Bringing Lanza back to Lansing

Bellini Opera Theater honors the late tenor

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A crossover artist extraordinaire, MarioLanza was known in the 1940s and 1950s for starring in Hollywood films(“The Great Caruso,” “The Toast of New Orleans”) and performing bothoperatic arias and popular radio songs (“Be My Love,” “Because You’reMine,” etc.). An award for outstanding achievement in the field ofmusic bears his name, and even Elvis Presley called him an inspiration.

Lanza skyrocketed to fame and died of aheart attack at 38 in 1959, renowned as the most famous tenor in theworld. He signed his first contract with MGM after having sung only twoopera performances. This month marks the 52nd anniversary of Lanzasdeath.

“He could do everything well: That’s themagic of Lanza,” says Dino Valle, artistic director of the BelliniOpera Theater of Michigan, which pays tribute to Lanza this weekend.Valle became a Lanza scholar after receiving the aforementioned award.

Bellini Opera Theater was co-founded byVae and fellow opera enthusiast Rosolino Lo Duca to promote opera inMichigan and to provide a multi-cultural exchange between the UnitedStates and Europe, as well as providing young people with an affordableexposure to opera.

“Young people today are swayed by music all around, but rarely opera,” Valle says.

This weekend’s tribute features severalof Lanza’s hits, such as “Grenada,” but also some of his lesswell-known songs. Valle says in selecting the scenes to use in thetribute, Bellini Opera Theater tried to be as general as possible.“Lanza did everything well, from croooning to opera to the canto. Wehope to reawaken the Lanza phenomenon.”

Four singers — Valle, Eva Evola,Kimberly Swan, Shawn McDonald — will performat as the Bel CantoQuartet, alongside pianist Jacqueline Csurgai-Schmitt. 

Valle says that opera is an art formthat young people today aren’t getting much exposure to, but hebelieves they can appreciate if given the chance. 

“When you talk about opera you talkabout history," Valle says. “It is the most complete artform: You havesymphony, singing, ballet, story.

“Without young people, the artform candiminish. It’s opera; it’s not going away, but we want it to be aspopular as football or baseball.”

An Operatic Tribute to Mario Lanza

Bellini Opera Theater

3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16

Dart Auditorium

Lansing Community College, Lansing

$20 

(517) 974-1706

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