Church in the Gardens
Feb. 7, 2018 By Tara Law
A pair of Metropolitan Opera singers will perform love songs in a Forest Hills church this Saturday to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The event, dubbed “An Afternoon of Romantic Opera and Song,” will take place at The Church in the Gardens, located at 50 Ascan Ave. at 2 p.m.
Tenor Clay Hilley and soprano Melissa Citro will perform songs and duets, including Strauss’ Four Last Songs, pieces from Act I of Wagner’s Die Walkure, and works by Puccini, Verdi and others. The singers will be accompanied by local pianist Barbara Podgurski.
A reception will follow the show.
Hilley is performing for the Metropolitan Opera for the 2017/2018 opera season, taking on the titular role in Parsifal. He is also performing for the San Francisco Opera, taking on the roles of Calaf (Turandot), Siegmund (Die Walküre), Siegfried (Siegfried), and Siegfried (Götterdämmerung).
Melissa Citro
Citro performed most recently as Minnie in La Fanciulla del West with Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Colorado. Last summer, she appeared as Marina in Dvorak’s Dmitrij.
Maspeth resident Podgurski, the pianist, has performed over the last year at Carnegie Hall and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is the Executive and Artistic Director of Musica Reginae Productions in Queens, NY.
Guest performances by other musicians will be announced.
General ticket prices are $20, but students pay $10. Children under age 13 can attend for free.
