(Left) Composer and accompanist: Henry Mollicone. (Right) Classical operatic singer: Maria Spacagna
Concert series plans double feature
By Shari Kaplan
For the second program in its 2001-'02 series, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Concert Association has booked two musical celebrities on the same bill: Maria Spacagna and Henry Mollicone. Their performance takes place Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. in Los Gatos High School's Prentiss-Brown Auditorium.
Spacagna, an experienced opera singer, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music; has won many awards in international musical competitions; and has sung for audiences in Europe, South America, Canada and Japan. During the Nov. 19 concert, she will sing Italian songs by Bellini (1801-1834) and Spanish songs by Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999), concluding with Verdi's Ave Maria from Othello.
After intermission, Spacagna will sing Five Love Songs, a set composed specifically for her voice--and for this concert--by her colleague and childhood friend, Henry Mollicone, who will also serve as her accompanist. She will also sing operatic pieces by Puccini and show tunes by Jerome Kern and Richard Rogers.
A Saratoga resident, Mollicone is a music director, conductor and composer who has written a variety of operas, art songs, musical narratives and classical numbers. Among other positions, he has served as a guest conductor with the San Jose Symphony and as music director of the San Jose Civic Light Opera. San Jose Dance Theatre premiered his original 1992 opera, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.
Next up in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Concert series is award-winning flutist Debra Reuter-Pivetta on Feb. 10, 2002, followed on April 21 by the San Jose Choral Project.
Season tickets are $50 for adults, $45 for senior citizens, $10 for students and $110 for the family plan, which includes two adults and any number of students. Tickets for individual concerts are available at the door for $20 for adults and $5 for students. All concerts take place in the Prentiss Brown Auditorium at Los Gatos High School, 20 High School Court. For tickets or more information, call Ray Strong at 408.377.1106 or Lea Frey at 408.356.5698.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
