CLARION, Pa. — Two Clarion County natives and international vocalists will present a special benefit concert on December 4 at Hart Chapel at Clarion University.. Vocalists Emily Righter and Dimitrie Lazich will perform at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 4.
With proceeds going to the Clarion County NSDAR (National Society of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution) Tree Project, Righter and Lazich will be singing an eclectic mix of art songs, opera, and operetta selections as well as beloved pieces from the American musical theatre repertoire.
Both young artists are graduates of Clarion High School and Carnegie Mellon University. Moreover, Righter holds a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from Yale University while Lazich holds a Master’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
An accomplished mezzo-soprano, Righter made her professional debut at Glimmerglass Opera singing Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Other professional debuts have included the Santa Fe Opera, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Opera Theater, Vero Beach Opera, and Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society.
For the 2011-12 season at the Salzburger Landestheater in Austria, she premiered the role of Sophia for the German version of The Sound of Music, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Clomiri in Imeneo, Flora in La Traviata, and Margaret in Wozzeck. For the 2013-14 season at the Salzburger Landestheater, Righter was seen as Jacqueline in La Cage aux Folles, Dardane in Pilgrims from Mecca, Olga in Eugene Onegin, and Annio in La Clemenza di Tito.
In 2013, Righter made her New York City Opera debut singing Amenofi in Mose in Egitto. During the same time, Righter was also seen as Alessandro in Eliogabalo with the Gotham Chamber Opera in New York City.
At the Tyrolean Festspielhaus, Righter charmed audiences while singing Flora in La Traviata, Ines in Il Trovatore, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and was also the soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Miss Jessel was a favorite role in The Turn of the Screw at the Spoleto Festival in Spoleto, Italy.
A dashing baritone, Lazich made his professional European debut with the Staatsoper Stuttgart in their production of Doctor Faustus. He performed with the De Nederlandse Reisopera in La Traviata as well. 
In the UK, he sang the role of Zurga for the Dorset Opera’s production of Les Pecheurs De Perles and the role of Escamillo for the Longborough Festival Opera’s production of Carmen.
In the US, he has sung numerous operatic roles including: Louis in Bolcolm’s A View from the Bridge, Marco in Gianni Schicchi, Marullo in Rigoletto, Wagner in Faust, Lakai in Ariadne Auf Naxos, Erster Soldat in Salome, Thomas Putnam in The Crucible, Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly, and Morales in Carmen. These roles have been for the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Cleveland Opera and the Sarasota Opera.
For the concert stage, he has been the featured soloist for the following works: Faure’s Requiem, Durufle’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion. Most recently, he sang Bruckner’s Te Deum in Pittsburgh and in Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, MD for Robert Page’s farewell concerts.
Righter and Lazich will be accompanied on the piano by Robert Frankenberry. Frankenberry enjoys a multi-faceted career as a tenor, pianist, conductor, actor, orchestrator, and educator. Currently, he holds the position of Music Director for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and is a member of the Voice Faculty at Point Park University.
His roles on stage range from the title roles in Faust, The Tales of Hofmann, and Willy Wonka, to Evangelist (St. Matthew Passion), John Adams (1776) and Mozart (Amadeus.) He has created new orchestrations of complete operas by Gluck (Orfeo), Montemezzi (L’Incantesimo), and a folk-based adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh (OT SummerFest); as well as chamber orchestrations of works by Mahler, Stravinsky, Ravel, Satie, and Busoni. Robert is a member of such ensembles as Pittsburgh’s Music on the Edge ensemble, IonSound, and AnimeBOP; New York’s Phoenix Players; Chrysalis Transformative Duo; and entelechron.
The concert is sponsored by the Department of Visual and Performing Arts of Clarion University. Its proceeds will benefit the Clarion County NSDAR Tree Project. The NSDAR is a non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1890 with over 170,000 members worldwide and 3,000 chapters in the 50 states. Their mission is promoting education, historic preservation, and patriotism.
Lydia Crooks, one of Righter’s early voice and piano teachers, encourages the community to come out and see two of our own shine in this concert.
“You will be inspired, encouraged, and uplifted. Emily and Dimitrie have used their gifts and talents to brighten the world with music. And a concert featuring both of them is a rare and precious opportunity for all of us to witness and enjoy,” says Lydia.
Concert tickets are $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and can be purchased at FL Crooks & Co. located at 539 Main Street in Clarion. Call 814-226-8020 or e-mail sales@flcrooks.com for more information and ticket reservations.
