FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Contact: Carmela Altamura
518-622-0070 or 201-863-8724
Altamura Center for the Arts
404 Winter Clove Road
Round Top, NY 12473
t: 518-622-0070 e: icpainc@optonline.net

THE HARRIS FAMILY TO PERFORM AT

ALTAMURA CENTER DINNER THEATER

Round Top, New York. September 18 – On Sunday, October 5 at 4 p.m., the Altamura Center will play host to the famous Harris Family, along with The Good Times Band from Windham, as they perform in the “Change of Foliage” dinner theater program. Happy hour and dancing will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner and performance at 5 p.m.

Audiences know Lawrence Harris as an operatic baritone whose performances have won accolades worldwide. What many might not know is that Harris was a former NFL linebacker for the Houston Oilers. Stranger things have happened, but one has to admit his is a career path more unusual than most. On Sunday, Harris will tap in to his extensive repertoire to sing solo, duo, and in various other combinations with his talented family. On the program will be songs by the Italian composer, Paolo Tosti, which Harris and his wife, the pianist Renee Guerrero, recorded for their recently released CD, Romanze

Joining the couple will be their children, 17-year-old Sydney and 14-year-old Quintin, in selections from “The Sound of Music,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” and a Neapolitan art song by beloved opera composer, Gaetano Donizetti.

When Lawrence Harris embarked upon his dramatic career change, he was summoned to a study program at the Metropolitan Opera. He and Guerrero, who received their early training in Texas, moved to the New York Metropolitan area. Harris has since appeared in over 30 leading roles in opera houses worldwide. The New York Times music critic, Bernard Holland, wrote that

Lawrence Harris is gifted with “a major voice” and that “he established himself overnight as an important Verdi baritone.”

Harris has appeared in many of the world’s most prestigious concert venues such a Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and has performed for heads of state from four continents. A winner of both the First Prize and Audience Award in the Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition, he has appeared on CNN, ESPN, CBC/Radio-Canada, and in other media outlets.

Upon arriving in New York, pianist Renee Guerrero earned her master’s degree and professional studies certificate in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where she was invited to teach in both the college and preparatory divisions. She made her New York debut with the Yamaha Young Artists Showcase and has since performed at Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Merkin Hall and CAMI Hall.

As a collaborative artist, Guerrero has performed with the Bronx Opera, New Rochelle Opera, VoiceExperience with Sherrill Milnes, the Altamura Arts Festival, and the Manhattan School of Music’s ArtReach. She is on the piano faculty at the Westchester Conservatory of Music and, last summer, joined the faculty of the Narnia Festival in Terni, Italy. In addition to accompanying family members, Guerrero will perform the solo version of the much-loved Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin on the October 5 program.

17-year-old singer and actress, Sydney Harris, made her professional debut at 8 as a child chorister in Opera North’s production of Tosca, and has since appeared with professional companies such as the Bronx Opera, Opera Company of Brooklyn, New Rochelle Opera and the New York City Opera Children’s Chorus. She made her solo debut in Pergolesi’s comic opera, La Serva Padrona, and has also appeared in The Wizard of Oz, Annie Get Your Gun, and Yeast Nation.

This past summer Sydney attended the Bel Canto Institute in Florence, Italy. She is the
founder/director of The Salt Club (Society for Artistic & Literary Teens) as well as the Teen

Acting Intensive at HB Studios. In the fall of 2014, she will perform in The Mermaid’s Legs at
The Tank in New York City.

Quintin Harris, 14, made his stage debut as the Lord High Drummer Boy in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Gondoliers with Opera North. He has since appeared in community and professional productions such as Annie Get Your Gun, Oliver, Willy Wonka, and Yeast Nation. As a member of the Hudson River Children’s Chorus, he performed in a live televised concert with Susan Boyle on The Today Show. At age 9, Quintin sang the role of Gherardino in Puccini’s opera, Gianni Schicchi, under the baton of world-famous conductor, Anton Coppola, at the Altamura Festival.

This past summer, Quintin was selected to join the Teen Summer Institute at The Wooster Group, and this fall he will join the Teen Acting Intensive at HB Studios. He will also appear in the upcoming production of The Mermaid’s Legs at The Tank in New York City.

The Good Times Band, a popular Windham-based duo, has appeared for organizations such as the Greene County Council of the Arts, and for countless events throughout New York State. They’ve also performed in conjunction with artists such as Lex Grey and with groups such as Dram, the Irish rock band. They will grace the Altamura Center stage during the cocktail hour.

With plans to close the Altamura Center at summer’s end, co-founder/director Carmela Altamura, said that the response from many area patrons and audience members had been so overwhelming, that she and her husband, co-founder Leonard Altamura, had decided to remain open for the time being. “We have been deeply touched by the response, and we felt it was only fair to our audiences that we continue to offer our programs,” Mrs. Altamura said. “It is a labor of love, and we have wonderful offerings on board for October and November.”

Altamura Center for the Arts
404 Winter Clove Road
Round Top, NY 12473
T: 518-622-0070 or 201-863-8724 Contact Us
Tickets: $35 per person (wine and beer not included)

 

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