Second Annual Richard Tucker Day Good News For Reuben Lovers

"Throughout the day, Junior's restaurant - a Brooklyn institution for more than 60 years - will offer an off-menu special sandwich, "The Richard Tucker Reuben," in a nod to the American tenor's given name, Rubin. The sandwich, a variation on the traditional Reuben, includes both pastrami and corned beef, which were two of Richard Tucker's favorite deli meats. Junior's is located at 386 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn." [Source]

Check out highlights of the festivities and opera stars performing for Richard Tucker Day, after the jump.

Meet the 2012 Richard Tucker Award-Winner, Soprano Ailyn Pérez

(Photo: Paul Mitchell)

"For most New York opera-goers, Ailyn Pérez may not be a name that's instantly recognized, but it should be. The 32-year-old soprano has been cleaning up on the awards front—as of this morning, she's the 2012 recipient of the Richard Tucker Award, named after the late American tenor and given annually to a singer 'at the threshold of a major international career.' And with a resume that has paired her with the likes of Plácido Domingo (La Scala’s Simon Boccanegra), Rolando Villazón (Salzburg’s Romèo et Juliette) and her husband, tenor and 2009 Richard Tucker Award-winner Stephen Costello (the two recently sang La traviata together at Covent Garden, with Pérez performing on two days’ notice), it’s safe to bank on the fact that Gotham will be seeing more of Pérez soon, even with a Met debut planned for an upcoming season. Fresh from her own notification about the award, Pérez, the daughter of factory workers, took some time to give Operavore an exclusive interview on being the first Hispanic singer to win the award in its 34-year history. She also discussed her road to musical joy and moonlighting as a judge on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. No rest for the weary, however: on Thursday, she sings Poulenc’s Gloria with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra." [Source] Read the whole interview by clicking here.

Does Competition and Foundation Prize Money Help Singers?

Angela Meade (l) with 1986 Richard
Tucker Award winner Dolora Zajick
(Photo: Ruth Fremson/NY Times)

Anthony Tommasini wrote in the New York Times: "Since 1975 the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, named for the great American tenor, has fostered the careers of emerging singers." The annual gala concert was held on Sunday (November 7) evening. "The evening’s main business was to honor this year’s Tucker Award winner, the young soprano Angela Meade, who receives a $30,000 prize, the foundation’s largest grant. Ms. Meade recently sang three performances of the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena in the Met’s new production, and she returns to the company in February for Verdi’s seldom-heard Ernani. Her first offering here was a fiery aria from Verdi’s Attila. Her sound was enormous, rich and unforced; her coloratura runs and passagework were dispatched with aplomb and precision. Vocally, Ms. Meade was even better in the Act I finale of Bellini’s Norma, for which she was joined by the mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as Adalgisa and the sturdy tenor Frank Porretta (substituting for Mr. Giordani) as Pollione." But how much fostering does Ms. Meade's career need at this point? According to the Metropolitan Opera, a top-earner makes $16K/performance. Even a newcomer like Meade (who actually was a winner of the National Council Auditions in 2007 and made her debut at the MET in the 2008 production of Ernani) could easily pull in $9K/performance at the low-end estimate. So at this stage of the game, does a singer like Angela Meade need the help of the Richard Tucker Foundation? Looking back at past Tucker Award winners might show that most of these singers were well on their way and didn't need much "fostering." Check out examples, as well as video performances of these past winners at the Richard Tucker Gala, after the jump.