MILFORD, PA — Kindred Spirits Arts Programs (KSAP) will present soprano Emily Margevich and tenor Angel Gomez at 7 p.m. on Friday October 6 at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

They will sing operatic arias and art songs, accompanied by pianist José Melendez.

Both singers are students from the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, and performed at the Opera! Pike! Park! event this past summer. Margevich also performed for the event in 2022.  They will be accompanied by AVA pianist José Meléndez.

The program will include highlights from operas by Mozart, Verdi, Cilea, Dvorak and Smetana, and art songs by other composers.

The performers will also visit schools in the Delaware Valley School District and give master classes. 

“We are delighted that opera will now come to Milford more than once a year. As the son of a Latvian Opera tenor, I have a special affinity to this music genre. Bringing these singers to our schools will expose our students to highly skilled talent and may inspire their own futures,” said Yosef Feigelson, a  KSAP founder and the group’s artistic director. 

Emily Margevich, now in her final year at AVA, has been performing on stage since the age of two. Margevich earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from DePaul University, where she performed leading roles such as Gretel in “Hansel und Gretel” and Hanna Glawari in “The Merry Widow.” At AVA, Emily has portrayed Tatyana in “Eugene Onegin,” Violetta in “La Traviata,” Musetta in “La bohème” and Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni.” 

Angel Raii Gomez hails from McAllen, TX, and is a third-year resident artist at AVA. Gomez won first prize in the Meistersinger Competition at AIMS in Graz, Austria.  At AVA, he marked his debut in the roles of Ottavio in “Don Giovanni” and Ernesto in “Don Pasquale.” He will close 2023 with his upcoming debut as Percy in “Anna Bolena,” before embarking on his debut as Conte Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia.” He studied at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley before enrolling at AVA. 

Pianist José Meléndez is a vocal coach, conductor  and collaborative artist. His professional engagements have taken him to Europe, South and Central America, Asia, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and throughout the mainland United States. He is committed to the artistic development of young and emerging singers, and has been associated with numerous young-artist programs, competitions, and training centers. He holds a full-time position at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, where he is Assistant to the Music Director, Orchestra Librarian, and part of the music staff.  José Meléndez holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano 

Performance from the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico and a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying and Coaching from Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

The church is located at 300 Broad St.

Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased in advance through the Kindred Spirits Arts Programs website at https://kindredspiritsarts.org/#content or at Eventbrite.com, and at the door.  

Space is limited.

For an entire year's schedule, visit www.kindredspiritsarts.org/schedule.