Making Music Together...Graves and Simonson

Maryland Public Television Members, Contributors, and Friends enjoyed intimate evening of music by Denyce Graves accompanied by Three Mo' Tenors Musical Director Victor Simonson.

OWNINGS MILLS, MD (PRWEB) May 6, 2004 -- Renowned soprano, Denyce Graves was in concert recently at The Gordon Center for Performing Arts, Owings Mills, MD, sponsored by Maryland Public Television. This intimate" concert featured Denyce Graves performing a sensational evening of Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Classical music. She was accompanied by Three Mo Tenors Musical Director Victor Simonson.

Graves has become particularly well-known to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. These signature roles have brought Ms. Graves to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera - Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Washington Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Opera Berlin, Opernhaus Zürich, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, and the Festival Maggio Musicale in Florence.

Under the direction of Director of Music, Nolan Williams, (Editor- African American Negro Hymnal) Simonson, worked briefly worked with Graves at the Resurrection / Easter Morning service for the Metropolitan Baptist Church, during their Largo, Maryland groundbreaking ceremony. The gifted soprano performed several selections for thousands of congregants, including classical, operatic, and Negro Spirituals.

Simonson also serves as the Director of Organ Music at Metropolitan with Williams and Grammy award winning Gospel Artist Richard Smallwood. He is currently touring with Three Mo Tenors, has served as Interim Music Director for the Boys Choir of Harlem, accompanies Angela Brown and Kishna Davis in Opera...From A Sistah Point of View, and was commissioned by the Queens Symphony Orchestras Gospel Choir for his gospel compositions.

Graves gave the benefit recital exclusively for the Members and Contributors of MPT and included a variety of genres, for which Simonson is most gifted. He is known primarily for his versatility in adapting passion to anything from Bach to the Beatles, Mozart to Motown, and Chopin to Copeland. His talent includes composing, musical directing, piano, arranging, and organ in jazz, gospel, classical, and Broadway, and is hailed as the youngest African American Musical Director for a Broadway bound- show.

Music lovers at the concert stated they are looking forward to more musical teamwork by Graves and Simonson in the