Marine Park was alive with the sound of opera and Broadway tunes on the evening of Wednesday, July 22nd, as the Regina Opera Company mesmerized concertgoers at the sixth concert in a series of Marine Park summer concerts sponsored by Assemblywoman Jaime Williams.
This concert started like all the others – with families and concertgoers gathering on the lawn across from the bocce courts with the normal hubbub of excited conversation.
The moment violinist Mikhail Parkhomovsky started playing “Meditation” from the opera Thais and soprano Rachel Hippert hit high notes from Puccini’s “Mi chiamano Mimi,” the park grew still, and everyone watched intently, including bikers and walkers that took their headphones off, stopped and appreciated the amazing artistry.
The Regina Opera Company has performed for the Marine Park Summer Concert Series for several years, converting rigid music/art lovers into fans of the opera with their musical and intriguing storytelling.
Regina Opera President Francine Garber-Cohen eloquently introduced the operatic and instrumental selections as well as the musical artist(s) performing. They performed excerpts from famous operas like Pirates of Penzance, Carmen, Ragtime and Don Giovanni.
Mezzo-soprano Shanelle Woods captivated the crowd with her impressive vocal techniques while performing “Poor Wand’ ring One” from Pirates of Penzance. The crowd happily sang along to the song “Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha with baritone Eliam Ramos. He also had concertgoers clapping in rhythm with Bizet’s “Toreador Song.”
Pianist Victoria Ulanovskaya had the audience grooving in their seats as she played Lara’s “Granada” while tenor José Heredia sang deep down from his heart and soul.
It was like being the fly on the wall, watching a private, dramatic quarrel between Hippert and Ramos as they sang “Oh! Il signore vi manda” from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana. Ramos was quite expressive in the way that he looked at Hippert, how he shook his head and put his hands up toward her, showing great emotion.
A piano finale of Broadway show tunes by Ulanovskaya brought the spellbinding evening to a close with lots of emotions, reminding the crowd of her exceptional talent.
These amazing concerts are free and open to the public. Williams along with sponsors Marine Park Alliance, Kings Plaza, Chrysalis Archeological Consultants, Marine Park Hardware, Sotheby’s International Realty and others in partnership with NYC Parks, Millennium Development and the Marine Park Community Association make these favorite summer concerts possible.
Sound Affair will be playing on July 29th. Concerts are held in Marine Park every Wednesday night (with a rain date of Thursday) at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn near the bocce court. Bring your friends, family, a chair, blanket and a camera to record the memories! For more information, call 718-252-2124.
