THIS SEASON'S SOIREES!
March 2022 - Ann Marie McPhail, Soprano
April 2022 - Tiffany Uzoije, Soprano
May 2022 - LeSean Lewis, Baritone
June 2022 - Your Feets too Big CABARET
July 2022 - Andy Hudson, Clarinet
August 2022 - Victoria Hill, Soprano
September 2022 - no show
October 2022 - Duo Catanza
November 2022 - Zachary Brown, Tenor
TIFFANY UZOIJE
April 17, 2022 (Easter), 3:30
Mimosa Hall and Gardens
Soprano Tiffany Uzoije has gained attention as a “tonally and technically impressive performer”. She has been praised for her “authentic and rich tone” as well as her “engaging stage presence”.
Ms. Uzoije studied at Belmont University under the training of soprano Jocelyn Fisher. During her time at Belmont, she performed with Nashville Opera and was featured in a recording of Porgy and Bess as the Strawberry Woman with the Nashville Symphony conducted by John Mauceri for the Decca label. Ms. Uzoije studied opera and vocal performance at The Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Currently Ms. Uzoije lives in Atlanta, Georgia and regularly appears in productions at Atlanta Opera. She has been featured in roles such as Mrs. Charlton in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Handmaiden in Turandot and most recently, Annie in Porgy and Bess. Ms. Uzoije has performed two solo concerts with the Rome Symphony Orchestra in Rome, Georgia. She is featured regularly in recitals and other performances in Georgia.
LeSean Lewis
May 15, 2022
Mimosa Hall and Gardens
3:30
LeSean Lewis started training at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN at the age of eight. He continued his training at Overton High School of the performing arts. It was there he received his first national accolade and was chosen to participate with the very first Grammy in the Schools Jazz choir. This sixteen member choir performed at the Grammys held in New York City in 1994 with the likes of such noted artist Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, Sting and many others.
LeSean continued his vocal training at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. He sang with the renowned Morehouse College Glee Club and served as Student Director, baritone of the quartet and featured soloist during his tenure. He was afforded the right to tour all over the US, Russia and Africa. He also performed in the 1996 Olympic Opening and Closing ceremonies with Leontyne Price, Gloria Estefan and Gladys Knight. At Morehouse, he competed for and won many competitions. The most memorable was the Leontyne Price Vocal competition which awarded him the opportunity to sing a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in 1998 accompanied by Joseph Joubert. LeSean was the youngest African-American male to sing a solo recital at Carnegie Hall at that time. LeSean was also featured on Atlanta’s channel news 5 as one of the upcoming artist in Atlanta hosted by Raven Simone.
Although LeSean took a sabbatical from performing, his career still blossoms with sporadic highlights such as singing with the Moses Hogan singers, touring Europe in the opera Porgy and Bess with the Atlanta Opera chorus, and featured soloist around the United States of America. He recently moved to Las Vegas NV where he teamed his talents up with Broadway in the Hood as Assistant Music Director and Vocal Coach.
MK Penley & André Ellerby
June 11, 2022
Mimosa Hall and Gardens
7:30
AN
EXHILARATING
POIGNANT
&
HILARIOUS
THEATRICAL
EVENING
OF
SONG
Andy Hudson
July 17, 2022
Mimosa Hall and Gardens
3:30
Performances by Andy Hudson have been hailed as “a treat for the listener” (IAWM Journal) and have been praised for “an uncommon singularity of purpose, technical virtuosity, youthful vigor and a mature sensitivity” (The Clarinet). An “inspiring” (Musical Merchandise Review) and “fearless” (Cacophony) performer, he has appeared in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, at Chicago’s Symphony Center, and as a concerto soloist at The Midwest Clinic. Andy has also performed at gatherings of the College Music Society and the International Clarinet Association across the United States, Canada, and Europe and at the World Congress of the International Alliance for Women in Music. Andy has been a top prizewinner at the MTNA National Senior Woodwind Competition and has received other prizes in the National Collegiate Solo Competition of the “Pershing’s Own” US Army Band, the Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition, the Luminarts Foundation Fellowship Competition, the American Prize, and the Ariel Artists 'Impact Performance' Competition. Andy has recently performed as guest principal clarinet of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the North Carolina Opera, and he frequently joins the clarinet section of the North Carolina Symphony. He was appointed Bass Clarinet/III Clarinetist of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in 2020. Other festival appearances include the Lucerne, Bang on a Can, Hot Air, Sewanee, Hot Springs, and Great Lakes Chamber Music festivals.
Andy is currently Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and each summer joins the Artist-Faculty of the Tennessee Valley Music Festival. Previously, he held teaching positions at Northwestern University and Lake Forest College, and he has been the North Carolina State Chair for the International Clarinet Association since 2019. Andy earned his DMA in Clarinet Performance with a Cognate Certification in Music Theory from Northwestern University, where he also earned his Master of Music degree. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music. His primary teachers have included Steve Cohen, J. Lawrie Bloom, and Lisa Oberlander. Andy is an Artist-Clinician for Buffet Crampon and an Ambassador for Rovner Products. He performs exclusively on Buffet clarinets and Rovner ligatures.
When he’s not practicing, Andy enjoys running, reading, playing guitar, eating local food, watching baseball, and collecting obscure instruments. Let's connect on Twitter and Instagram: @TheAndyHudson
Victoria Hill
August 21, 2022
Mimosa Hall and Gardens
3:30
Victoria Hill is a senior at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she studies under the internationally famous opera star, Nicole Cabell.
Victoria's most recent roles include Susannah in Susannah by Carlisle Floyd, Fiona in Brigadoon, and Despina in Cosí fan tutte, along with concerts with orchestra. Victoria is a winner of the prestigious George Shirley Vocal Competition, a winner of the Schmidt Vocal Competition and placed 2nd in the nation in musical theater in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition.
She has studied dance for over 10 years with a focus in ballet. At the 2020 Miss America Competition, Victoria was a double preliminary winner and placed First Runner-Up to Miss America on NBC as Miss Georgia.
Victoria is an advocate for children experiencing foster care and has partnered with several foster care organizations across the state of Georgia and New York. She is a dual member of the Greater Cherokee and Rochester Kiwanis Clubs where she furthers her work serving children in need. She is honored to be back in GA this evening.
Duo Catanza
October 16, 2022
Mimosa Hall and Gardens
3:30
What is Catanza? When creating the name for their guitar duo, Scott and Matthias decided to use something that would be reflective of their heritage. Scott’s great grandfather immigrated to the United States from Catanzaro, Italy, which is known as the City of the Two Seas. In thinking of ways to use Catanzaro within the name of the duo, the decision was made to shorten the name to Catanza. In addition to creating a word unique to the duo, the name also highlights the word, tanz, which is German for dance. As Matthias has German heritage, amongst others, this seemed to be a perfect choice. Thus, Duo Catanza was created.
Scott Plato received his Bachelor’s degree in classical guitar performance from Georgia State University under the instruction of John Sutherland, a protegé of Andres Segovia. Scott then completed a Master of Music degree from Adams State University in Alamosa Colorado. In 1995 Scott founded the guitar department at Gainesville College in Gainesville Georgia and was the Head of Guitar Studies there until 2000.
His book on guitar improvisation, Creating Guitar Solos, is sold worldwide. Previous collaborations have included performances with members of the Atlanta Symphony and the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. Scott currently maintains a busy schedule as a performer and teacher in the Atlanta area and is Head of Guitar Studies at Gordon State College.
In 2017 Scott released a solo CD “Sacred Music on Solo Guitar”. For sound samples visit https://scottplato.hearnow.com.
He also performs in the Atlanta Guitar Trio. You can purchase his musical arrangements at Sheet Music Plus.
Matthias Young is the Director of Worship at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. His skills as both a classical and rock guitarist have allowed him to build a strong music program incorporating elements of both traditional and contemporary music in worship. In addition to guitar he is an accomplished tenor, and directs both the chancel choir and praise band.
In 2012, he published his first book, Metal Guitar Method, which has sold thousands, and continues to be one of the top sellers on Amazon. His online guitar lessons have helped countless students as they have garnered over a million views to date. He has also been published in the Guitar Foundation of America’s quarterly journal, Soundboard, and is a contributing author to Guitar World and Guitar Player.
In 2015, he released his first album in the hard rock/metal genre, titled, Uncharted Lands, which is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and many other digital platforms. An avid composer, he is a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers).
Also a student of John Sutherland, Matthias studied at Berry College, Georgia State University, and Boston University. He currently teaches guitar at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, GA.