Posted on Monday, March 7, 2011
¾¨Ó㴫ý's Celebrity Series will host a master class led by Phantom of the Opera star Franc D'Ambrosio Tuesday, March 22, at 2 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel. Attendance at the class is free and open to the public.
A highlight of the class will be live auditions by six ¾¨Ó㴫ý students for an opportunity to perform with D'Ambrosio in his concert March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Orr Auditorium. The students are:
Freshman music education and music performance major Kathleen Bachtel is a daughter of Michael and Jennifer Bachtel of Massillon, Ohio, and a graduate of Washington High School.
Senior business administration major James Cochran is a son of James and Catherine Cochran of Pulaski and a graduate of Wilmington Area High School.
Freshman music education major Gregory McClelland is a son of Fred and Heidi McClelland of Sandy Lake and a graduate of Lakeview High School.
Senior music education major Deanna Owens is a daughter of Jeff and Mary Owens of Waterford and a graduate of Fort Le Boeuf High School.
Junior music performance major Alexandra Patterson is a daughter of Laurence and Laurette Patterson of Saxonburg and a graduate of Knoch High School.
Sophomore communication studies and music major Hannah Timm is a daughter of Robert and Sheri Timm of St. Marys and a graduate of St. Marys Area High School.
In addition to D'Ambrosio, judges for the competition will be mezzo-contralto Susan Shafer, a ¾¨Ó㴫ý graduate and former artist-in-residence, and Stephen Totter, artist-lecturer in voice at Carnegie Mellon University.
For more than a decade, D'Ambrosio held the title as the "World's Longest-Running Phantom" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award-winning musical The Phantom of the Opera. The competition winners will appear as Raoul and Christine with D'Ambrosio in the role he made famous.
D'Ambrosio starred as Anthony Corleone, the opera-singing son of Al Pacino and Diane Keaton in Francis Ford Coppola's Academy Award-nominated film Godfather III. He sang the film's award-winning theme song "Speak Softly Love" in the movie and on the original soundtrack recording.
He was chosen by Barry Manilow to create the role and star as Tony in the pre-Broadway tour of Manilow's Copacabana, earning D'Ambrosio a National Theatre Award nomination for Best Male Performer in a Musical.
D'Ambrosio tours extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and South America with his critically-acclaimed one-man shows; is a frequent guest artist with major American orchestras and symphonies; and has starred as a musical guest with a number of Olympic ice skating champions for television specials.
Good seats are still available from $25 to $43 per person for the March 23 concert.
Contact Connie McGinnis, assistant director of the Celebrity Series, at (724) 946-7354 (e-mail mcginncl@westminster.edu) to purchase tickets or visit for more information.
