This is a special sponsored post from the folks at Phoenix Opera.

As a kid, my parents always had Mario Lanza playing on the phonograph in our home.   After quite a few years passed, I not only could sing along with Mario, but I had developed a passionate love of a good operatic tenor.

As it turned out many years later, I found that I possessed a lyric baritone voice (that’s a tenor wanna-be) that could also produce beautiful soaring melodies.  But that is a story for another day.

Today, we are very excited to share with you that German Tenor Jonas Kaufmann is coming to Phoenix to share his vocal talents at a special gala operatic concert.

German Tenor Jonas Kaufmann to Appear in Gala Concert at Phoenix Orpheum Theatre

Event:  “An Evening with German Tenor Jonas Kaufmann”

Description: A special gala concert with the renowned tenor accompanied by the Phoenix Opera Orchestra, featuring outstanding French and German opera arias

Date, Time:  Saturday, Feb 24, 2013 at 7:00PM

Place:  Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St., Phoenix, AZ 85003

Tickets:  Available at Ticketmaster or by calling the Orpheum Theatre. Ticket prices range from $35-$125 and are available from the Orpheum Box Office at 602-262-7272. The Orpheum Box Office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Go to www.phoenixopera.org for more information and links to purchase tickets.

Last month, Anthony Tommasini, in the New York Times, described Kaufmann as “probably the consensus for the most exciting tenor around right now.” Kaufmann will be coming to Phoenix directly from the New York Metropolitan Opera, where he will be singing the title role in the Met’s new production of Wagner’s Parsifal.

Phoenix Opera General Director John Massaro, who will be conducting, said, “When we brought Dmitri Hvorostovsky to Phoenix last year for our successful first gala, we found that the Phoenix audience hungered for the opportunity to see and hear world-class giants from the world of opera. People came from all over the world. These concerts are part of our overall plan to help Phoenix grow into an international cultural destination.”

Kaufmann entered the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich, Germany in 1989. After his graduation in 1994 he advanced his career, singing at a number of venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland before appearing at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2001.

He achieved international fame with his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2006 as Alfredo in La Traviata, and has been receiving rave reviews ever since.

Here are a few samples:

“As Faust, Jonas Kaufmann showed once again that he can sing just about any tenor part better than just about anyone else in the opera world. He flooded the lyric lines with dark, throbbing tone, surging to a secure high C in his ‘Salut! Demeure’ aria.” ~ James Jorden, New York Post

“His voice is in glorious form, supple, strong and tinged with baritone-like depths. Paired with Kaufmann’s innate musical intelligence, it gives shape and color to every phrase. His Salut! Demeure chaste et pure was inflected with tender lyricism, culminating in a joyous powerful high C.” ~ Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The Classical Review

“His voice is pure gold, and few tenors show as much total emotional control as he does.” ~ Howard Kissel, The Huffington Post

We’re very excited to see this level of talent visiting the valley and strongly encourage you to grab a few tickets and go enjoy this special operatic gala concert.

Link: The Phoenix Opera

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