February 3, 2017

SVSU Rhea Miller Concert series to feature acclaimed musicians

Saginaw Valley State University will showcase internationally-acclaimed baritone John Muriello, who will be joined by renowned composer and pianist Richard Pearson Thomas during the next Rhea Miller Concert Series installment Saturday, Feb. 4. 

The performance, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in SVSU's Rhea Miller Recital Hall, is free and open to the public.

Muriello's career includes performances in opera, musical theatre and concert. He has performed at contemporary music festivals globally including the Union of Composers Autumn Festival in Moscow and has appeared at venues such as the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada.

The baritone has worked with the Skylight Opera Theatre, Opera Carolina, Lyric Opera Cleveland, L’Opera Français de New York, Ohio Light Opera, Seaside Music Theatre, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, and La Gran Scena Opera di New York.

Thomas is a recipient of an American Composers’ Forum Continental Harmony commission for the Alabama Tri-State Orchestra as well as commissions from the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Empire State Youth Orchestra, and the Riverside Philharmonic Orchestra.

Thomas' compositions have been performed by the Boston Pops, Covent Garden Festival, Houston Grand Opera, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Chautauqua Opera, and the Riverside Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. 

Saturday's program will include selections from composers such as Friedrich Hollaender and Ralph Benatzky, as well as Thomas' original compositions.

The Rhea Miller Concert Series is made possible by a generous gift from Rhea E. Miller, a longtime friend of SVSU. Her gift, administered by the Miller Trust for Music Education, has provided the university with the opportunity to offer outstanding performances by nationally and internationally acclaimed musical artists at no cost to the audience since 1993.

For more information, call (989) 964-4159 or email music@svsu.edu.