Presented by ePOP
Thursday, August 14, 2025
6:00 – 7:00 PM
Dilworth Park
1 S 15th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Now in its 4th year at Arts on Center Stage, East Passyunk Opera Project (ePOP), returns with a vibrant evening of opera and musical theater in the heart of Philadelphia. This year’s program features beloved selections by Rossini, Gounod, Verdi, Donizetti, and more—alongside Broadway classics from Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific and Edwards & Stone's 1776, plus favorites from around the globe.
Acclaimed vocalists soprano Olivia Prendergast, mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit, and tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica join forces with outstanding pianist and collaborator, Aurelien Eulert, for an unforgettable live performance. We’re proud to continue sharing this annual tradition with the Philadelphia community.
Performance from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. | Free and open to the public
Bring-your-own blanket or chair encouraged. Seating in the Greenfield Lawn is limited.
The Arts on Center Stage is generously supported with funds
from the Center City District Foundation (CCDF).
Programs are weather permitting and subject to change.
Artist Biographies
Sarah Coit, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit returned to Seattle Opera in 2023 as Fariba and Wife #3 in the world premiere of Sheila Silver and Stephen Kitsakos’ A Thousand Splendid Suns. She then reprised the role of Laurene Powell Jobs in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with Utah Opera. The busy artist made a role and company debut as Angelina in La Cenerentola with Toledo Opera, sang Mercedes in Carmen with the Reno Philharmonic, debuted the role of Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea with West Edge Opera, as well as joining American Bach Soloists and Alabama Symphony for Messiah. In 2024, Sarah joins the San Francisco Opera for both Partenope (covering Rosmira) and The Magic Flute (covering 2nd Lady), creates the role of Polly Thompson in the world premiere of Touch with Opera Birmingham, offers another Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Tri-Cities Opera and sings Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera Tampa.
She was a 2017 National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has received prizes from the George London Foundation and the Handel Aria Competition. She is the 2020 recipient of the American Bach Soloist’s Jeffrey Thomas Award and was a runner-up in the “Best Opera Singer” category for 2019-2020 season San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards.
Aurelien Eulert, pianist
Hailing from Alsace, France, Aurelien Eulert made his U.S. house debut in 2014 with Palm Beach Opera as diction coach for their production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann and head coach for the Young Artist Program. Since then, he has been on the music staff of Charlottesville Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Roanoke, Palm Beach Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, USC Thornton Opera, UCLA Alpert School of Music, Pacific Opera Project and the Los Angeles Opera Education department. Aurelien has played for acclaimed singers such as Marilyn Horne, Phyllis Curtin, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade and Rod Gilfry. He has assisted and performed under conductors such as James Conlon, Robert Spano and John Williams. In 2019, Aurelien was named Head of Music Staff at OperaDelaware, and was instrumental in launching the company’s Young Artist Program. He had previously held the position of Chorus Master and Principal Pianist since 2017. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, he was instrumental in OperaDelaware’s switch to digital and outdoor performances and continues to manage the acclaimed Pop-Up Opera program with outdoor presentations on the company’s mobile stage. Aurelien’s 2021/22 season included a return to the theatre stage with OperaDelaware’s productions of Don Pasquale, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, and a debut with Opera Southwest for Pelléas et Mélisande. His 2022/23 season includes debuts with Opera Philadelphia, Opera Baltimore and Intermountain Opera Bozeman. Aurelien holds degrees from the Conservatoire National de Strasbourg, Syracuse University and the University of Southern California, and attended the Tanglewood Music Center in the summer of 2010.
Fran Daniel Laucerica, tenor
Hailed by Opera News as “a very promising high tenor,” Cuban-American, Fran Daniel Laucerica has been praised for his clarity, agility and musical versatility as a rising star on the operatic and concert stages. This season, Mr. Laucerica returns to Pittsburgh Opera as a Resident Artist, where he reprises the role of Beppe/Pagliacci, as well as performs the roles of Spoletta/Tosca, Rinaldo/Armida, and Thomas in the world premiere of Higdon’s Woman With Eyes Closed. Also in the 2024/25 season, Laucerica debuts with Pittsburgh Festival Opera as Poisson/Adriana Lecouvreur, reprises the role of Conte d’Almaviva/Il barbiere di Siviglia with First Coast Opera and returns as a Tenor Soloist in St. Matthew Passion with Madison Bach Musicians. As a young artist at The Glimmerglass Festival, Laucerica performed as Beppe/Pagliacci and covered the role of Dan Leno/Elizabeth Cree. The earlier part of the 2023/24 season saw Laucerica as Conte Almaviva/Il barbiere di Siviglia in a student matinee performance, as well as Pylade/Iphigénie en Tauride, Miles Zegner/Proving Up, and Gastone/La traviata with Pittsburgh Opera, where he also covered the roles of Steuermann/Der fliegende Holländer, and Alfredo/La traviata. Also that season, Laucerica rejoined Grammy-award winning new music ensemble The Crossing in his Philadelphia Orchestra debut singing Vespers of the Blessed Earth by John Luther Adams, returned as the Evangelist and Tenor Soloist for Cantata, BWV 8 and Christmas Oratorio, Part V with Madison Bach Musicians, and covered the role of Arcadio/Florencia en el Amazonas with Opera San Jose.
Olivia Prendergast, soprano
Soprano Olivia Prendergast has been praised for her “poised and silvery-voiced” tone (Opera Today). In 2024-2025, Ms. Prendergast sang as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana with the DeSales University Choir and Orchestra and in the premiere of Cinema Concert Experience with Symphony21. In the upcoming season, she will sing Nina in the premiere of Helsop’s The Bear Prince with The Berks Opera Company, and will make her debut with Opera Philadelphia singing Delia in Il viaggio a Reims. Ms. Prendergast will also join The Crossing for several of their premieres in 2025-2026. In the 2023-2024 season, Prendergast joined three-time Grammy-winning ensemble The Crossing and the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a soloist for Gabriela Ortiz’ Revolución diamantina, covered the title role in La Calisto with the Glimmerglass Festival, and joined Opera Theatre of St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist, where she covered Cleopatra in Julius Caesar and went on for Marie de’Medici in Galileo Galilei. She also made her debut singing Pamina in Livermore Valley Opera’s outreach production of The Magic Flute, and sang as the soprano soloist with the Mercersburg Symphony Orchestra for their spring concert. Between summer festivals, she joined the East Passunk Opera Project in Philadelphia’s Annual summer series “The Arts on Center Stage!” in front of Philadelphia City Hall, singing Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Morgana (Alcina), Adele (Die Fledermaus) and Ariel (The Little Mermaid). Originally from the Philadelphia-area, Olivia also was privileged to sing the National Anthem for her home team, the Phillies. Olivia recently premiered the role of Joan of Arc in Graciela Carríqui’s chamber work In Her Own Words: Joan of Arc Speaks. She has appeared as a soloist with the East Passyunk Opera Project, The Crossing, the Bloomington Bach Cantata Project, and Indiana’s HPI Concentus Ensemble. Ms. Prendergast has a deep passion for modern and early music, and she hopes to bring more of these eras to life in her performances. During her two seasons with the Merola Opera Program, she performed as Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia, sang First Spirit and covered Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, and sang scenes as Carolina (Louisa Fernanda), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) and Frasquita (Carmen).
PROGRAM
“La donna é mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto
“Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?” from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette
“Mein Herr, Marquis” from J. Strauss’ Die Fledermaus
“Un soave non so che” from Rossini’s La Cenerentola
- Sarah Coit and Fran Daniel Laucerica
“Chacun le sait” from Donizetti's La fille du régiment
“Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” from Lehar's Land des Lächelns
“Pur ti miro” from Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea
- Olivia Prendergast and Sarah Coit
“Contigo en la distancia” by César Portillo de la Luz
“Cockeyed Optimist” from the musical South Pacific
“He plays the violin” from the musical 1776
“Non píu mesta” from Rossini’s La Cenerentola
“Caro elisir” from Donizetti's L’elisir d’amore
- Olivia Prendergast and Fran Daniel Laucerica
“Flower Duet” from Delibes' Lakmé
- Olivia Prendergast and Sarah Coit