Count Almaviva
Charles Calotta
Up and coming tenor Charles Calotta is an exceptional talent. Noted for his fresh lyric voice, innate musicality, and skilled acting, he continues to build an impressive reputation in repertoire of all periods. His creativity and unusual versatility make him an outstanding presence on any stage.
Mr. Calotta has performed with the Prague Summer Nights and Lyrique International de Belle-Île Festivals, the Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, the Maryland Opera Studio and the Dell’Arte Ensemble in standard roles such as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He is equally at home in contemporary repertoire. Of particular note is his work in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers, Michael Nyman’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Upcoming opera performances include the role of Ferrando in Così fan tutte for Opera North, Almaviva with the Winter Harbor Music Festival in Maine, and the world premiere of Elena Ruehr’s Cosmic Cowboy with White Snake Projects. Concert performances include performances of the Saint-Saëns Requiem and Beethoven’s Mass in C with the Wallingford Symphony, the Glens Falls Symphony, and the Astoria Choir. A native of New York City, Mr. Calotta has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Delene Laubenheim McClure Prize and the Michelson Collaborative Arts Award. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received his M.M. degree from the University of Maryland. |
Joshua Gurwitz
Joshua Gurwitz is a tenor based in Albany, NY.
Mr. Gurwitz was most recently featured in the role of Monsieur Vogelsang in WHMF's production of Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor. In addition, he is a founding member of the Greylock Opera Collective (GOC), a new opera company in North Adams, MA and was featured in the GOC’s inaugural performance, The Weeping Woman (a new opera based on the life of Picasso’s muse, Dora Maar) in the role of Jaime Sabartes-Gual. Other notable roles include Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and Joe Boyd in Damn Yankees. Furthermore, Mr. Gurwitz has been a featured soloist in an eclectic range of concert repertoire from J. S. Bach’s Christ Lag in Todesbanden to Reena Esmail’s pioneering new work, This Love Between Us. In 2018, Mr. Gurwitz was awarded first prize in the Advanced Division of the Joel Dolven Vocal Awards, a competition run by the Mendelssohn Club of Albany, NY. He has also won honors in 2011, 2012, and 2014 at the Art Song Festival held by the Eastern New York chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Mr. Gurwitz will be featured in My Way of Life, a musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession by Michael Dilthey and Brian Leahy Doyle. Mr. Gurwitz is a graduate of the vocal performance programs at the University at Albany, SUNY and the Aaron Copland School of Music, CUNY. |
