Conservatory presenting Great American Songbook

American music will be celebrated this fall, when the Miami Conservatory of Music presents the Great American Songbook on September 15.

The concert features an entire century of American music from such masters as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, George and Ira Gershin, Rodgers and Hammerstein and so many more. The critically acclaimed Mary Adelyn Kauffman leads the party at the piano.

Faculty members, Justin John Moniz and Amy Ione Alvarado will be lead singers.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to present such an exciting program for the Miami community this fall. As classical musicians, it’s not every day that we have the opportunity to cut loose and let the emotion dictate what notes and rhythms come out of our mouths. The program will feature songs much of our audience will know and love with some new and exciting surprises along the way,” says Moniz. He adds, “Our collaborator, pianist Mary Adelyn Kauffman, is a musical genius, particularly in the genre of American music. Her innovative improvisations and flawless playing leave you in awe. Ms. Alvarado and I are honored and humbled that she has agreed to join us for this project.”

Rising young tenor, Justin John Moniz is earning praise for his "confident and compelling" work on both the concert an the operatic stage. He has recently been called a "refined lyric tenor" by the Miami Herald and "superb" by the South Florida Classical Review, having starred in over fifty operas, operettas, and musicals to date. Known for his consistently dynamic performances, Mr. Moniz’s rising career has included performances with the New York Grand Opera, Opera New Jersey, the Lake George Music Festival, the Orchestra of Northern New York, the New Jersey Symphony, the College Light Opera Company, the Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, the Miami Bach Society, SoBe Institute of the Arts, and this season, Florida Grand Opera and the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theater.

Miami Native, Amy Ioné Alvarado began her singing career at the age of seventeen, winning an honorable mention award in the Young Arts Competition of the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and the Miami-Dade Artist Access Grant (2008, 2010). Ms. Alvarado studied opera and classical voice at Florida International University, earning her B.M. in Vocal Performance. At FIU, she took on roles including Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro and Theodorine in Offenbach’s comedic one act opera, The Island of Tulipatan. Ms. Alvarado continued her professional training at the Florence Voice Seminar, the Crittenden Opera Workshop and Opera in the Ozarks where she sang the role Micaëla in Carmen. During the 2009 season, Ms. Alvarado went on to make her Florida Grand Opera debut as Una Novizia in Suor Angelica. 

Dr. Mary Adelyn Kauffman, pianist, vocal coach and conductor, has just returned to Miami. A doctoral fellow at the University of Miami and former member of the Young Artist Program at the Greater Miami Opera, she moved to Europe in 1993 after having completed her D.M.A. in Accompanying and Chamber Music under the tutelage of Dr. J. B. Floyd, Mr. Frank Cooper and Dr. Paul Posnak. 



Tickets and Information
What: The Great American Songbook 
Where: Miami Conservatory of Music Recital Hall, (2911 Grand Ave.), Coconut Grove.  
When: Saturday, September 15, 7:30pm  
Tickets: $15, General Admission | $10, Students (with ID)
How: To purchase tickets or for more information, visit  www.miamiconservatoryofmusic.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door 30 minutes prior to the performance, subject to availability.