Afternoon at the opera, in the park

MILFORD, PA — Ethel Trujillo, Julianna Smith and others will perform at this year’s Opera! Pike! Park! concert, taking place at 4 p.m. Sunday, August 25, in Ann Street Park.

The event, which has been held annually since 2019, features artists from the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia. They sing popular arias and songs from Broadway musicals.

Who is performing this year?

Ethel Trujillo is an award-winning soprano from Morelos, Mexico. She graduated from the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia last May and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Puebla, Mexico, with a BM in voice.

Mezzo-soprano Julianna Smith recently completed her Master of Music at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. She will join AVA as a resident artist in the fall.

Tenor Luke Norvell begins his final year at AVA.

Bass Cumhur Görgün from Istanbul, Türkiye, will begin his third year at AVA.

Luke Housner will serve as voice coach and piano accompanist. He has been a member of the AVA’s coaching staff for more than 25 years and has served as Music Director, Lead Teacher and Concert Pianist for numerous concerts and 10 fully staged productions over the past seasons of the Academy of Vocal Arts.

His repertoire included Barber’s “Vanessa”; Debussy’s “Pelleas et Mélisande”; Dvořák’s “Rusalka”; Janácek’s “Kát’a Kabanová”; Massenet’s “Werther”; Strauss’s “Arabella”, “Capriccio” and “Elektra”; and Wagner’s “Das Rheingold”.

The Academy of Vocal Arts was founded in 1934 to train young artists who have the potential to become international opera soloists. Each year, the Metropolitan Opera presents the Beverly Sills Award to an outstanding AVA graduate.

“Opera! Pike! Park! brings people together as a community to enjoy great music in our beautiful city. To have as much talent as we have in years past is truly remarkable for the district,” said Javier Morales, founder and artistic director of Pike Opera.

Jim Pedranti, chairman of the board of directors of Pike Opera, said the event is family-friendly and attendees are asked to bring blankets, snacks and drinks.

Most seating is on the lawn, but there are a limited number of folding chair seats available for a small fee. Reserve your spot or find out more at www.pikeopera.org.