By

Leticia Marie Sanchez

During the summer, many LA opera lovers may feel pangs of withdrawal, the sense that autumn is too many weeks away to wait for the thrill of hearing an aria live. Cultural Cocktail Hour has discovered a cure for those craving an opera fix. Angels Vocal Art represents the only opera festival in Los Angeles this summer and last weekend presented the Gran Gala di Verdi at the State Playhouse Theater.

Angels Vocals Arts allows emerging singers to perform alongside opera professionals, and on Saturday night, young students poured their hearts and souls into the works of the timeless maestro, Giuseppe

Verdi.

Moreover, the Verdi Chorus anchored the evening with the solemnity of seasoned performers. I will leave you with the resounding motto of the Verdi Chorus, included in the evening’s program:

“We are The judgment of Egyptian priests/The voice of revelers on a Christmas Eve in Paris/ The outcry of slaves in bondage /The song of all the angels in heaven/ The weeping of exiles in Civil War/ The Sound the Sun makes at dawn /The Curses, the Rage /The Madness, The Glory /We are the voices of Beethoven And Strauss and Puccini and Wagner/ We are the music of the Human Heart in Love/ We are the Verdi Chorus

Listening to passionate young students honing their craft is as refreshing as a Mint Julep in July, one that can leave you shaken and stirred, a bona fide cultural cocktail.

Angels Vocal Art singers

Gran Gala di Verdi

State Playhouse Theater

Photo Credit: Ben Gibbs

The Verdi Chorus

conducted by Kristof Van Grysperre

Gran Gala di Verdi

Photo Credit: Ben Gibbs

For more information on upcoming performances by Angels Vocal Art, see: http://www.angelsvocalart.org