60th Concerto Concert to highlight award-winning tenor, music alums

Anthony León will perform at La Sierra University Church on Sunday, April 22 at 7 p.m. as this year’s recipient of the Marcia Specht-Guy Concerto Prize, followed by a special performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9 in D minor” featuring Stephanie Jones, soprano, Kimberly Sogioka, mezzo-soprano, Tim Gonzales, tenor, and Abdiel González, baritone.

The first half of the concerto concert will showcase León in performances of “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” from “Faust” by Charles Gounod, Friedrich Freiherr von Flotow’s “M’appari tutt’amor,” “Una furtive lagrima” from “L’Elisir d’Amore” by Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino Rossini’s “La Danza.” 

León is a junior vocal performance major at La Sierra University. His work has included stage roles in La Sierra’s productions of “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Magic Flute.” In the summer of 2017, León toured Europe with the La Sierra University Wind Ensemble playing the saxophone and singing. Together, they premiered pieces written specifically for the wind ensemble, including León’s own composition, “Tus Ojos.” León’s other notable accomplishments include winning the 2016 Redlands Bowl Young Artist Competition, the 2016 Marguerite Marsh Vocal Competition, and the 2017 Hal Leonard Vocal Competition. 

The La Sierra University alums joining León in the concerto concert are making their mark on the music world.

Jones graduated with honors from La Sierra University in 2012 and received her master’s degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. She has performed in a number of operas and productions such as “Alcina,” “Le nozze di Figaro,” “Frau Schindler,” “The Sound of Music,” and “Godspell.” In addition to being invited on scholarship to be part of the Intimate Opera Company’s summer vocal workshop in 2011, she has received scholarships and grants from The Riverside Opera Guild, The Raincross Chorale, and Opera Buffs. Jones is currently pursuing a graduate certificate at the University of Southern California. 

Since graduating from La Sierra University in 2003, Sogioka has been drawing attention as an artist on the operatic and concert stage. She has appeared in productions including “Roméo et Juliette,” “Carmen,” “Madama Butterfly,” and “Antinous and Hadrian.”Her work as a concert artist includes performances with The National Chorale, the Greenwich Choral Society, and the Camerata New York. She won the Rochester Oratorio Society Classical Idol Competition in 2014, placed second in the New Jersey State Opera Alfredo Silipigni Vocal Competition, and made her off-Broadway debut in the New York Musical Theatre Festival as the Evangelist Narrator in Gerald Fried’s “Omnia ad Dei Gloriam (or Les the Least Straightens the Lord).” 

Gonzales, a La Sierra University alum of 2009, has been praised for his voice and engaging presence on the stage. He recently appeared as a tenor soloist in Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” which was performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In 2014, Gonzales joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the production of “I Pagliacci” by Ruggero Leoncavallo and again for the world premiere of Louis Andriessen’s “Theater of the World.” He has been the featured soloist in performances of works such as Joseph Haydn’s “Creation” and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem.” Gonzales won first place in both the San Bernardino/Riverside District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Redlands Bowl Young Artists Competition.

González, a Puerto Rican baritone, has appeared as a concert soloist under the batons of renowned conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Grant Gershon. He has performed over 30 roles on the operatic stage, and has appeared in four television shows and sung in over 20 films, including Disney’s “Coco,” “Frozen,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Most recently, he was a soloist in a performance of Beethoven’s 9thSymphony with The Boca Del Rio Orchestra in Veracruz, Mexico for the inaugural concert of a new, state-of-the-art performing arts center with the president of Mexico in attendance. González graduated from La Sierra University with the class of 2008.

León is the 12th recipient of the Marcia Specht-Guy award. In 1951, Marcia Specht was the first La Sierra student invited to perform as a soloist with the La Sierra College Orchestra. After her death in 2006, her family and friends established the Marcia Specht-Guy Concerto Prize to honor her memory and encourage the student performance of classical music. Each year, the prize is awarded to the winner of the music department’s annual concerto competition. 

Tickets for the 60th Annual Concerto Concert are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors ages 55 and over, and $5 for students. Discounted ticket rates are available at www.music-events.lasierra.edu/2018-concerto/. For further information email music@lasierra.eduor call 951-785-2036. La Sierra University Church is located at 4937 Sierra Vista Avenue, Riverside.