Robert Samels: News

THE LOSS OF FIVE TALENTED PEOPLE WITH BRILLIANT FUTURES.

Beginning on Tuesday, January 3rd, Bloomington's public radio station - WFIU 103.7 - will begin to carry Cantabile. Hosted and produced by Robert Samels, Cantabile is an hour-long program that features all things vocal. Each program contains a mix of new releases and historical recordings, and selections are drawn from art song, opera and choral music. You can hear Cantabile on WFIU every Tuesday night beginning at 10:12 p.m. You can listen to the program live on the internet (with Real Audio or Windows Media Player) at http://www.indiana.edu/~wfiu/listen.htm.

From May-August of 2006, Robert Samels will be in residence with the prestigious Wolf Trap Opera Company in Vienna, Virginia. You can read more about the Wolf Trap Opera Company by visiting their website.

At the Indiana District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions on Saturday, October 29th, Robert Samels was awarded an Encouragement Award by a panel consisting of the artistic directors of both Glimmerglass and Santa Fe opera. The award includes a cash prize.

Over 50 musicians gathered to give the world premiere of Robert Samels' new opera "PILATVS" on Sunday, September 4th in the Indiana Memorial Union at Indiana University. The two-act opera, with music by Samels and libretto written and compiled by Samels and Jake Sentgeorge, deals with the life of Pontius Pilate and his struggles with power and ambition. You can read a review of the performance here. Check back to this website soon to hear sound clips from the premiere and to get the latest news on upcoming performances of the work.

Indiana University will premiere Ned Rorem's new opera "Our Town" in the Spring of 2006. The composer and the librettist visited Bloomington for a week in early May, 2005, to supervise a workshop performance of the opera. Robert Samels created the role of Dr. Gibbs, the father of George. David Effron conducted and Vincent Liotta was the director. The workshop culminated in a public performance of the work on Saturday, May 14th, at 3:00 p.m. in the Musical Arts Center.

As part of the Aguava New Music Studio, Robert Samels just returned from a successful concert at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. You can see a picture and a Washington Post review of the concert.

Robert Samels is one of only four singers selected to be a 2005 Adams master class participant at the Carmel Bach Festival in Carmel, CA. He will participate in six master classes this summer with Benjamin Butterfield, Kendra Colton, David Gordon, and Michael Dean. At the conclusion of the Festival, Samels and the three other master class participants will present a full concert with orchestra, which will include Samels singing two arias from Handel operas.

Robert Samels was named as the top prize winner and a Friends of Music Audience Choice Award recipient for the 13th Annual Friends of Music Travel Grant competition at Indiana University. He will receive an award of $1,000. In the final round of competition, held on Sunday, March 6th, Samels and pianist Davis Hart performed selections from Bach's Magnificat, Haydn's Creation, and Dubois' Seven Last Words.