'A Night of Bel Canto' comes to Batavia Feb. 11

Enjoy an evening of arias and duets from renowned Italian operas with "A Night of Bel Canto" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in Fermilab's Ramsey Auditorium, off Pine Street in Batavia.

Bass Andrea Silvestrelli, mezzo soprano Ola Rafalo and pianist Irina Feoktistova will perform your favorite arias and duets from the operas of Donizetti, Mozart, Rossini and Verdi.

Feoktistova also will treat attendees to Liszt piano works. The event is free.

Andrea Silvestrelli has quickly become one of the most sought-after bassi profondi on the international opera scene. Garnering critical acclaim for his debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Rigoletto, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, "There were wild cheers for Andrea Silvestrelli … who brought a terrifying, sepulchral tone to the assassin Sparafucile." He is currently performing as Oroveso in the Lyric production of "Norma."

Ola Rafalo, a Polish-American dramatic mezzo, has been called a "vocal powerhouse" by critics, who describe her voice as "voluptuous, rich and dusky" and "a budding next Fiorenza Cossotto." She has been called "a mezzo with great promise" by Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun.

Pianist Irina Feoktistova graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia and has toured Russia, Europe and the United States. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2008 and was an assistant conductor for the Lyric Opera production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov in its 2011-12 season. She is currently on the faculty at Northwestern University.

For information or to get a free ticket, go to caif.fnal.gov/event/night-bel-canto/.

Ramsey Auditorium is located in Wilson Hall, the central building of Fermilab. Wilson Hall, a high-rise building, is visible from the lab entrance from the west on Kirk Road at Pine Street. Both the West (Pine Street at Kirk Road) and East (Batavia Road at Route 59) entrances are open for this event.

The event is sponsored by the Cultural Association of Italians at Fermilab, a community that serves to preserve and spread the Italian culture within the local American community, and by the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago.