Jussi Bjorling Society USA: Conference Musicians

Jussi Bjorling, the Swedish tenor who was ranked post-mortem by critics in 1999 as the greatest singer of the 20th century, left a legacy of vocal excellence that has inspired countless Classical musicians to be the very best at their craft. Part of this legacy is the Jussi Bjorling Society of America, and tonight's episode is made possible by them and their musicians. It is a night of operatic excellence!  Rebecca Pedersen, soprano, is a senior at Brigham Young University and took the opera world by storm when she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She made her Lincoln Center debut in October of 2014.  Banner Smith, tenor, has performed leading roles in Mozart's "Don Giovanni", Strauss's "Die Fledermaus," and other prominent productions. His teachers include master teacher Cesar Ulloa and internationally-acclaimed mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick.  Carla Rae Cook, dramatic mezzo-soprano, has been hailed as "one of the world's greatest Wagnerians." She has performed nine different leading roles in Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle at leading opera houses around the world, including the famous Metropolitan Opera. She has degrees from the University of Utah, Boston University, and the Manhattan School of Music, and she is currently head of the Atlantic Music Festival Opera Program.  Jared Oaks is a native of Tacoma Washington, and since 2008 has been the Assistant Music Director of Ballet West in Salt Lake City. He is currently preparing a new anthology of early Swedish operatic arias with the help of a generous fellowship from the American-Scandinavian Foundation.  These musicians, along with an accompanying string quartet, share with us well-known and loved selections, as well as some newer and lesser-known pieces from modern composers.  Quartet: Elizabeth Palmer, violin; Rebecca Fullmer, violin; Kathleen Anderson, viola; Larissa Humphries, cello;  Accompanist: Monica Hymas Rasmussen  Host: Steven Kapp Perry  Repertoire: STRAUSS Cacilie; MASSENET Pleurez mes yeux; BEETHOVEN Adelaide; Five Heb