Tenor Alek Shrader to Make Kansas City Recital Debut

Alek Shrader singing at the MET in 2007

"Rising-star tenor Alek Shrader will sing a free Harriman-Jewell Series Discovery Concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, at the Folly Theater (300 W. 12th St.), in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Shrader and pianist Allen Perriello will make their Kansas City recital debut with a program of arias and songs by Bellini, Fauré, Liszt, Mozart, Nevin, Rossini, Stravinsky, Thomson, and Turina. The young American tenor, featured in the Metropolitan Opera’s documentary The Audition, has critics in a dither. 'Everything about this artist is natural and effortless, so different from just about everybody else,' reported San Francisco Classical Voice. The New York Times’ Anthony Tommasini wrote 'High C is Mr. Shrader’s money note, and the audience went wild after his full-voiced final one.' The Cleveland native is the
recipient of a Sarah Tucker grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation and a winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. A former Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera, Shrader made a spectacular mainstage debut in the 2008–2009 season, replacing an indisposed Ramon Vargas as Nemorino in two performances of L’Elisir d’Amore. Shrader began the 2011–2012 season as Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress with Opera de Lille, followed by Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the Hamburg Opera. In the winter, he returns to the U.S. for Tamino in Lyric Opera Chicago’s production of The Magic Flute, and sings the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring with the Los Angeles Opera. The tenor will appear as Oronte in David Alden’s new production of Handel’s Alcina at the Opera National de Bordeaux and returns to San Francisco Opera for Tamino in The Magic Flute. He closes the season as Gonzalve in Ravel’s L’Heure Espagnole at the Glyndebourne Festival....Those who want free tickets for the Alek Shrader Discovery Concert on Saturday, November 19, can visit www.hjseries.org to print tickets at home or call 816-415-5025 for assistance (limit: four tickets per household). Seating is first come, first served. Dr. and Mrs. Burnell Landers sponsor this performance. The National Endowment for the Arts has partially underwritten the 2011 Discovery Concerts." [Source]