Live@DCC Free Noon Concerts -September 12: Rena Harms, soprano, Dr. John Cozza, piano

Rena Harms, Metropolitan Opera Grand Prize Finalist, together with Dr. John Cozza, piano, will present a program of DeFalla, Strauss, and Barbara at the Davis Community Church's Second Friday FREE concert series, "LIVE@DCC": Friday, September 12, noon - 1pm. Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for a “winningly liquid” voice as well as for her “dramatic vividness and vocal flourish,” Santa Fe native Rena Harms recently brought the role of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly to productions at English National Opera, Arizona Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Recent engagements include her role and company debut with Pocket Opera as Mrs. Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, a return to Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera as Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro and debuts with the Auburn Symphony as the soprano soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at the Mondavi Center in Davis, California, Poulenc’s Gloria and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Camellia Symphony and a series of Holiday Concerts with Music in the Mountains. In the 2022-2023 season Ms. Harms made her role and company debut at Opera San José as the Stepmother in Alma Deustcher’s Cinderella, returning later in the season for Tosca. She also made a company debut as Nedda in I Pagliacci at the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. During the Fall of 2019, Ms. Harms joined Avaloch Farms as an artist-in-residence, culminating in an 11 city recital tour in early 2020. In the 2018/19 season Ms. Harms returned to the Grand Théâtre de Genève for Wagner’s Ring cycle, covered the title role in Korngold’s rarely performed opera Das Wunder der Heliane with Bard SummerScape, and collaborated with Peter DiMuro’s Public Displays of Motion dance company for a site-specific performance with Now + There, as well as an appearance at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Her performance as Nell Gwynn in the regional premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players at Florentine Opera was recorded live for international release and received two Grammy nominations. Ms. Harms’ “breathtaking intensity” (NDR Kultur) was on display in her recent French debut as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra at Opéra National de Bordeaux, and in her return to Florentine Opera for a role debut as Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers. She also reprised her interpretation of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Opera Santa Barbara, a role she has performed in Milwaukee, Basel, and San Francisco. Ms. Harms joined the Seattle Symphony as the soprano soloist for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and OPERA America for their New Works Sampler, and Seattle Opera for Don Giovanni. She has appeared as Helmwige in Die Walküre with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Desdemona in Otello with the Oldenburgishes Staatstheater, and as the title role in Sigfried Matthus’ Judith with Staatstheater Braunschweig and Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg. Additional credits include the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus covering Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Florentine Opera as Micaëla in Carmen and Liù in Turandot, and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte for Staatstheater Braunschweig. She sang the title role of Fibich’s Sárka, Marenka in The Bartered Bride, and Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, all in new productions with Staatstheater Braunschweig. Ms. Harms made her English National Opera debut as Amelia in a new Dmitri Tcherniakov production of Simon Boccanegra and joined Theater Basel for Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the High Priestess in Calixto Bieito's Aida, and a Flower Maiden in Parsifal. In the U.S. performances include Micaëla in Carmen with Opera Santa Barbara and Opera Southwest as well as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ericlea in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria with Wolf Trap Opera. She sang Mimì in La bohème with Los Angeles Opera, where she was a member of the company’s prestigious Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. With that same company, she sang Barena in Jenufa, Erste Magd in Der zerbrochene Krug and Zweite Magd in Der Zwerg in a double bill conducted by James Conlon and released on DVD, Sylvaine in The Merry Widow, as well as their Grammy Award-winning production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Ms. Harms was a participant in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program and was a proud member of the a winner of the Hennings-Fischer Foundation Competition, second prize winner of the Marcello Viotti International Vocal Competition in Lausanne, Switzerland, and received an encouragement award from the Marilyn Horne Foundation. John Cozza is in demand throughout California as teacher, coach/accompanist, chamber musician, adjudicator and clinician. He has been the Staff Accompanist at Sacramento State University since 2004. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California, Northwestern University and the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Austria.

Event Links

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3208984-0

Read More

View Less