The Amore Valentine’s Day Concert kicks off our “Love is Love” Opera Project Season with songs inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice, a timeless love story of passion, courage, and bittersweet endings. From Monteverdi and Gluck, to Donizetti, Puccini, Bizet, and our favorite tunes from Showboat, West Side Story, and more, this musical evening will showcase something for everyone. The night will close with some audience participation and a Jazz sing-along, for a Valentine’s Day celebration not to be missed! “Love is love” is a celebration that is inclusive of all sexualities and gender identities.
Whether you are single, part of a couple, or want to celebrate with your amici (friends), we’ve got your Valentine’s Day COVERED! Featuring a cast of some of Boston’s most exciting vocalists, join us for a whimsical evening of fan-favorite love (and sometimes heartbreak) themed arias, duets, jazz standards, and originals at our annual Amore Concert. With a delicious menu and special cocktails by City Winery Boston, this is a one-night only event not to be missed!
Featured Artists (clockwise from top left): Hosted by Leo Balkovets (Tenor), featuring special guests Nina Evelyn Anderson (Soprano), Mary Kray (Mezzo), and NEMPAC Faculty member, Harriet Hung (Piano).
Leo Balkovetz
Leo Balkovetz, Tenor, is a performer and librettist in the Boston area. Born the middle child in a military family, Leo spent his early life moving all around the country. He received a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University in 2015. He spent the year as an assistant in a Middle School choir, teaching private voice lessons to the young and young at heart alike before moving to Boston in 2016. There, he attended The Longy School of Music at Bard College and graduated with a Master’s in Historical Performance in 2018. He has called Boston home ever since.
Leo’s musical practice spans from singing Renaissance sacred motets all the way to modern opera. He has performed in the world premieres of Reap What You Soul (Guy) and The Bedbug (The Reporter) with Promenade Opera Project, the world premiere of NIGHTTOWN (Buck Mulligan) with Lowell House Opera, and a touring production of Mr. Twister (Bobby), an opera for children. As an oratorio soloist, Leo has performed across the commonwealth in Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, and Beethoven’s Mass in C.
As a writer, Leo penned the libretto for Quinn Gutman’s Violetta, a queer re-telling of Verdi’s La traviata, and a modern treatment of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito for Opera del West’s 2023 season. When not singing and writing, Leo can often be found listening to Steely Dan or watching bees in his flower garden.
Nina Evelyn Anderson
Hailed as “powerful” and “ready for primetime,” Black American soprano Nina Evelyn’s mission is to diversify the classical music canon by promoting and performing the works of Black composers. Upcoming performances include singing the role of Monisha in Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and a concert with Heritage Chorale featuring the music of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. In 2022, Nina triumphed in her mainstage debut with Boston Conservatory at Berklee as the title role in Floyd’s Susannah, a production that was named a “standout performance of 2022 in Boston” by WBUR radio. Previous engagements include performances as Contessa Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Boston Conservatory, Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen with Opera North, and Ms. Chen in the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable. Nina is a recent graduate of Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she received her Master of Music in Opera Performance.
Harriet Hung
As an educator, violist/violinist, pianist and singer Harriet Hung is a Boston based private music instructor with 10 years of teaching experience in viola/violin, piano and singing. Having taught students from ages 5 to 50, she believes “Being the best friend with students and growing with them, is the best way leading them to the world of musical aesthetics.” Harriet Hung holds a Master of Music degree from Longy School of Music and Bachelor of Art Degree in National Hsinchu University of Education Department of Music (Taiwan).
Mary Kray
Mary Kray (she/her) is a mezzo-soprano and voice teacher based in Boston, Massachusetts, with a diverse performance background spanning opera, oratorio, musical theater, neo-soul, and pop. Notably, Mary has performed as Marcellina in NEMPAC’s recent production of Le Nozze di Figaro and in the chorus of Boston Lyric Opera’s updated production of Madama Butterfly. She has performed as the alto soloist in Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah.
As a member of the Choir of the New Jerusalem at Church on the Hill, Mary recently covered the role of Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. She eagerly anticipates covering Carmen with Boston Opera Collaborative in their upcoming production of La Tragédie de Carmen. Outside classical realms, Mary is a singer-songwriter for Trust in the Sun, a neo-soul band in Las Vegas, and she also writes and produces experimental vocal music as SomethinSweet. Additionally, she hosts the podcast Music on Mushrooms, dedicated to dismantling harmful rhetoric in creative spaces.
Alongside her private teaching studio, Mary has taught music and voice at Arlington Children’s Theater, Boston Conservatory’s Vocal Choral Intensive, and Beverly Music Academy. Mary holds a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Music degree in opera performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
All of your favorite Opera, Jazz, Musical Theater, and A-MORE!
WHEN: February 14, 2024 7:30 PM (doors open at 6:00 PM for seating, full service dinner & drinks)
WHERE: Boston City Winery, 80 Beverly St, Boston, MA 02114