Soprano Alice Lestang to Hold Final Florida Tech Concert April 19

University’s Artist in Residence to Release CD

MELBOURNE, FLA. —The Paris Conservatory-trained soprano Alice Lestang will conclude her tenure as Florida Institute of Technology’s Artist in Residence with a free public concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at Gleason Performing Arts Center.

“Bravo! An Evening of Opera Favorites,” will feature Lestang and Florida Tech faculty members Eliza Dopira and Kyle Knappenberger as soloists, as well as students from the Florida Tech Concert Choir and String Orchestra. Robert Lamb, director of choral activities and a music professor at Eastern Florida State College, will conduct. The EFSC Student Choir will also perform.

The concert will feature opera favorites by Jacques Offenbach, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Gilbert and Sullivan, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.

The concert will be followed by the official release of Berlioz ‘Les Nuits d’été, Wolf, Strauss, a CD featuring Lestang and pianist Romain Louveau that was recorded this year at the Atlantic Music Center in Melbourne. The album will be available for purchase at the concert, and Lestang will be available to sign the CDs and pose for photos. All proceeds will support student activities and resources in the Florida Tech Music Program.

The album, engineered and mixed by John Marsden and mastered by Bob Olhsson, was produced by Kevin R. Burke, director of music programs and associate professor of music at Florida Tech. Its cover photo was taken by YJ Sohn, associate professor of communication at Florida Tech, and album artwork was by Florida Tech student Lindsay Isaac. Music program students Christian (Connor) Mahoney and Tatjana Jemmott assisted with the review of the album’s mix and master audio files.

Lestang is Florida Tech’s third Artist in Residence from Paris, following pianist Paul Anquez last year and percussionist Rémi Durupt in 2014.

She completed her master’s degree in 2015 at the prestigious Paris Conservatory. She began her vocal studies with Nobuko Takahashi in the northern French city of Lille, and then continued with Dina Grossberger at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels prior to entering the conservatory in 2010.

For more information on the concert, please visit http://fit.edu/music or call the Music Program at 321-674-8082.

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