Contributed photo/John Riesen
The performance will feature a special appearance by local artist David Moul.
HART — The Hart Community Performing Arts Series will continue its 2025-2026 season Sunday, Jan. 18, with a concert of outstanding vocal music presented by a nationally-known star of opera and stage, John Riesen.
The concert will start at 3 p.m. in the Hart Public Schools Auditorium located in Hart Middle School.
Riesen will be joined on stage by two rising stars of the opera world, soprano Rebekah Howell and baritone Leroy Davis. The performance will also feature a special appearance by local artist David Moul. The vocalists will be accompanied by pianist Neill Campbell.
Hailed as “every inch the hero in stature and voice” (Classical Voice North America), award-winning American tenor John Riesen is consistently impressing audiences with his “impassioned…and vibrant” voice (Opera Today). John’s growing career boasts a variety of roles in which he excels and includes significant work in opera, musical theatre, oratorio, studio recording, and concert. He has released over 130 studio recordings that have reached well over 10 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music. John is the head of Spotify promotion for Emitha LLC, and has helped other artists achieve hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify. He is also an associate producer on the Grammy-Nominated project The Impossible Dream.
Seen around the globe, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Pacific Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, Vegas Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, Detroit Opera, Shreveport Opera, Pensacola Opera, On Site Opera, Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony, Utah Symphony, Berkshire Opera Festival, Las Vegas Opera, the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony, the Flint Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Texarkana Symphony, Marshall Symphony, Opera Montana, Opera Birmingham, Nashville Opera, Opera Roanoke, Greensboro Opera, Gulfshore Opera, Anchorage Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and many more.
Riesen was also seen on NBC’s America’s Got Talent as part of the Finalist group Metaphysic, singing “Nessun Dorma” as the voice of Howie Mandel. This performance hailed as, “The best act of the series” by Simon Cowell.
With a voice that effortlessly traverses bel canto to Broadway belt, Rebekah Howell is cementing her status as a dynamic and versatile artist. Her burgeoning career showcases adaptability, passion, and a gift for storytelling through diverse art forms, including opera, musical theatre, and classical concert works.
Baritone Leroy Davis is a versatile and sought-after artist, known for his rich voice and captivating stage presence. In 2024, he took on an exciting range of roles, including Schaunard in Bronzeville bohème with Florentine Opera, a role and company debut as Blue Dove and Dr. Undertow in Ruinous Gods at the Spoleto Festival, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte with Opera Ithaca, and ended the year as Marcello in La bohème at San Diego Opera.
The ensemble will present vocal works from opera, stage, and popular music, created by composers from Mozart to Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Tickets for the concert are available online at hartseries.org or at the door.
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