Athena Music Foundation Concerts presents dynamic performances to new and diverse audiences. Featuring top performers from leading opera houses and Broadway. Athena has presented concerts at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall, Kosciuszko Foundation House, Japan Society, Opera America, Santa Barbara's historic Lobero Theatre, and has co-produced La traviata with the Berkshire Theatre Group. In addition, Athena has branched out into popular music with specialty concerts featuring the entire collection of James Bond songs, The Music of James Bond, at Swing 46, and Michael Fennelly's electrifying arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for chorus and Jazz Big Band presented in collaboration with the Joroinen Festival, Finland.
DEATH IS THE COOL NIGHT
A profound exploration of the human experience, delving into the shadows of love, loss, betrayal, suffering and acceptance. Featuring music by Donizetti, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms with the poetry of Dante and Heine.
Franco Pomponi is critically acclaimed for the rich, expressive beauty and powerful virility of his voice, with a cultivated musical style, and unmatched dramatic intensity which has brought him to many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and concert halls. Recently, he won the International Art Song contest with his album Death is the Cool Night which will be performed live in his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall on November 29th presented by Athena Music Foundation.
Franco Pomponi's European debut came as Hamlet at the Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona and success followed worldwide. He created a sensation as Pentheus in The Bassarids by Henze at the Chatelet in Paris and has returned to sing the title roles of Nixon in China (broadcast on Mezzo) and Sweeney Todd. He debuted in Geneva as Paolo in Simon Boccanegra and at Opernhaus Zürich in a new production of Les pecheurs de perles as Zurga. In Moscow, the baritone performed title role of Don Giovanni for his debut at The Bolshoi Opera and in Budapest in a new production of The Tempest as Prospero for the Hungarian State Opera. He made his Carnegie Hall debut as the baritone soloist in the Eighth Symphony of Mahler with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Franco Pomponi was member of the elite Lyric Opera of Chicago young artist program and made his Chicago debut as Germont in Verdi’s La traviata. He made his New York debut as Escamillo in Carmen at New York City Opera and the next season he joined the Metropolitan Opera. He sang Ford in Falstaff for the Canadian Opera in Toronto and The Santa Fe Opera. Franco Pomponi received a full fellowship to the Opera Center at The Juilliard School and was the first recipient of the DeRosa Prize, Juilliard’s distinguished award for achievement.
Join us for an electrifying evening at Swing 46 as we celebrate the iconic music of James Bond! Get ready to be shaken, not stirred, as our incredible performers direct from Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera along with the Swingadelic Big Band bring every song from all of the Bond films to life.
From the classic "Goldfinger" to the thrilling "Skyfall," immerse yourself in the world of secret agents and glamorous spies. With its vibrant atmosphere and stylish setting, Swing 46 is the perfect venue to experience the magic of James Bond. Don't miss out on this unforgettable night of music, martinis, and mystery!
The festivities include a three-course dinner, open bar from 6-8pm, and concert. Tickets are $125 per person for general seating and $200 per person for premium seating, plus fees and tax. This event is presented and generously underwritten by Athena Music Foundation. Group tickets available: athenamusicfoundation@gmail.com
Athena Music Foundation presents dynamic performances to diverse audiences in New York City and around the world, and is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization EIN 83-0589917. Ticket prices do not cover the expenses involved in our productions. Your donation would be greatly appreciated and is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
SWING 46 - 349 W 46th St, New York, NY
Athena collaborates with several wonderful organizations in New York City and around the country to present inspiring performances, including Michael Fennelly's electrifying arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for chorus and Jazz Big Band presented in collaboration with the Joroinen Festival, Finland and the International American Ballet at Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC.
The International American Ballet presents You are my Rhapsody in Blue with music courtesy of Athena Music Foundation. Featuring exciting choreography by Analia Farfan and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in a stunning arrangement by Michael Fennelly for chorus, piano and orchestra.
European debut of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue arranged for chorus and jazz Big Band by Michael Fennelly! Also featuring soprano Megan Weston performing some of Gershwin's greatest songs, the Jyväskylä Big Band - Ilkka Makitalo, conductor, and Cantinovum Chamber Choir - Rita Varonen, conductor
Join The Athenians in a thrilling performance of the best of opera and Broadway as you visit the stunning Untermyer Gardens in Westchester! Untermyer Gardens Amphitheater, 945 N. Broadway, Yonkers, NY.
Concert dedicated to the memory of tenor Laurence Broderick
Generously sponsored by Dame Jillian Sackler
ONE NIGHT ONLY - Join in the excitement of the premiere of the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, with stars of Broadway, the Met Opera, the Swingadelic Big Band, and Bond Girl, Lana Wood (Plenty O'Toole in Diamonds are Forever), in a glittering concert featuring the spectacular music of 007 at New York's premiere jazz supper club, Swing 46, located in the heart of Midtown on restaurant row!
In their first appearance since the pandemic restrictions, The Athenians perform LIVE with Ocean City Pops. SUNDAY - OCTOBER 11th, 2020. Tickets $20 - LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK LIVE.
Featuring Cody Austin, Michael Fennelly, Megan Weston, Holly Flack, Samarie Alicea, Gustavo Feulien, Matthew Curran, and Analia Farfan.
The Athenians join Chinese performers in an exciting opera gala program celebrating Chinese New Year at Carnegie's Zankel Hall.
Featuring performers Cody Austin, Megan Weston, Franco Pomponi, Michael Fennelly, Analia Farfan, Matthew Curran, Amy Maude Helfer, Matthew Ciufitelli, Juliana Curcio, and Rachel Querreveld
Soprello, a musical collaboration between soprano Allison Pohl and cellist Alistair MacRae, explore the connections between vibrating strings and the human voice. In the interaction between these instruments, Soprello aims to engage audiences with music new and old, both specific to its instrumentation and inventively repurposed. Building on live and radio performances in New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Washington, and Ontario, Allison and Alistair have worked to create a new repertoire for their combination, spanning over 300 years of musical history. Soprello has given premiere performances of new works by Stephen Gerber, David Dzubay, and Rick Sowash, and will be premiering a new arrangement of the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria by Dr. Michael Fennelly.
Veteran te the Metropolitan Opera, tenor Gregory Lorenz will premiere a new arrangement by Dr. Michael Fennelly for string sextet of Six Songs from A Shropshire Lad by George Butterworth. In addition, Dr. Fennelly conducts the Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra in Arnold Schoenberg's intensely romantic Verklärte Nacht ("Transfigured Night") inspired by the poem by Richard Dehmel. The program includes songs by Duparc and Messiaen's mystical duet "La mort du nombre" with soprano Megan Weston. Gregory Lorenz is known for his vivid interpretations of repertoire from all periods. Recent appearances have focused on concert performances of Mozart’s operas, with the Pacific Symphony, Opera Camerata in Washington, DC, and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
Presented by Athena Music Foundation, world-renowned opera singer and Broadway star Alyson Cambridge performed a special holiday concert, accompanied by pianist Michael Fennelly at Carnegie Hall's gorgeous Weill Recital Hall on November 25, 2018. The evening's primarily classical repertoire included art song, opera, African American spirituals and holiday favorites. With special guests two-time Tony-nominated singer Constantine Maroulis and the Port Jervis Children's Choir.
Athena Music Foundation presents Megan Weston, soprano and Michael Fennelly, piano in The Paris Salon: Age of the Romantic Virtuoso on Friday, September 14, 2018 at the beautiful Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. The duo performs the exhilarating and elegant music of the nineteenth century and offers illuminating insights on the supremacy of opera, the triumph of the international virtuoso, and the reign of the Paris Salon.
The inaugural performance of the Athena Music Foundation Recital and Chamber Music Series featured international soprano Joanna Mongiardo ("a triumph" - Opera News) and eminent pianist Rachelle Jonck in an afternoon of songs by Clara Schumann, Mozart, Rossini, and the New York premiere of Scott Wheeler's song cycle Three Night Songs at the National Opera Center in New York City on September 17, 2017.
Please consider making a donation of any amount to Athena Music Foundation. We are dedicated to our culturally inclusive educational programs and to promoting music with passion and the highest artistic quality. Athena Music Foundation remains committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization EIN 83-0589917. Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Donate with your credit card or bank account via PayPal. Thank you!
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.