First Annual David W. Smith Gala

First Annual David W. Smith Gala
Saturday, September 26 | 5 pm
Earl and and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall

Join us for the first-ever gala fundraising event for the David W. Smith Scholarship for Vocal Arts. This fund seeks to honor the memory of David W. Smith, an extraordinary singer and a brilliant and dedicated UMBC professor, through its support of young singers pursuing degrees at UMBC. The event will be a concert featuring the amazing bass-baritone, Simon Estes, as well as David’s beloved Camerata and UMBC alumni. A small reception will follow the concert. (Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, originally scheduled to perform, will be unable to appear because of health concerns.)

The first half of the program will feature a collaboration of alumni, faculty and staff who worked with David Smith and will include art song, operatic selections, and spirituals as well as selections sung by the UMBC Camerata under the direction of Dr. Stephen Caracciolo. Dr. Estes, with Maestro Ed Polochick at the piano, will present the second half of the concert.

Since winning the Bronze Medal in Moscow’s Tchiakovsky competition in 1966, Dr. Estes has performed with 84 of the major international opera companies around the globe.  In high demand as a recitalist and orchestral soloist, he has appeared regularly with over 115 orchestras and is most associated with the roles of King Phillip in Don Carlo, Wotan in Wager’s Ring Cycle, Porgy in Porgy and Bess, and title roles in Boris Godunov, The Marriage of Figaro, and MacBeth.

$100 General Ticket ($25 FMV)
$50 Alumni/Student Ticket ($25 FMV)
Online ticket sales (click here) will close at midnight on September 24. (Some tickets might still be available through the music office or at the door. Please contact the Music Office after September 24 at 410-455-2942. For additional information, please contact Lisa Cella at cella@umbc.edu.)

Funds raised will be administered by the UMBC Foundation for the benefit of UMBC Music. Proceeds from the event will benefit the David W. Smith Scholarship for Vocal Arts. Your contribution above the Fair Market Value (FMV) may be tax deductible.