Lorena's All Star Benefit Concert
$60
- Thomas Pandolfi, piano
- Alfredo Carrillo, tenor
- Lorraine Kirschbaum, soprano
- Michael A. Nim, tenor
- Nini Wang, soprano
- Verity Jo Spencer Hall, soprano
- Huangxing Li, tenor
- Veronica Nim Olson, soprano
- Louisa Benitez, soprano
- Scott Fisher, Jr., piano
Manuel Ponce — Selected works
Giuseppe Verdi — Selected works
Georges Bizet — Selected works
Enjoy a color-filled benefit concert of some of the greatest talent of our time with Juilliard-trained pianist Thomas Pandolfi, tenors Alfredo Carrillo, Mike Nim and Huangxing Li; former Radio City soprano Lorraine Kirschbaum; local concert pianist and UW student Scott Fisher, Jr.; and sopranos Nini Wang and Verity Jo Spencer Hall for an evening of some of the best performers to gather in the Octave 9.
Expect some Chopin, Puccini, Manuel Ponce, Verdi, Bizet, and more, supporting Bellevue Opera and James Storehouse for children in foster care.
About Thomas Pandolfi, piano
About Alfredo Carrillo, tenor
Tenor Alfredo Carrillo, born in Durango, Mexico, made his debut singing Mozart's Requiem with the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Juarez in the Mexican State of Durángo. He studied with maestros Martha Irene Flores, Manuel Martínez and Javier Galindo, carried out an artistic residency in Monterrey, Nuevo León for two seasons singing Nemorino by Elixir de Amor and Edgardo de Lucia di Lammermoor. He won the 2015 Olivia Gorra contest for best tenor at the National Center for the Arts in Mexico City where he later made his debut in the M Ponce room of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in 2016. In Russia he was selected best tenor in the international contest Academia in Perm City, Russia where he performed at the International Amphitheater.
Throughout the pandemic, he recorded his first EP of five opera arias, 'From My Heart to Yours, A Collection of Romantic Tenor Arias'; his first full album, 'Romance, Español, and Italiano'; a holiday EP, 'A Heartfelt Christmas'; several duets ('The Prayer' and 'Força Estranha' with soprano Louisa Benitez and 'From My Heart, Love Songs and Duets' with soprano Faina Morozov) in addition to original crossover singles, 'Ese Capricho' and 'Un Ser Mejor'.
He has taken master classes with internationally renowned tenors Agim Hushi, Francisco Araiza, and Fernando de la Mora; and sopranos Irina Rufovna and Marianne Weltmann. He received vocal coaching with Rogelio Riojas Nolasco in San Miguel Allende where he prepared the roles of Alfredo in La Traviata, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Don José in Carmen, and Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana; singing the lead tenor in these Operas in Durángo, Guanajuato, Queretaro, Colima, and Mexico City, and also performing in San José, Costa Rica. He has delivered showcase presentations in various cities in the United States including Los Angeles' Celebrity Center and Westwood Village Watermark in California, Omaha, Nebraska, Seattle, and Bellevue, Washington, Columbus, New Mexico, and more.
Tenor Carrillo sang for Placido Domingo at the 2016 Revueltas Festival where he also was given a master class by the Maestro. A maestro himself of his own vocal studio, he was recently recognized as being among the seven greatest alumni in the 75-year history of the Technological Institute of Durángo as a Graduating Engineer for his legacy and artistic contribution to the community of Durángo.
https://alfredocarrilloten.wixsite.com/websiteAbout Lorraine Kirschbaum, soprano
Lorraine Kirschbaum is a 92-year old diva soprano who sang in Radio City Music Hall for many months in the 1960s, meeting such great talent as Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Davis Jr. and Julie Andrews, often under the guidance of Hugh Ross. She sang throughout her life, and won a "Senior Idol" competition in Marietta, Georgia in her late 80s. In 2019 she was invited back on stage by Alfredo Carrillo and Butterfly Smiles to sing at Carco Theater, accompanied by then prodigy 15-year-old Scott Fisher, Jr. Her rehearsal duet of La Traviatta with Alfredo Carrillo went viral, prompting the concert in Renton.
About Michael A. Nim, tenor
International tenor Michael A. Nim has appeared in numerous Lyric Opera Northwest productions (now the Bellevue Opera) including as the Artful Dodger in Oliver!, Angelotti in Tosca, Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Morales in Carmen, and, moving on to the tenor repertoire, as Goro in Madama Butterfly, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Alfredo in La Traviata, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Rodolfo in La Boheme.
As a tenor concert soloist, he has been featured twice with the Federal Way Symphony. Recent engagements include tenor soloist in the Messiah at St. Marks, Alfredo in La Traviata with Lyric Opera Northwest at Meydenbauer Center Theatre, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor and El Remendado in Carmen in 2016, and Nejus in The Merry Widow with Tacoma Opera. He was invited to sing in Turandot with Pacific Northwest Opera in Skagit County, and gave a solo recital at the Frye Art Museum. He has also sung in Caltagirone, Sicily, and also London, England, and will soon make a path in his career to Germany. Aside from singing Opera, he also loves teaching private voice lessons.
https://www.operabase.com/artists/michael-nim-77509/enAbout Nini Wang, soprano
About Verity Jo Spencer Hall, soprano
About Huangxing Li, tenor
Huangxing Li stands as an eminent figure in the world of vocal music, celebrated for his adeptness in performing both classical opera pieces and contemporary art songs. Throughout his illustrious career, he has graced numerous stages, most notably with his performance of Rameau's Sympathy in a collaboration with Victory Hall Opera. His evocative solo recital, along with various other concert appearances, showcases the depth and breadth of his talent. Beyond his captivating stage performances, Huangxing's technical prowess has shined in competitive settings, earning him several awards, including a 1st place finish at the American Protégé International Vocal Competition.
About Veronica Nim Olson, soprano
A lyric coloratura originally hailing from New York City, Veronica began performing professionally with the Metropolitan Opera. Since moving to Seattle, she has appeared in principal roles with Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, Lyric Opera Northwest, Bellevue Opera, Kirkland Performance Center, Kitsap Opera and at Benaroya Hall, and studied at Pacific Lutheran University.
About Louisa Benitez, soprano
Louisa grew up in the Seattle area and sings a wide range of music in English, Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish. Crossover music, worship, jazz, classical opera, folk and pop tunes are her favorites. She loves to discover and translate songs for a broader audience, to and from português, español, français, italiano, zapoteco….
She has trained with Alfredo Carrillo, Pamela Casella Nim, and Mike Nim and has performed with Latin Grammy nominee Eduardo Mendonca, Alfredo Carrillo (including duet recordings of The Prayer, Si El Es and Força Estranha, featuring the beautiful sound of the beloved Brazilian guitarist João Alexandre), and in the chorus for Bellevue Opera and Bellevue Symphony Orchestra.
Louisa's mother sang alongside the Rockettes with her cherished voice as a Radio City starlet in NYC and Louisa’s parents met over a mutual love for opera.
As she keeps up with recording and collaborating, she aims to perform small gigs locally and when she travels, as music has been her favorite way to connect with people.
https://linktr.ee/LouisaBenitezAbout Scott Fisher, Jr., piano
Scott Fisher, Jr. has won competitions in the US and performed as a solo concert pianist in Washington State. He performs also as an accompanist and has recorded a number of songs for release and primarily for recording artist and tenor Alfredo Carrillo, soprano Louisa Benitez, and soprano Faina Morozov.