Party for the Market
February 24, 2024
7:30 PM
Reading Terminal Market
1136 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
ePOP is providing two special operatic programs for the 12th Annual Party for the Market at Reading Terminal Market!
PARTY FOR THE MARKET IS READING TERMINAL MARKET’S LARGEST FUNDRAISING EVENT OF THE YEAR!
This year’s Party for the Market will celebrate the vibrant nightlife of some of the world’s most iconic cities. Live music, performances, and installations will transform Philadelphia’s historic public market and offer an experience with something for everyone. Guests can expect an unforgettable event with unlimited delicious food from nearly every Market merchant, open bars, robust live entertainment options, a silent auction, and more.
Artists for the event are soprano Olivia Prendergast, mezzo-soprano Kaitlyn Tierney, tenor Angel Gomez, baritone Benjamin Taylor, and pianist Abigail LaVecchia.
With special thanks to:
Stephen Dagrosa, Technical Director
Jesus Garcia, Event Coordinator
Artist Biographies
Angel Raii Gomez, tenor
Angel Raii Gomez, an emerging power on the opera stage, is presently making his mark as a third-year resident artist at the Academy in Vocal Arts. He recently claimed the first prize in the much-coveted Meistersinger Competition at AIMS (American Institute of Musical Studies), underlining his extraordinary talent.
Gomez's list of roles reflects a remarkable capacity for versatility. His portrayal of Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni, performed May 2023, was admired not just for technical excellence but also emotional depth. Earlier in February 2023, he offered audiences an unforgettable Ernesto in Donizetti's Don Pasquale.
In November 2022, he shone as Gastone in La Traviata, displaying his ability to contribute to ensemble harmony while standing out in his role. With each performance, Gomez captures the rich spirit of the opera and continues to enthrall audiences with his charisma and talent making his blossoming career one to watch closely in the Opera World.
Abigail LaVecchia, pianist
Abigail LaVecchia is a pianist based in Philadelphia. She is on the faculty of the classical voice and choir departments at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University. Abigail is music director at Morrisville United Methodist Church, where she is organist and director of the chancel and bell choirs. She is a piano teacher at Friends Select School.
Abigail holds a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Temple University where she was a student of Charles Abramovic and Lambert Orkis. She lives in South Philadelphia with her husband Patrick, daughter Socorro, and dog Wolfgang.
Olivia Prendergast, soprano
In the 23/24 season, Olivia joins Opera Theatre of St. Louis covering Cleopatra (Julius Caesar) and Marie de’Medici (Galileo Galilei). She also made her debut with Livermore Valley Opera Company as Pamina in their outreach production of The Magic Flute. Equally comfortable as a choral artist, she substitutes regularly with The Crossing, premiering David Lang’s new major work, “poor hymnal” in December, and Harold Meltzer’s “You Are Who I Love” with Sandbox Percussion in March. Olivia performs with the East Passyunk Opera Project (ePOP for short!) in their Italian opera extravaganza at Reading Terminal, singing selections from La Traviata as Violetta, Rigoletto as Gilda, and Lakmé as Lakmé.
In her second season with the Merola Opera Program, she performed as Lucia in The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten. For the Merola Grand Finale, she sang a flirtatious zarzuela duet as Carolina (Louisa Fernanda), and in the Act 1 sextet as Zerlina (Don Giovanni). She previously sang with Merola in 2022 as First Spirit and covered Papagena in their full production of Die Zauberflöte. Olivia also crooned oldies with Craig Terry, and joyfully explored the French repertoire in Merola’s Grand Finale as Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) and Frasquita (Carmen) with “outstanding projection” (The Classical Voice, San Francisco) on the stage of the San Francisco Opera.
Benjamin Taylor, baritone
Baritone Benjamin Taylor begins the 23/24 season with a return to Opera Philadelphia for Simon Boccanegra (Paolo). Other season engagements include debuts with Austin Opera for Pagliacci (Silvio), The Princeton Festival for Così fan tutte (Guglielmo), and returns to The Metropolitan Opera for Carmen (Moralès), Detroit Opera for Breaking The Waves (Jan), and Bayerische Staatsoper for La fanciulla del West (Bello). He will also debut with Symphoria and Northwest Florida Symphony in Carmina Burana.
Recent engagements include his debut at The Metropolitan Opera in Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Chester) followed by debuts with Michigan Opera Theatre and Spoleto Festival USA in La bohème (Schaunard), Cincinnati Opera for the world premiere of Castor and Patience (West), and North Carolina Opera for Sanctuary Road (William Still). Additionally, He returned to The Metropolitan Opera for The Magic Flute (Papageno) and Dialogues des Carmélites and debuted at Boston Lyric Opera in La bohème (Schaunard) followed by debuts with Bayerische Staatsoper for La fanciulla del West (Bello), OperaDelaware/Opera Baltimore for La traviata (Germont), and Opera Philadelphia for La bohème (Schaunard).
Kaitlyn Tierney, mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-Soprano Kaitlyn Tierney enjoys working on a variety of repertoire. Recent appearances: Minerva in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse with Dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in New York; Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Boheme Opera NJ; Woman 7 in Orth's 10 Days in a Madhouse with Opera Philadelphia; Germaine in Sciver's Girondines with both Wilmington Concert Opera and Mission Opera (Santa Clarita, CA); as well as Miss Shingle in Lutvak's A Gentleman's Guide and The Enchanted Tree in Assad's The Selfish Giant with Opera Saratoga. Additional performance credits include Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Jo in Little Women, Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict, Charlotte in Werther, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Ms. Tierney has also performed with Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Delaware, Spoleto Festival, Asheville Lyric Opera, Sewanee Music Festival, and the Savoy Opera Company.
Tierney has won awards from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Opera Libera. She received the Bachelor of Music degree from New England Conservatory of Music, the Master of Music degree from the University of Delaware, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Temple University.