Last weekend I took a much needed break from rehearsals for The Atlanta Opera’s La Cenerentola (by the way, Emily Fons as Angelina is BAE!!!) to spend some time at the quaint and convenient Highpoint Episcopal Community Church, located in the woods of Brookhaven off of Roswell Road. Capitol City Opera Company, who uses the Brookhaven space as a base of operations for their Capitol City in Concert series and their yearly On the Light Side silent auction and performance.
That Saturday they turned it into a pre-Halloween dress of princesses, pirates, children, and singing. The education fundraiser, driven by new education coordinator Elexa Bancroft mixed the concept of CCOC’s On the Light Side with her own spin— providing a silent auction, a delicious catered dinner, face painting, cosplayers and professional princesses and pirates for photo opportunities, and an evening of recognizable songs from favored children’s movies.
The short performance portion of the evening provided the perfect length for the child audience, who came dressed in costumes of their own. Any longer and the night may have spiraled into a mild disaster of toddler tantrums.
Luckily, the engaging performers managed to enrapture the audience.
Collaborating with Capitol City Opera Company’s music director and top collaborative pianist, Catherine Giel, the pieces were well rehearsed, well choreographed, and brought a strong narrative arch to the pastiche of songs and styles.
Four local Atlanta singers performed in the event, each performing solos, ensembles, and the sing-along while taking pictures with the audience after the performance. Three of the singers started with an arrangement of fan favorite and, in all honesty, one of my childhood favorites: Hakuna Matata, made famous by The Lion King, moved through to selections from Frozen, The Little Mermaid, Pirates of Penzance, and more.
Dylan Cronan, a bass-baritone holding a degree from Reinhardt University took the stage in Hakuna Matata, A Whole New World, and The Pirate King, lending a resonant and stable bass-baritone, even in registration, and exciting to hear. His interpretation of The Pirate King provided a glimpse as to what to expect from his operatic career, while his Aladdin was romantic, bright, and enticing.
In her duet with Mr. Cronan, soprano Mala Bhattacharya portrayed Jasmine with a round, even belt and sparkle in her tone. Her solo piece, the title number from Beauty & the Beast, introduced her stunning legato and warm chest tones.
As the title characters in both The Little Mermaid and Moana, Nigerian-American soprano Ibukun Babalola’s impressive mix and belt voice were technically sound and dramatically appropriate, while her steely, light soprano and shimmering top were featured in a descant during the Hakuna Matata trio. According to one audience member, a tough-to-please youth in a Moana costume, Ms. Babalola’s Part of Your World was her favorite part.
Rounding out the cast was tenor Matt Brooker, who provided a charismatic energy and such a strong sense of comic timing that I couldn’t help but smile. His solo from Frozen, sung in the movie by a rambunctious snowman, was simply endearing, with a commercially beautiful voice.
The quintet of artists closed their performance with a beautiful rendition of Pinocchio’s When You Wish Upon a Star and a slice of cake, promptly solidifying the evening as a success.