Edition No. 109
Arts and Culture
The War Memorial partners with Detroit Opera to present a recital series featuring members of its Resident Artist Program.
Community and Family
History lovers celebrate! A new center opens in Grosse Pointe Farms.
New three-concert recital series featuring Detroit Opera’s Resident Artists
The Alger Center at The War Memorial has partnered with Detroit Opera to present a recital series featuring the members of their Resident Artist Program—emerging professional artists who in addition to performing onstage at the Detroit Opera House also perform at nonprofit organizations, businesses, and institutions throughout metro Detroit. For the inaugural War Memorial concert with the Detroit Opera’s Resident Artists on January 19, we are thrilled to offer a program of operatic excerpts and song to celebrate the start of a new year! Sopranos Elizabeth Polese and Melanie Spector, mezzo-soprano Gabrielle Barkidjija, tenor Leo Williams, and baritone Ben Reisinger will delight you with some of the most beautiful melodies by Bizet, Donizetti, Mozart, Poulenc, Rossini, and Strauss, among others. The collaborative pianist for the concert will be Nathalie Doucet, Detroit Opera’s Head of Music and Director of the Resident Artist Program. The Resident Artists return to The War Memorial this season for concerts on February 10 and April 20.
CONCERT DETAILS
Detroit Opera Resident Artists:
Elizabeth Polese, soprano
Melanie Spector, soprano
Gabrielle Barkidjija, mezzo-soprano
Leo Williams, tenor
Ben Reisinger, baritone
Nathalie Doucet, piano
Tickets are still on sale for the January 19 concert. VIP tickets ($35) include an afterglow with the artists and premium seating for the concert. General admission is $20, and tickets for undergraduate students (with ID) are $15.
The Resident Artists perform two more concerts this season at The War Memorial, on February 10 and April 20.
About Detroit Opera’s Resident Artists
Sopranos Melanie Spector and Elizabeth Polese; mezzo-soprano Gabrielle Barkidjija; tenor Leo Williams, and baritone Ben Reisinger are the inaugural participants in Detroit Opera’s 2022–23 Resident Artist Program. In the company’s newly reworked residency model, spearheaded by Associate Artistic Director Christine Goerke and Head of Music Nathalie Doucet, all five Resident Artists commit to an intensive program of voice, movement, and language while living in Detroit from September 2022 through June 2023. The program builds on the strong foundations of the Studio Artist program founded in 2015 by Dr. David DiChiera while embodying the company’s forward-looking leadership. In addition to their hands-on training, Resident Artists have opportunities to perform with Detroit Opera in mainstage productions. In keeping with Detroit Opera's longstanding focus on making opera accessible to the surrounding community, Resident Artists are forging direct ties to Detroit through recitals, concerts, and other collaborations with local nonprofit organizations, businesses, and institutions. For more information about this year’s Resident Artists, visit detroitopera.org/detroit-opera-resident-artists.
Grand opening planned for Grosse Pointe Historical Society
Over the years, an historical Grosse Pointe Farms home has been utilized in several capacities. It will soon resume as a museum.
Jan. 20, a grand opening and anniversary celebration is planned for the Grosse Pointe Historical Society. 2023 marks 200 years from when the Provencal Weir House was built. The evening includes birthday cake, coffee, wine, and refreshments as the official grand opening, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Most recently, the home was the headquarters of the Grosse Pointe Historical Society. The society has built a History Center right across the street from the home. The center is located at 375 Kercheval Ave.
After visiting the center, folks can go across the street and tour the Provençal Weir House and participate in an interactive exhibit.
For more information, click on the button below.
Inspired Thoughts is a collection of highly curated content that embraces the spirit and purpose of The War Memorial: arts and culture, community enrichment, leadership, and patriotism.
Derived from the notion that learning from others is the key to success, Inspired Thoughts is meant to shine a light on those making a difference in the world around them. This collection features artists, poets, writers, architects, and every thought leader in-between. Inspired Thoughts is the strongest reflection of what The War Memorial stands for, and what we aim to be.
The content featured on Inspired Thoughts is curated by War Memorial leadership — we also look forward to featuring special guest curators in the near future. If you are interested in providing content for Inspired Thoughts, please email our Communications team at dmurphy@warmemorial.org.