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Opera Star Stephanie Blythe Brings 'Sing America' To Fontana

Stephanie Blythe is  an opera mega-star whose performance calendar is booked up to fifteen years in advance. But she takes time for personal projects, including solo song recitals filled with hand-picked favorites. Tonight, she'll perform American songs from the Tin Pan Alley era to the 1950s, and she won't sing alone - the audience will join in.

In an interview with Cara Lieurance and Fontana executive director David Baldwin, Blythe enthuses about the merits of the songs and the songwriters of the first half of the 20th century. She distinguishes between the dance-oriented pop music of today, and the lyric-focused music of the past. Blythe says when she sings, she puts the same amount of love and commitment into interpreting a song like "Sunny Side Of The Street" as she does a role in a Verdi opera.

More information on Stephanie Blythe's concert is at the Fontana website.

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Cara Lieurance is the local host of NPR's All Things Considered on 1021 WMUK and covers local arts & culture on Let's Hear It on 89.9 Classical WMUK weekday mornings at 10 - 11 am.
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