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Opera San Antonio's next concert will feature the acclaimed Isabel Leonard performing at the Tobin Center.
The Tobin's Executive Director E. Loren Meeker said that Isabel Leonard, is what she would "lovingly dub a rock star of operatic status for today's audiences."
Leonard isn’t just a great singer. She’s won the most important award for singers, and not just once.
“She has also won three Grammys. She almost feels like there's nothing she hasn't done,” Meeker said.
“We thought: why not bring her to San Antonio and open some eyes in a new way and get people to really experience an artist who's the top of her game in our art form?” she said.
Currently, Leonard's career is exploding.
“She had an appearance in the Leonard Bernstein biopic movie [Maestro] recently. She's even been seen on Sesame Street, experiencing opera and Muppets.
So she's one of our most well established and most beautiful advocates.”
And that’s a key unit of measure of a performer: whether or not they’re invited to sing with the Muppets. Yes, she was invited, and yes, she sang with them.
“Growing up, for me, that was always the fun thing about Sesame Street, was seeing the diversity [of] artists and people that they could expose you to,” she said.
That performance was, as they most always are, funny. And they leave viewers amused by the humor and impressed by the talent.
On Jan. 28, she’s coming to the Tobin Center for an event called "A Starlit Night." She will be backed by a chamber group from The Orchestra San Antonio. Meeker said tickets run from $39 to $90.
"Whether you love opera or musical theater or just want to experience a voice unlike any other, she'll be doing a concert presentation with a fabulous coordinator and friend of hers, John Arida, on piano," said Meeker.
Meeker added that an event like this one can be a good introduction to those unfamiliar with opera and all it has to offer.
“It's a great way to dip your toes into the world of opera and have a gorgeous, you know, lovely, spectacular evening at the Tobin and experience something new,” Meeker said.
