SONOMENTO: A Night at the Opera
Featuring Lauren Senden, coloratura soprano
The choir will perform the most thrilling and best-loved operatic choruses spanning over 300 years of operatic history. From the early English operas of Henry Purcell to the majesty and grandeur of Verdi, Puccini and Wagner to the bravado and charm of American operetta, this concert will delight audiences who enjoy the glorious beauty of opera, both intimate and grand!
We will also feature some remarkable soloists from our ranks and the region in arias, duets, and small ensembles.
Soprano Lauren Senden, who sang the title role in last fall’s premiere of Requiem for Frankie Silver, returns as a featured guest artist.
Guest Artist, Lauren Senden
Lauren Senden is a New York-based singer/actress who began training at the MacPhail Center for Music’s Prelude: Singer/Actor Performance Lab. She has become a two-time Lotte Lenya Competition Finalist and Jimmy Award Nominee. She graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre.
Originally from Mankato, Minnesota, she has performed nationwide in competitions and concerts. She was recently seen in the title role of Orpheus Music Project’s Requiem for Frankie Silver. She is happy to be returning to MacPhail for this exciting concert!
Artistic Director, Craig Fields
Craig Fields is currently conductor and artistic director for MacPhail’s premier adult choir, Sonomento. He began his fifteen year professional singing career as an operatic baritone, performing leading roles in opera houses around the world, including the Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Hawaii, Portland, Seattle, Zürich, Geneva, Mannheim, Freiburg, Kassel, Düsseldorf and Berlin, to name a few. He has performed as a soloist under conductors Nello Santi, Helmut Rilling, Rudolf Baumgartner, Ivan Fisher, Lawrence Smith, Ferdinand Leitner, Gerd Albrecht and performed leading opera roles alongside José Carreras, Margaret Price, Agnes Baltsa, Cesare Siepi, Simon Estes, Francisco Araiza, and Hildegard Behrens.
He received his musical training in California from Chapman University under Dr. William Hall and an MFA degree from California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. He then completed post-graduate studies at Mannes College of Music in NYC, Dartmouth College, the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the San Francisco Opera Merola Training Program and Zürich Opera’s International Opera Studio in Switzerland. He was awarded the prestigious Walt Disney Arts Scholarship, a George London Foundation award, and two Martha B. Rockefeller grants for post-graduate vocal studies. More about Craig Fields…