The Music of Romance

Staged by The Classical Music Development Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago, the concerts will feature Polish concert pianist, Dominika Glapiak and Chilean tenor, Diego Godoy-Guti?rrez, along with Trinidad’s acclaimed dramatic coloratura soprano, Natalia Dopwell.

A graduate of the Gda?sk Music Academy with First Class Honours, Glapiak was selected for an artistic internship in the “International Anton Rubinstein Music Academie” in Dusseldorf (Germany). Winner of many competitions in Poland, she received the prestigious award of “Laureate of the Youth Stage” during the 43rd Polish piano festival in S’upsk (Poland) in 2009 and in June 2013, won in both the Solo Piano and Chamber Music Category with violinist Sara Kupc at the 11th International Music Competition in Italy. She journeys to Trinidad and Tobago following a performance in Lima for the Polish-Peruvian Society. Glapiak has also been the special guest performer at music festivals in Switzerland, France, Russia and Poland.

Godoy-Guti?rrez is a soloist of the Opera Nacional Juvenil de Chile and, at the age of 22, is one of the youngest members of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago. His leading roles include Tonio (La Fille de Regiment), Benvolio (Romeo and Juliet) and Count Almaviva (Barber of Seville) for which he was praised for his youthful approach, crisp diction and gorgeous singing of the difficult bel canto arias.

Natalia Dopwell is well loved by local audiences, who have watched her grow from her memorable 2004 performance of Offenbach’s “Doll Song” at the Trinidad Music Festival for which she was awarded the May Johnstone Trophy for Most Outstanding Performer and remains the youngest winner of this award. She has since graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and just last year represented Trinidad at the 2012 Competition and Festival of Lyrical Singing held annually in Trujillo, Peru and was awarded second prize.

Dopwell is currently Creative Director of the CMDFTT, where she has produced and sung leading roles in their Young Artist Collective productions of L’enfant et les Sortileges (Fire, Princess & Nightingale), The Impresario (Madame Hertz), Dido & Aeneas (Dido) and The Magic Flute (Queen of the Night). Her past roles have included Micaela (Carmen with the Marionettes Chorale), Eurilla (Il Pastor Fido with Manhattan School of Music) and Rita (Rita with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance NYC).

The Music of Romance will feature dynamic operatic arias, melodious Spanish zarzuela, heart rending vocal duets and exciting musical theatre songs performed by Diego Godoy-Guti?rrez and Natalia Dopwell, along with entrancing Romantic piano suites and colourful accompaniment of Dominika Glapiak.

According to Maria Hazell, who attended a rehearsal for the upcoming concert, “The programme they are preparing is as exciting as it is different to the usual local event. Spanish zarzuela like the popular ‘No puede ser’ and the virtuosic ‘Canci?n del Ruise?or’ that would prove too much of a challenge for most singers, but flew effortlessly out of Natalia. Diego will melt your heart with his rendition of Donizetti’s ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ and Dominika will be performing piano favorites such as Chopin’s ‘Mazurka Op14’ which he wrote as a nostalgic tribute to his homeland Poland. Nothing, however compares to the beauty of their duets, as their voices are wonderfully matched.”