ADDIO was a sentimental favorite!

First Coast Opera (FCO) closed its season with Addio! A Farewell Concert For Barbara Norris. Barbara and her husband, Anthony Fast, founded FCO eight years ago, but are now preparing to move to Asheville, NC. As a proper send off, FCO is proud to present Addio! This concert will feature Barbara in her final St. Augustine concert, along with many of her favorite singers who have sung with First Coast Opera over her eight years with the company.

"Vilia" from The Merry Widow sung by Barbara Norris & Cast

Barbara Norris has been singing opera and teaching voice since the 1980's. She studied with Ron DeFesi and Bonnie Hamilton in New York and received her degree in Voice Performance at the State University of New York’s conservatory school at Purchase. She also holds a masters' degree in Speech-Language Pathology. In regional companies in the Hudson Valley of New York she appeared in such roles as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann, and Soeur Constance in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites. Barbara has been a featured solo recitalist at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, with the Purchase (NY) Symphony Orchestra, as well as in various parts of the country in oratorio performances.

"Sempre Libera" from La Traviata sung by Hsiao-Ling Wang

In St. Augustine, Barbara has been an important member of the music community since 1998, not only as a performer, but also as artistic director with FCO and as an educator. She has performed lead roles in many of First Coast Opera’s productions, most recently as Josephine in HMS Pinafore. Barbara has also been a regular soloist with the St. Augustine Community Chorus, St. Augustine Singers and other groups and church choirs. Through her voice studio, Barbara has taught and mentored many classical singers known around Northeast Florida, including a number of the singers in Addio!

In commemoration of Addio!, Barbara has entered the recording studio for the first time in her career. A limited-edition CD of many of her songs from Addio! will be available for sale only at the concerts. This CD will be a perfect way to remember Addio! and the beautiful voice of one of St. Augustine’s most beloved performers.

"Dies bildes" from The Magic Flute sung by Cameo Humes

Singers joining Barbara Norris in Addio! include many familiar faces to First Coast Opera audiences, both from productions past and present. These include popular FCO performers like Karen Adair (Madama Butterfly, The Mikado), Regina Torres (Hansel And Gretel, HMS Pinafore), Sean Stork (The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly), Cameo Humes (Cabaret Parisien, Master Class), Hsiao-Ling Wang (Master Class), Jason Blanton (The Impressario, Babes In Toyland), Erin Stillson (The Magic Flute, Babes In Toyland), Adam Mayo (Babes In Toyland, The Pirates Of Penzance), Weyman Hudgins (Amahl & The Night Visitors, Madama Butterfly) and Zach Longstreet (Babes In Toyland). Other singers include Michele Bova, Alicia Day, Grace Elsen, Nana Gelashvili, Jennifer Levoy, the trio Vivace, the always popular Roger Geronimo and The Morse Family Band. Due to the large number of singers, lineups for the two performances will vary somewhat. Accompanying these fine singers will be three pianists of note, Shannon McKay, Kathleen Vande Berg and Zeek Smith.

"Donde lieta" from La Boheme sung by Karen Adair

Addio! will feature many arias from favorite operas, along with a few songs from other genres. Barbara Norris will being singing numerous solos and duets throughout the concert, including songs by Mozart, Puccini, Gershwin and more. Guest performers will sing arias from Verdi’s La Traviata, Puccini’s La Boheme, Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaro and Don Giovanni, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann, Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess and many others. There will also be music from the musical Oklahoma, from the Forties and also a bit of old time mountain music from The Morse Family Band.

"Bess, you is my woman now" from Porgy & Bess sung by Barbara Norris & Sean Stork

A special feature of the Addio! concerts will be a silent art auction. People will be able to bid on paintings, pottery, jewelry, gift certificates and more before each performance and during intermission. After each concert, the results of each auction will be announced and winners will be able to take their items home. As a result, there will be different items up for bid at each performance. With different singers and different auction items each day, some people may want to attend both performances!

Here is a map to the St. John's County Center For The Performing Arts
at St. Augustine High School: