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American opera singer Gregory Kunde, accompanied by soprano Linda Wojciechowski, will perform a series of opera arias as well as well-known pieces of the American musical repertoire at one of the only two recitals he will offer this summer in Spain. Part of the money collected at the show by prestigious Kunde –who is currently performing "Otello" at the Royal Opera House in London– will be donated to the Spanish Association against Cancer.
From Verdi to Sinatra, from the great opera arias to the most celebrated Broadway musical hits. Gregory Kunde, who is presently performing the role of "Otello" at the Royal Opera House in London, has prepared a stimulating musical journey for the recital that will open the 4th Tío Pepe Festival on August 10th at the Villa Victorina Gardens, inside the Bodegas González Byass in Jerez. In one of his only two concerts this summer in Spain, the American tenor will devout the first part of his show to bel canto, with a series of well-known arias by Verdi, Puccini and Leoncavallo; in the second half he will sing popular pieces that were once sung by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand –most of them belonging to some of the most acclaimed Broadway musicals, such as West Side Story or The Phantom of the Opera.
Unanimously regarded as a true successor to tenors such as Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo in the pantheon of bel canto, Kunde has reached a widespread recognition by both public and critic, as proved by the jury of the prestigious "International Opera Award", who granted him the Best Male Interpreter Award in 2016. Recently, the tenor has released "Vinceró!", a new record recorded at the Baluarte Auditorium in Pamplona, accompanied by the Symphonic Orchestra of Navarre under the direction of maestro Ramón Tebar. This new CD has collected some of the greatest opera arias written by composers such as Verdi and Puccini; these pieces, in turn, will be some of the themes interpreted by the Rochester-born singer at the Festival.
With Gregory Kunde’s exclusive show, the 4th Tío Pepe Festival will officially be inaugurated: an event meant to be a multiple sensorial experience, combining culture, wine, gastronomy and tradition in the privileged setting of the Bodegas González Byass in Jerez. Coinciding with the concert, the 4th Tío Pepe Festival will additionally start an important solidarity line that will be continued and reinforced in the following editions. On this occasion, the Festival will donate a part of the benefits from Gregory Kunde’s opera show to the Spanish Association against Cancer, a condition that the American tenor himself suffered –and overcame– more than 20 years ago and which, as it has acknowledged in an interview, "changed my career, my life and the way I see everything."
At age 63, Kunde is one of the greatest voices in the international bell canto scene and a habitual figure in the opera seasons of the best theatres of the world, where he constantly reaps success and ovations. This time, during his performance at the 4th Tío Pepe Festival, he will be accompanied by soprano Linda Wojciechowski and José Ramón Martín’s piano
Moreover, maestro Kunde’s show will not only be a unique opportunity to enjoy a splendid opera repertoire, but also an occasion for the audience to enjoy his solo or duet songs with Linda Wojciechowsk –among them "Tonight", "Make Believe", "If I loved you", "You'll never walk alone", "Tonight Maria" and "Love is here to stay". The musical selection for the inauguration of the 4th Tío Pepe Festival –an event promoted by González Byass and awarded "Best Wine Tourism Experience 2016" with a special mention by Acevin– will also include arias from operas like "Tosca", "I Pagliacci" and "Otello", a libretto that Gregory Kunde currently interprets at London’s Royal Opera House, one of the greatest world opera temples.
Link to the making off of 'Vinceró!'
Tickets for this 4th Tío Pepe Festival concert are available here