Ladies Musical Club: Songs by Puccini, Barber, Slovak composers, & more

• Dora Barnes, soprano
• Luke Raffanti, tenor, piano
• Revere Taylor, baritone (guest artist)
• Eliza Woodyard, soprano (guest artist)

Giacomo Puccini — "Un bel di vedremo" from Madama Butterfly
Richard Strauss — Das Rosenband, Op. 36, No. 1
Richard Strauss — Four Songs Op. 27 (No. 2, "Cecilia")
Kurt Weill — "Lonely House" from Street Scene
Gaetano Donizetti — "Ecco il pegno ch’io le porsi" from Gemma di Vergy
Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský — Sedíme tu smutní
Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský — Keby som bol vtáčkom
Alexander Moyzes — Hej, javorová hužva
Samuel Barber — Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24

LMC sponsors over 50 concerts per season (October–May), featuring our performing members and their guests, at a variety of venues throughout Seattle and the Eastside. These intimate music programs are free and open to the public. No advance tickets are required.

About Ladies Musical Club of Seattle

Formed in 1891, the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to foster classical music amongst our members and in the community through education, performance, and awards. We do this by offering music and education programs to people of all ages and diverse backgrounds in Seattle and across Washington State.

About the Frances Walton Competition: For nearly 40 years, the LMC's Frances Walton Competition has provided a unique opportunity for Classical musicians ages 20 to 35 to audition for an award package including generous cash prizes; a live performance on Classical KING, one of the premier classical music stations in the U.S.; and an outreach and recital tour of locations throughout Washington State.

http://www.lmcseattle.org/

About Dora Barnes, soprano

Dora Barnes was born and raised in Yakima Washington and now resides in Seattle. She is a classically trained vocalist, pianist, and saxophonist, and is currently studying with Davida Kagen. Dora attended Yakima Valley Community College and Central Washington University with a focus on vocal performance. Dora has performed with the Seattle Art Song Society, Ladies Musical Club, and the Puget Sound Concert Opera, among others. Notably, she has performed as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, placed 1st in the PAFE Opera division, placed 3rd in the Seattle Opera Guild's Singer Development Awards, and was an honorable mention in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards. When not singing opera, Dora is the lead singer and plays saxophone in two Motown/Oldies bands, and also composes her own music.

https://www.dorabarnes.com/

About Luke Raffanti, tenor, piano

Luke Raffanti has been a frequent piano performer around Seattle since moving here in 2017. Before the pandemic, he performed frequently at house concerts, retirement homes, and for benefit concerts. In 2018, he earned the top prize in the Chopin Northwest solo piano competition and in 2019 he was featured as vocal accompanist and solo pianist on Classical KING FM. He has enjoyed collaborating with several professional opera companies: Seattle Opera, Seattle Modern Opera Company, and Northwest Opera in Schools, as well as numerous individual professional vocalists. Luke teaches roughly 40 students of all ages at Cascade Piano Studio in Ravenna, and is the collaborative pianist and organist at Richmond Beach Congregational United Church of Christ in Shoreline. Lately Luke has been taking voice lessons with Davida Kagen and singing with Seattle Pro Musica. He earned a BM in classical piano performance and a BA in environmental studies from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music.

https://soundcloud.com/luke-raffanti