Spanish Rhapsody (St Leo) 2/9 – 7:30 PM

 Santiago Ballerini is recognized in the Americas as one of the leading tenors of the Bel Canto repertoire and is a celebrated performer in opera houses around the world.

In January of 2020, Ballerini will make his debut with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto singing Barbiere di Siviglia. In late 2019, he was the tenor soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Giannandrea Noseda singing Carmina Burana at The Kennedy Center.

Notable recent roles in Europe include his Italian debut at the Teatro Regio di Torino as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir  d’Amore, which he also sang at  Opera Toulon and at Teatro Solís in Uruguay. Other performances included Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Maestro. Roberto Abbado at the ABAO; Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri at the San Sebastian’s Festival, and Shakespeare in Midsummer Night’s Dream at Teatro La Zarzuela.

Ballerini is also an acclaimed and sought-after recitalist. Last season, he sang two recitals for the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and gave a recital with accompanist Howard Watkins at the Savannah Music Festival. He also sang at the Grand Opening night at the new Auburn University Performing Arts Center.

Ballerini, a dual citizen of Argentina and Italy, is well recognized in Latinoamérica where he started his opera career. He has been invited to sing lead roles for the last four seasons at the prestigious Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires to include  jüngeGraf in Zimmerman’s Die Soldaten; Tenor italiano in Der RosenKavalier, Mozart’s Requiem under the baton of Maestro  Evelino  Pidó,   Lindoro in Rossini’s  L’Italiana in Algeri and Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. In recent years, Ballerini has also sung the role of  Conte Libenskoff in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims at the prestigious Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City and debuted at the Teatro Municipal in Chile singing Conte  Almaviva  in  Rossini’s  Il  Barbiere di Siviglia.

In 2020 Ballerini will sing the role of  Ducca di Mantova at the San Antonio Opera, Tonio  in La Fille du Regiment with the Norwegian Opera Company, La Cenerentola at Cincinatti Opera,  L’elisir d’amore at Opera Phoenix, and retuning to the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York to cover the lead role in La Cenerentola.

Janice Carrisa, 2022 Gilmore Young Artist, piano

Indonesian pianist Janice Carissa has been praised for radiating “the multicolored highlights of a mature pianist” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and having a “fleet-fingered touch that is particularly impressive,” as well as for her artistry that “conveys a vivid story rather than a mere showpiece” (Chicago Classical Review). Recently named a Gilmore Young Artist and winner of Salon de Virtuosi, she has won prizes at Aspen Music Festival’s Concerto Competition, American Protégé Star Performer Award, Indonesia Pusaka Competition and IBLA Foundation’s Piano Competition. Her performances have captivated audiences in venues such as the Sydney Opera House, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Weill and Stern auditoriums at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, United Nations, Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Mann Center, Kauffman Center, and Greene Space. Janice is an alumna of Lang Lang Young Scholar.

A pupil of Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald, Janice left Indonesia in 2013 and entered the Curtis Institute of Music with full scholarship from Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest. Now graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree, she will be attending Juilliard School of Music as a Kovner Fellow with Robert McDonald.

Cellist Laura Metcalf, renowned worldwide as a passionate solo and chamber musician, has been acclaimed for her “brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and described as “a cellist whose passion for music is as evident as her artistry and talent” (I care if you listen). She has performed throughout the US and on six continents, including South Africa, Nepal, Argentina, Qatar, Mongolia, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, and Australia.

Laura’s debut solo album on the Grammy-winning label Sono Luminus reached #7 on the Billboard Charts, and was called “a way forward for classical music” by AllMusic. As a sought-after chamber musician and collaborator, Laura is drawn to projects that push boundaries and expand the definition of classical chamber music. Boyd Meets Girl, her duo with her husband, classical guitarist Rupert Boyd, tours worldwide including appearances at Caramoor, Festival Napa Valley, the Morgan Library, Moab Music Festival, Newport Music Festival and many more, has reached #3 on the Billboard Chart, and has had their music streamed over 2 million times on Spotify alone.

Laura also performs regularly with the popular cello-percussion quartet Break of Reality, selected tor an ongoing world tour as musical ambassadors of the US State Department. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura became the founding cellist of The Overlook, a string quartet dedicated to amplifying music by Black composers. She has appeared as a guest with such renowned ensembles as The Knights, eighth blackbird (in a concerto premiere as soloist with the Cincinnati Synphony), ETHEL and more, and appears regularly as principal cellist of the IRIS Orchestra.

As the cellist of string quintet Sybarite5 from 2008-2021, the first-ever string quintet to win the Concert Artists Guild competition and reach #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts, she toured extensively, performing in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Library of Congress, and countless other major venues. Laura is also a concert curator and artistic director, having founded the weekly Sunday morning concert series GatherNYC, as well as guest curating for the Museum of Arts and Design, Fotografiska, and Wave Hill. She has appeared onstage with artists including Adele, John Legend, Cher, Shawn Mendes and Nas.

As a devoted educator, Laura has given masterclasses and workshops at Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory and countless others, and holds a cello faculty position at Riverdale Country School. Laura  lives in New York City with her husband and young son Milo.

Praised by the critics for her “technically fluid, dramatically convincing, and sonically full-bodied supportive collaborations” (Boston Globe) – Milana Strezeva is a Moldovan-American pianist. At the age of 11, she began playing chamber music with her clarinetist father and her mother, a renowned soprano. Milana’s love for family collaboration eventually grew into a passionate advocacy of vocal and instrumental chamber music.

A founding member of the award-winning Manhattan Piano Trio, one of the most creative and dynamic young ensembles in America, Milana has performed with them in over 30 American states, in Australia, South Africa, and Italy, and in venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, and the Ravinia Festival. The Washington Post described the Trio as “impressive” and “outstanding.” At the same time, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said, “one seldom is privileged to enjoy the music of such a wide range of styles performed with self-effacing skill and relaxed assurance.” In honor of the composers’ bicentennials, a CD of Schumann and Chopin trios was successfully released on the Marquis Classics label in 2009.

Milana’s most enduring and treasured collaboration is with her mother, the renowned Soprano, Svetlana Strezeva (a.k.a. “The Russian Nightingale” and winner of the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition). With programs that reflect their love of Russian vocal literature, they have  given recitals across the US as well as in Italy, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and China.

Milana received her Bachelor and Master degrees from The Juilliard School on a full scholarship. Currently, Milana lives in Naples, FL, and is a President & Artistic Director of Grand Piano Series.