Brevard Philharmonic celebrates Cole Porter on Sunday, Feb. 22

The Brevard Philharmonic presents “Anything Goes…The Sounds of Cole Porter” on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. The lineup includes Metropolitan Opera veteran Janet Hopkins and the Hendersonville Chorale.

Press release from Brevard College:

Metropolitan Opera veteran, Janet Hopkins, plus a line-up of three other stellar professional
singers and the Hendersonville Chorale, will join the Brevard Philharmonic on Sunday, February
22nd at 3pm for “Anything Goes…The Sounds of Cole Porter.” This fourth concert in a series of
six will be a popular music departure from the Philharmonic’s classical offerings, and
promises to energize Brevard College’s Porter Center with some of the best and most
memorable music and lyrics from the Great American Songbook.

Cole Porter’s music evokes a bygone era…a time of luxury, penthouse cocktail parties and
dressing for dinner. Porter’s most prolific era was the late 20’s to the early 50’s. His insightful
wit and unforgettable melodies are familiar to us all today, and the Philharmonic audience will
not be disappointed by the afternoon’s wealth of offerings which will include, I Get a Kick out of
You, You’re the Top, Night and Day and many others.

Four talented and accomplished guest artists will join the Philharmonic for this afternoon of
Porter favorites. New York Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano, Janet Hopkins has won
worldwide acclaim for her wide-ranging operatic and concert repertoire. She has thrilled
audiences all over the world with the Metropolitan Opera for 16 years, and has won critical
acclaim for her numerous recordings. Ms Hopkin’s co-stars are a who’s-who of opera elite:
Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Renee Fleming to name a few. She is also a Carnegie
Hall Favorite.

Joining Ms Hopkins on the Philharmonic stage will be tenor, Walter Cuttino. A former
Corbett Scholarship winner at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Mr. Cuttino went on to
perform throughout Europe amassing over one thousand operatic performances, and over 500
concerts, including a concert tour to London and Moscow with the late Leonard Bernstein.

Soprano Tina Milhorn Stallard made her Lincoln Center debut in 2011 as the soprano soloist in
Timothy Powell’s Incarnation Mysteria. As part of the cultural prelude to the 2008 Summer
Olympics, Miss Stallard was a soloist with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. A frequent
recitalist, she has presented programs in Brazil, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and New York,
and was district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Jacob Will, bass baritone, made his New York Philharmonic debut as soloist in the American
premiere of the “Messa per Rossini,” a performance televised live nationwide. He boasts many
international vocal prizes, including from the Queen Elisabeth Competition of Brussels and the
Munich Competition. Mr. Will is a much sought after artist and has appeared with such esteemed
opera companies as the Zurich Opera, the New York City Opera, the Vancouver Opera, the
Bavarian State Opera and the San Francisco Opera.

The Hendersonville Chorale completes this delightful fusion of musical talent. The singing group
is made up of 70 singers whose motto is, Making Music and the Love of Song Accessible to
Everyone. The Chorale is led by Transylvania County’s own, Mary Beth Shumate. Former
Teacher of the Year, but retired since last June, Ms Shumate transformed the Brevard High
School choral program with her inspired direction. With the school’s musicals, which she
directed, as with every performance she led, Ms Shumate expected only the highest level of
commitment and performance from her high school students. She brings the same energy,
quality of performance and infectious showmanship to her new role with the Hendersonville
Chorale.

The Sounds of Cole Porter Concert is sponsored by Addie Blake.

The Brevard Philharmonic is a nonprofit organization comprised of local and regional musicians,
presenting six concerts annually at Brevard College’s Porter Center for the Performing Arts,
under the distinguished baton of Donald Portnoy, its artistic director and conductor. Its mission is
to foster in the community and in our schools an appreciation for classical music and the
performing arts.

Tickets are on sale now for Anything Goes…The Sounds of Cole Porter.
To purchase, visit brevardphilharmonic.org, call (828)884-4221, or stop in to their new
downtown Brevard office at 66 South Broad Street (on the corner of Broad and Jordan)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 11 and 1pm. Season tickets are also
available.