Guest
Tenor Gioacchino Lauro Li Vigni, better known as (Jack), a skilled and heartfelt performer, was trained by his father, celebrated tenor Salvatore Li Vigni, and coached by extraordinary singers like Carlo Bergonzi, Franco Corelli, Arrigo Pola, and most recently – Salvatore Fisichella. Mr. Li Vigni is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts and has performed internationally, including at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Frankfurt Oper, Beijing Opera, and many others. Jack is a voice instructor for the prestigious Jette Parker Young Artists Program at Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London and is also on faculty at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and Brooklyn College CUNY. He has endeavored to create a strong platform for the development of young artists with Mediterranean Opera Studio & Festival in Sicily, which he founded and of which he is the General Director. Several of his students are renowned tenors who perform regularly at the Metropolitan Opera House and other celebrated theaters throughout the world. His students have been recent winners and finalists of major competitions like Operalia, Cardiff Singer of the World, and the Francisco Viñas, as well as being part of several prestigious young artists programs. It is a pleasure to welcome Jack Li Vigni as our Master Class presenter this year. Participants: Chris McGee, tenor Christopher McGee is a 34 year old tenor who has been studying voice formally for less than two years. Chris participated in musical theater at Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, where he found a love for singing and theater. Opera was a hobby and a love for many years but it wasn’t until a friend asked him to sing at his wedding that Chris, with the advice of his wife, decided to pursue operatic voice lessons. Chris is truly grateful to be able to tackle the arias he has been listening to since he first fell in love with the art form so many years ago. Samual Keeler (Washington, D.C.), tenor, has been hailed for his “rich tenor,” (Culpepper Times) “strong vocals and crisp, clear delivery” (DC Theatre Scene). He recently appeared on stage in concert alongside Michael Spyres as part of the Guild Hall/Bel Canto Boot Camp Resident Artist Series and as Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera D’Oro. He keeps a regular performance schedule as a soloist in the greater Philadelphia region. This summer he will be making his debut as Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola as well reprisals of Alfredo in La Traviata, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Ben Pederson, tenor 17 year old student of Lisa Willson DeNolfo and The Juilliard School Pre-College program, Ben will start this year as a full time undergraduate at Juilliard.
