Opera never tasted so good.
An ePOP & Team Pistola's collaboration
Premiere February 12, 2021
7:30PM ET
Live Q & A Following
(available for viewing through Feb 18)
Dinner & Show Packages
Available February 12-14, 2021
This event has ended.
East Passyunk Opera Project with co-producers Team Pistola’s, the restaurant group that includes Pistola’s del Sur, Jose Pistola’s, and Sancho Pistola’s, are offering a unique package for Valentine’s Day weekend. Each of the Pistola’s brand restaurants will offer a 3-course take home dinner for two and tickets to ePOP’s virtual concert, Love Notes, for $75 with the option to add on a drink package for $20.
The concert, presented by RE/MAX One Realty - The Capri Dessecker Team, will feature performances by Philadelphia-based opera singers Ashley Marie Robillard, soprano, and Joshua Blue, tenor accompanied by pianist Aurelien Eulert. Featuring special guest appearances by Metropolitan Opera stars Anthony Roth Costanzo, Sandra Piques Eddy, Joélle Harvey and her husband Alex Fletcher, Zachary James, and Will Liverman.
With a focus on inclusivity, cameo appearances will be made by several beloved Philadelphia couples, highlighting the many flavors of love. Repertoire for the concert will include favorites from opera, classical art song, and musical theatre, a quirky turn or two, and some BRAND SPANKING NEW songs for our audience to discover!
The Loves Notes virtual concert will premiere at 7:30PM ET on February 12 via a private link to be sent to ticket holders and will continue to be available through February 18, 2021.
ePOP will host a live Q & A for ticket holders with Ashley Robillard, Joshua Blue, Aurelien Eulert, and ePOP General and Artistic Director Katrina Thurman directly following the premiere on February 12.
Dinner Package Information:
Love Notes Menu
First Course
choice of:
Sarsa salad
Bibb lettuce / radish / edamame / feta cheese /roasted red pepper/ cilantro / red onion / tomato / lemon herb vinaigrette
Lobster bisque
Jumbo crab meat / chives / citrus crème fraiche
Tuna tartar
Wasabi avocado puree / seaweed / orange / salmon roe / ginger soy
Second Course
choice of:
Ratatouille
Yellow squash / zucchini / eggplant / tomato / red onion / saffron couscous
Seared Tile fish
Truffle bean puree / fried plantain / chipotle tomato sauce
Mole braised short rib
Poblano potato au gratin / roasted brussels sprouts / sesame seeds
Third Course
choice of:
Dulce de leche panna cotta
Peanut brittle / pomegranate seeds
Churros
Mexican chocolate
Artists
Joshua Blue, tenor
During the 20-21 season, British-American tenor Joshua Blue will sing Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. He was scheduled to return to Washington National Opera to sing Jaquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio; perform Beethoven’s Symphony #9 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center and Oberlin Conservatory of Music; and sing Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Jacksonville Symphony and Eugene Symphony. Operatic highlights of previous seasons include debuts at the Kennedy Center as Alfredo in La Traviata and Act I of La bohème in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra, his role debut as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Washington National Opera, Harlekin in Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Wolf Trap Opera, and joining the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival for their production of Eugene Onegin. Previous concerts engagements include Beethoven’s Symphony #9 with the National Symphony Orchestra, his Carnegie Hall debut for Handel’s Messiah; Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Florida Orchestra; and a program called Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do: Songs from Gay Harlem with the New York Festival of Song.
Blue earned his B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his M.M. from The Juilliard School. He is an alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist program at Washington National Opera. www.joshuabluetenor.com
Aurelien Eulert, pianist
Hailing from Alsace, France, Aurelien Eulert was named Opera Delaware’s Head of Music Staff in 2019 and was instrumental in launching the company’s new Young Artist Program. He had previously held the position of Chorus Master and Principal Pianist since 2017. Mr. Eulert 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. Equally versed in both opera and musical theater, his other recent engagements have included serving as music director with Tidewater Opera Initiative (The Marriage of Figaro, The Medium, The Old Maid and the Thief), Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (Cendrillon, The Last Five Years) and the Kahilu Theatre, Hawaii (Godspell). 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. He 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.
Ashley Marie Robillard, soprano
Ashley Marie Robillard has been winning hearts in the opera house and recital hall alike since her professional debut with Opera Philadelphia in 2017. Credits with the company include Musetta in La bohème, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, several recitals, a featured performer in Late Night Snacks, and a featured member of Stephanie Blythe’s cabaret series Queens of the Night. Ashley will join the Merola Opera Program in the summer of 2021 where she will perform as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and in the Merola Grand Finale Concert. In previous seasons, she was a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, where she performed as Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos and covered Argentine in L'île de Merlin and Bubikopf in Der Kaiser von Atlantis. She joined Music From Angel Fire as a young artist. There she sang chamber music by Schubert, Clara Schumann, Mendelssohn, and premiered Wei Dai’s The Wind May Know. She toured the USA as the soprano soloist in Hugo Wolf’s Italianisches Liederbuch with Curtis On Tour, the Curtis Institute of Music's international touring initiative. Ashley received her B.M. and M.M. from the Curtis Institute of Music and is an alumna of Opera Philadelphia's Emerging Artist program.
Guest Artists
Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor
GRAMMY-nominated countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo has appeared in opera, concert, recital, film, and on Broadway. He’s sung at leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Los Angeles Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Glyndebourne Opera Festival, and Teatro Real Madrid. In concert he has sung with the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra. He has performed at a wide-ranging variety of venues including Carnegie Hall, Versailles, The Kennedy Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Sawdust, Joe’s Pub, The Guggenheim, The Park Avenue Armory, and Madison Square Garden. Costanzo has begun working as a producer and curator, creating projects for The New York Philharmonic, National Sawdust, Opera Philadelphia, the Philharmonia Baroque, Princeton University, WQXR, The State Theater in Salzburg, and Kabuki-Za Tokyo. Costanzo graduated from Princeton University and received his masters from Manhattan School of Music.
Sandra Piques Eddy, mezzo soprano
Mezzo Soprano, Sandra Piques Eddy, a celebrated Carmen, has performed the role with various companies including Portland Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Chicago Opera Theater, Austin Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera North (UK) tour, and twice with Maestro Seiji Ozawa touring Japan. Career highlights: Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri with Vancouver Opera, Arizona Opera, Austin Opera, Atlanta Opera; Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Nashville Opera, Vancouver Opera, Austin Opera, a tour with New Zealand Opera; Dorabella in Così fan tutte with Boston Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera; Poppea in The Coronation of Poppea at Opera North (UK); Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice with Portland Opera. With over 100 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Sandra’s roles include; Fiona in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, La Badessa in Suor Angelica, Mercedes in Carmen, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri among others.
Alex Fletcher, President - Fletcher Artist Management
Alex Fletcher serves as president of Fletcher Artist Management, a firm he founded in December 2009. He has been a member of the jury for the McCammon Voice Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, the Opera Birmingham Competition in Alabama, and since 2019, regularly serves as a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Mr. Fletcher completed internships with the Washington National Opera and with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra in Alexandria, Virginia. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, cum laude, from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he also studied vocal performance.
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Joélle Harvey received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She has appeared in operas at many international theaters, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Glyndebourne Festival, and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. An avid concert performer, she is closely associated with a number of symphony orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Handel & Haydn Society, the New York Philharmonic, has appeared at the BBC Proms, and has been presented in solo recital by Carnegie Hall. Recent highlights include her role debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte for the Metropolitan Opera. In concert, she appeared with the New York Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony and the Philharmonia Orchestra performing Mahler Symphony No 2, Mahler Symphony No 4 with Cleveland Orchestra, with San Francisco Symphony performing Brahms’ Requiem, and with the Handel & Haydn Society performing Mozart Requiem, among others. Locally, she performed with Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in January 2020.
Zachary James, bass
Zachary James, international opera singer, Broadway/TV actor. BROADWAY: Lurch in The Addams Family (Original Cast), Hassinger in South Pacific (Original Revival Cast), Coram Boy. OFF-BROADWAY: The Most Happy Fella, Irma La Douce, Sweeney Todd, The Pirates of Penzance. TV/FILM: 30 Rock, Murphy Brown, The Gift, ESPN Great Outdoor Games, Late Nite with David Letterman, The Tony Awards. OPERA: Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, Teatro Real, Opera Philadelphia, LA Opera, Opera Queensland, Arizona Opera, Virginia Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Roanoke, Anchorage Opera, Central City Opera, Union Avenue Opera, Shreveport Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Ithaca, Knoxville Opera and more. www.ZachJames.com @_zachary_james_
Will Liverman, baritone
Called “one of the most versatile singing artists performing today” (Bachtrack), baritone Will Liverman will star in the Met Opera’s reopening production of Fire Shut Up In My Bones in fall 2021 in addition to reprising his roles in Akhnaten (Horemhab) and The Magic Flute (Papageno) during the Met’s 21-22 season. In the 2020-2021 season, Liverman is scheduled to make his debut at LA Opera as Leporello in Don Giovanni and appear in a solo recital at The Kennedy Center. His new opera, The Factotum—a reimagining of The Barber of Seville—will be developed in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago this year. Performance highlights include the Metropolitan Opera’s holiday production of The Magic Flute, in addition to its premiere of Akhnaten; The Barber of Seville with Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera, and Madison Opera; Pagliacci with Opera Colorado; The Love of Three Oranges with Opera Philadelphia; Charlie Parker’s Yardbird with Opera Philadelphia and English National Opera; The Little Prince with Tulsa Opera; and La bohème (Schaunard) with Opera Philadelphia, Santa Fe Opera, and Dallas Opera.
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