Beach soloist debuts as a soprano
The first of the 2009/2010 Concert Series at Chapel by the Sea Presbyterian Church on Fort Myers Beach begins on Nov. 15. Local soloist, Dorothy Rodwell, accompanied on piano by Billie Kellogg, will perform a concert beginning at 4 p.m. A free will offering will be taken. No tickets are required.
In addition to singing with the Greater Miami Opera and the Edison Players, Dorothy Rodwell has been singing locally as a mezzosoprano since the early 1970s.
The last two years have proven to be a dedicated journey from which she has emerged as a soprano. This is no small feat as the shift from mezzosoprano to soprano is a powerful, whole body experience requiring a level of practice not for the weak of heart.
There’s also no going back. Once the strength in your voice lies at the blossoming top notes rather than the middle and bottom notes of a mezzosoprano, the mechanics have shifted, the songs are different, and the changes in your identity as a soloist have become profound.
This concert, a mix of opera aria favorites and charming, lighter fare such as Jerome Kern’s Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and The Phantom of the Opera’s Think of Me, is a gift to the community. It is also a gift to herself. As Rodwell will be the first to tell you, “I’m almost 60 for heaven’s sake!”
But, you wouldn’t know it by her voice.
Billie Kellogg, is currently the church organist at the Congregational United Church of Christ on Sanibel. (In fact, she has been there 13 years). He is delighted to be collaborating on this concert.
Be sure to attend this afternoon concert and come meet the new soprano in town.
The concert series continues on the following dates on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m.
– On Jan. 17, entertainer, composer, and singer Paul Todd will entertain with his mix of original compositions, classical, and popular selections. Paul is a Christian artist who accompanies himself on six keyboards simultaneously. Tickets are $20.
– On Feb. 21, the Southwest Florida Symphony Chorus (Conductor: James Caulkins) will perform Brahms at the Beach. The program will be Liebeslieder Waltzes (selections) and A German Requiem. Soloists are Gerard Sundberg, Baritone and Michelle Caulkins, Soprano. Piano four hands will be played by Charles Heard and Nancy Yost Olson. Tickets are $15.
– On March 21, Svetlana Strezeva, who did her professional studies at La Scala in Milan, Italy and has been praised by the St. Petersburg News, Russia, as “The Great Russian Nightingale”, will enchantwith her dramatic flair. She made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow. Kirov Theater, St. Petersburg and sang leading roles with touring opera companies and recitals in Rome & Milan,Italy, Boston &New York,USA and many other cities throughout the world. Free will offering.
Contact Michael Melnikov, Director of Music at 463-3173 ext. 25 for details and the church office at 463-3173 for tickets.
Submitted by Dorothy Rodwell