Celebrated Mezzo-Soprano Denyce Graves to Launch Classical Action’s 2019 Hamlen-Palm Series on Thursday, Jan 31
Hailed by the Washington Post as “almost too good to be true,” acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves will launch the 2019 Hamlen-Palm Series with an exclusive house concert on Thursday, January 31, 2019. The series is produced by and benefits Classical Action, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Reserved seats to Graves’s concert are available at https://classicalaction.org.
Recognized as one of today’s most alluring vocal stars, and particularly beloved by audiences for her signature portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila, Graves has garnered extraordinary acclaim in performances around the world. The New York Times hailed her return to the Metropolitan Opera stage last fall in Marnie as “riveting.” She has performed at the Vienna Staatsoper; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; San Francisco Opera; Opéra National de Paris; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Bayerische Staatsoper; Opernhaus Zürich; Madrid’s Teatro Real; and many more.
Denise Roberts Hurlin, director of Classical Action, said:
“We are thrilled to launch the inaugural Hamlen-Palm Series with the incomparable Denyce Graves. We are endlessly grateful that she is so generously sharing her time and talent with Classical Action. To have this world-class talent share her voice in an intimate, breathtaking space is such a unique opportunity for any opera lover. The audience is in for something truly special.”
The Hamlen-Palm Series will continue in the spring with performances by the Emerson String Quartet on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, and pianist André Watts on Thursday, May 9, 2019. Single tickets for these events will go on sale this Friday, February 1. These intimate house concerts will take place in the stunning TriBeCa loft home of longtime Classical Action supporters Kevin Roon and Simon Yates. The series is curated by David Lai, co-president and founder of Park Avenue Artists. Supporter tickets for the series, which include prime reserved seats to all three house concerts, are also available at http://www.classicalaction.org.
The series was recently renamed from the Michael Palm Series to the Hamlen-Palm Series in honor of Charles Hamlen. Hamlen was the founding director of Classical Action, a visionary and much-loved figure in the world of classical music management as the co-founder of what would become IMG Artists, and artistic adviser to the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Hamlen passed away from leukemia on August 1, 2018. Michael Palm, the original namesake for the Hamlen-Palm Series, was a financial expert and philanthropist who dedicated his life to the arts, gay rights and the fight against HIV/AIDS. He first met Hamlen backstage at Carnegie Hall following a recital by pianist Earl Wild, where Palm learned about Classical Action. Palm was inspired by the classical musicians coming together to make a difference and launched a series of benefit house concerts that ultimately bore his name. Palm died in 1998.
Founded in 1993, Classical Action draws upon the talents, resources and generosity of the classical, opera and jazz communities to raise money for those battling HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses. As a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Classical Action helps fund the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and The Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 1988, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million to help provide access to lifesaving medications, health care, counseling, nutritious meals and emergency financial assistance to hundreds of thousands of men, women and children across the country.
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For more information, please visit Classical Action at http://www.classicalaction.org, https://www.facebook.com/classicalaction and https://twitter.com/ClassicalAction.
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