performed a variety of roles in Handel operas for Pocket Opera. [updated 2/19, 9:10 a.m.: Her accompanist will be Jefferson Packer.]
• June 20: The summer solstice, marking the shortest night of the year, will be celebrated with a program entitled Songs of the Night. Two vocalists will participate, soprano Lindsay Roush and tenor Alex Taite. [updated 2/19, 9:10 a.m.: The accompanist will be David Drummond.]

In addition the annual gala and auction will also be virtual. This will mark both the 44th year of Pocket Opera and the 95th birthday of Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus Donald Pippin. The title of this year’s celebration will be Offenbachanalia! Excerpts from La belle Hélène (the beautiful Helen), The Tales of Hoffmann, and La Vie parisienne (Parisian life) will be sung by “The Three Offenbach Tenors,” Robert Vann, Joseph Meyers, and Michael Mendelsohn. The festivities will begin at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, March 21. There is no charge for attendance, but registration is required.