By Aimee Durand
Opera talent from around the world—including Michael Fabiano, Emmett O’Hanlon and Emily Fons—will perform with the Sun Valley Opera Winter Festival in Ketchum from Feb. 2 through March 12.
Sun Valley Opera (SVO) held its first concert at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Ketchum 18 years ago, launching a standard of showcasing high-quality singers.
“As it was sold out, music lovers told others about it and it gradually grew, due to community interest and support,” said Frank Meyer, Sun Valley Opera’s co-founder and board president, in a recent interview with The Weekly Sun.
“We have continued to present a mix during the year, having something for everyone, with the constant being high-caliber vocal artists,” Meyer said.
Those artists perform familiar arias, non-classical tunes, Broadway tunes and popular songs.
SVO now presents a four-day Winter Festival, a Summer Benefit Concert at the Sun Valley Pavilion, patron Diva Parties and a Signature Salon Series, where attendees can meet the vocalists in a cozy setting.
Winter Festival Schedule
On Feb. 2 at 6 p.m., a Diva Party will precede a concert featuring tenor Michael Fabiano with his versatile vocals. The doors of the Argyros Performing Arts Center will open to the public at 7:30 p.m. Fabiano has performed around the world at venues including the San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera in New York City, Paris Opera, Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and Teatro Real in Madrid.
Fabiano not only soars vocally, but this tenor takes to the skies with his hobby as a pilot. He is also a co-founder of ArtSmart, which brings free weekly lessons in voice to high school kids.
“This man is the most famous young tenor in the world,” Meyer said. “He plays everywhere.”
On Feb. 18, Irish-American baritone Emmett O’Hanlon, lead singer for Celtic Thunder, will perform a Cabaret Concert at The Argyros in Ketchum at 7:30 p.m.
Opera singers must have a voice that can reach 2,000 people in a hall and be heard over an orchestra, without a microphone, Meyer said.
“You have to have a voice that is very different,” he said. “For people who like a really good voice, O’Hanlon has a voice that works both ways.”
Ending the festival on March 12 at 7 p.m. will be a Signature Salon Concert presenting Emily Fons, which will be held in a private home to be announced. This concert will be classical—more opera and a little Broadway.
Fons, an American mezzo-soprano, was named as one of America’s top 25 rising stars by “Opera News” magazine. Her dramatic vocals have been included in venues such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the International Händel Festspiele and the Cleveland Orchestra, to name a few.
“This is for people interested in a more intimate setting,” said Meyer.
SVO also participates in the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD, shown at local movie theaters. This program provides live feed from operas with quality sound and a clear HD image.
“This has been going on for 11 years around the world,” Meyer said. “You feel like you are in a five-hundred-dollar ticketed seat. It is a wonderful gateway for someone that may want to go to an opera live.”
For more information about the Sun Valley Opera Winter Festival and other events, visit sunvalleyopera.com.