Love and Spring - Wed, April 16th 2025 at 7:30 p.m.​
PROGRAM
Die Walküre Act 1, scene 3 breakdown
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Aria [Stranger]: Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater
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Recitative [Woman & Stranger]: Schläfst du Gäst
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Recitative [Woman]: Der Männer Sippe saß heir im Saal
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Aria [Woman]: Da wusst’ ich”Aria
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[Stranger]: Dich selige Frau hält nun der Freund, dem Waffe und Weib
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Recitative [Woman & Stranger]: Ha, wer ging?
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Aria [Stranger]: Winterstüme wichen dem Wonnemond
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Aria [Woman]: Du bist der Lenz
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Duet [Woman & Stranger]: O süßeste Wonne!
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Aria [Stranger]: Siegmund heiß ich und Siegmund bin ich
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Finale [Woman & Stranger]: Siegmund, den Wälsung Diest du Weib!
Arias, Songs
BIOS
Heldentenor, Steve Grabe
is grateful for the support and recognition of the great State of Utah and his Southern Utah community where he lives and dances salsa with his lovely wife, Sheryl. He holds degrees from Chapman University and the Professional Actors Conservatory. He was mentored by former lead baritone of the Metropolitan Opera, Richard Fredericks. He had the pleasure of performing “Follies” with his idol John Raitt. He has coached with Wagnerian soprano - Linda Watson. Legendary Broadway composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim singled him out for his performance in Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma”. He has performed with film composers John Williams, Michael Giachino, Danny Elfman.
His love of ballroom dance merged with his singing career when “Dancing with the Stars” choreographer, Christian Perry, asked him to sing for a dance routine with “World Tens” champion dancers Alex & Alla Novakov in “Ballroom Blitz” at the historic Alex Theatre. He later replaced an “American Idol” finalist in Louis van Amstel’s “Ballroom with a Twist” featuring Anna Trabunskaya and Jonathan Roberts (years before, at his first ballroom competition, a very nervous Steve inadvertently punched Roberts in the face as he was judging Steve’s Rumba. He still awarded Steve a first place. And yes, Roberts still remembered Steve years later).He has sung leading roles in over 20 operas and masterworks including Verdi’s Aïda and Macbeth, Puccini’s Tosca, La Boheme and Turandot, Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Mascagni’s Cavelleria Rusticana, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He has toured nationally with “Opera alla Carte” and is a frequent guest artist with the Southland Symphony Orchestra. He has been a featured artist with the Orchestra of Southern Utah, San Diego Symphony, Golden State Pops, Marina del Rey Symphony, the Redlands Bowl Music Festival and with the California Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall.Mr. Grabe is a member of the Cedar City Arts Council and happily supports the arts in Southern Utah.
Dramatic Soprano, Monica Schober
made her dramatic soprano debut as Siegrune with the Virginia Opera in Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” As soloist at Disney Concert Hall she performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of Alexander Mickelthwate. She has sung Gertrude in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” with Pacific Repertory Opera and made her European debut singing Robert Pobitschka's “Kyrie gewidmet an die Natur” accompanied by the composer in the Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace. Monica Schober made her dramatic soprano debut as Siegrune with the Virginia Opera in Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” As soloist at Disney Concert Hall she performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of Alexander Mickelthwate.
She has sung Gertrude in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” with Pacific Repertory Opera and made her European debut singing Robert Pobitschka's “Kyrie gewidmet an die Natur” accompanied by the composer in the Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace. She re-opened the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, performing Erich Wolfgang Korngold art songs with the Saint Lawrence Quartet and Stephen Prutsman pianist. She was, together with her brother, pianist Dr. Michael Schober, an early developer of real time multimedia recitals in collaboration with The New School’s Parsons School of Design Motion Studio in New York. The duo’s German Lied recital at NY Steinway Hall was featured on Japan’s NHKTV. Ms Schober specializes in classic song recitals of the Viennese émigré composers who came to Hollywood in the first half of the 20th Century. You can find out more about her recital series, "Songs From the Heart of Vienna,” at monicaschober.com. Ms. Schober’s translations of German art song poetry and opera librettos are informed by a contextual and historical perspective which she brings to her work coaching singers in German and “Vintage Viennese” dialect diction. A vocal support specialist and the founder of VoiceUnbound.com, Monica helps hypermobile and mature vocalists sing and speak freely without the compensatory constrictions that can come from tendons and ligaments that operate outside the normal range of movement.
Concert Pianist, Maria Perez
earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with distinction from the Eastman School of Music and later completed her Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the University of Washington. She has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Claremont Symphony Orchestra, Beach Cities Symphony, and the Hour of Power Orchestra. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with renowned musicians such as violinists Martin Chalifour and Lev Polyakin, film composer John Debney, with performances featured on television and radio. Now residing in Hurricane with her husband, Maria enjoys hiking, backpacking, and dancing to Latin music.