[Coweta Arts Tidbits] Opera Singer Lawrence Harris in Concert at Arts Centre

Coweta   Arts   Tidbits The  Successor  To  Newnan-Coweta  Arts  Council  News  Releases   Composed By:  Forrest W. Schultz  770-583-3258  July 21, 2008   Opera Singer Lawrence Harris In Concert at Arts Centre        All kinds of strange things happen in the arts world.  Take Lawrence Harris, for instance.  This famous baritone opera singer was once a star football player!  At least this is what the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts of Coweta County is telling us!  Well, they ought to know because they have invited Harris to perform at the Centre on August 18 at 7:00 PM.  They have also provided us with the following info on Harris's operatic career:        Baritone Lawrence Harris hailed by The New York Times critic Bernard Holland as a "major voice" is widely praised as "a singer with incredible dramatic intensity and enormous versatility". The 2006-2007 season debuts include High Priest in Samson & Delila with Hawaii Opera, Germont in La Traviata with Can Antonio Opera, Scarpia in Tosca with Opera East Texas, Lebert in David DiChiera premier of Visitors, as well as his Lincoln Center debut as the Burgomaster in Victor Herbert's The Red Mill. Mr. Harris bowed again as Scarpia in Tosca at Philadelphia 's Kimmel Center .        In 2004, Mr. Harris made his debut in the title role of Rigoletto at Philadelphia 's Kimmel Center . The response established Mr. Harris overnight as an important new Verdi baritone. His Rigoletto with Connecticut Grand Opera earned him an Opera Online nomination for 2005 Best Leading Male Performance. Metropolitan Opera tenor Jon Vickers has also praised Mr. Harris as having one of the most beautiful voices in the world. Metropolitan Opera soprano Phillis Curtin has endorsed him as a significant singer of the Verdi repertoire. Lawrence has also appeared in leading roles with Opera North, Philadelphia 's Center City Opera Theater , Connecticut Grand Opera, Bronx Opera, Center of Contemporary Opera , Manhattan Chamber Sinfonia, New York Grand Opera, the Wagner Society of Washington DC, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, One World Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, Tulsa Opera, among others. Mr. Harris is the recipient of awards and grants from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Wagner Society of New York and Dallas, and the Manhattan School of Music.        Last fall, Mr. Harris was a featured artist in an interview with www.OperaOnline.us. Recently, Mr. Harris was featured in an exclusive story in The New York Times. Recent and upcoming engagements include Melchoir in Fort Worth Opera's production of Mentotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, an appearance with the Richard Tucker Foundation featured soloist with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra in selections from Tosca and La Traviata, and the title role in Rigoletto in concert with the Sherman Symphony Orchestra.        Mr. Harris has recently joined the  roster of International Music Talents in Paris .   Additional information is available on this site:  http://www.harrisopera.com.    Info on tickets is available at the Centre by calling 770-254-2787.