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About the performers For this special musical event, Puerto Rican baritone Matthew Melendez will be joined by musical host George Shangrow, pianist Jerrod Wendland, soprano Tessia Altiveros, and classical guitarist Robert Blatt in an evening of lively Spanish art song. |
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Baritone Matthew Melendez used to earn his living singing the praises of others: first as an advertising creative, then as a public relations executive for technology behemoths. After nearly two decades as a semi-professional vocalist however, he was afforded the opportunity to study with brilliant tenor Vinson Cole in the Master of Music program at the University of Washington, and he hasn’t looked back since. Matthew has performed with the New Jersey State Opera, Opera Orchestra of Los Angeles, both the Los Angeles and William Hall Master Chorales, the Seattle Tudor Choir and many more fine ensembles. During his term of study at the UW, he’s been heard as a soloist in Bach’s B-minor Mass, as L’horloge in Ravel’s opera, L’enfant et les Sortileges, and Guglielmo in scenes from Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte. Matthew has a passion for early music, and has also performed many of Bach’s cantatas and received great praise from nationally renowned early music soprano Ellen Hargis in master class. He will graduate magna cum laude from the University of Washington this December, and plans to pursue a full-time career as a classical vocalist. |
a benefit concert for Harmony Hill& its cancer programs |
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Jerrod Wendland is an accomplished pianist, musicologist and theorist. Prior to moving to Seattle in 2001, Jerrod studied piano performance at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Since arriving in the Pacific Northwest he has taught theory and history at the University of Washington as a graduate teaching assistant, and has performed and collaborated with many of the area’s vocalists and composers. Most recently he has been heard with mezzo-soprano Emily Greenleaf in an extremely challenging recital at the Seattle Art Museum, and is currently working on both music theory and music history text books. Jerrod is particularly passionate about demystifying the complexities of classical music, making art music more accessible to all. |
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Soprano Tessia Altiveros currently acts as artistic staff for Cascadian Chorale with whom her voice has been featured in works by Benjanim Britten, Stephen Paulus, and Massenet as well as the world premier of Bern Herbolsheimer's Letters of Love. Tess also brings a strong dramatic background to her vocal efforts, and as a result has often been featured as a soloist in many of the fine works produced at the University of Washington, including the recent UW Symphony performance of Bach's B-Minor Mass, last year's production of The Magic Flute, and scenes from Cosi fan Tutte (Dorabella, Despina) and Le Nozze di Figaro (Susanna, Cherubino). She is currently studying voice at the University of Washington under the tutelage of world- renowned tenor, Vinson Cole. |
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Robert Blatt first picked up the guitar at the age of 14 when he realized that was the only way he could get a girl to notice him. One year later he began to learn classical guitar. His first teacher on the instrument was Michael McCabe; after two years, he began to take more comprehensive classical guitar instruction from James Manuele. Under his guidance, Robert became a regional winner at the WMEA Solo/Ensemble competition and was awarded the opportunity to compete at state. In the Fall of 2002, he was accepted into the classical guitar program at the University of Washington where he currently is pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Music in Guitar Performance. For the last two school years, Robert has received music scholarships for his performance degree, and has studied with noted guitarist Steven Novacek for the duration of his college education. As well as enjoying many solo and ensemble performance opportunities at the University, Robert has performed at a master class with Anna Vidovic and performed with the Seattle Peace Chorus in 2005. |
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He is currently on the faculty of the Seattle Conservatory of Music, where he teaches Music History, Conducting, and Literature. Seattle music lovers also know him as a regular announcer on Classical KING-FM and host of the Live By George show, a nightly radio program featuring live, in-studio classical music performances. |
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CANCER RETREATS |
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George Shangrow, our musical host for the concert, is Conductor and Music Director of the Seattle Chamber Singers and Orchestra Seattle (formerly the Broadway Symphony). He has appeared as guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Tacoma Opera, Rudolf Nureyev and Friends, East Texas University Opera, Oregon Symphony and the Sapporo (Japan) Symphony. 