The weekend of October 27-29 will be a special one for opera lovers and bel canto aficionados. Acclaimed tenor Juan Diego Flórez presents one of only two American recitals this season as part of Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series on Sunday, October 29, 2006, at 3 p.m. He is joined by pianist Vincenzo Scalera in a program that features arias by Rossini, Mozart, and Donizetti and art songs by de Morales, Fauré, Massenet, and Bizet.

Later that evening, at 8 p.m., legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne will present the second of two public master classes (the first occurs on Friday, October 27, at 7 p.m.) The Flórez recital and the Horne master classes take place in Finney Chapel.

Reserved seat tickets for the Flórez recital are $12 for students; $25 for seniors and for those with an Oberlin College I.D.; and $30 for the general public; tickets purchased at the door the day of the performance are an additional $3. General admission tickets for each of Marilyn Horne’s public master class are $5 for the general public and free for those with an Oberlin College I.D. Please call the Central Ticket Service (CTS) 24-hour reservation line (440-775-8169) for complete ticket information. The CTS box office is located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St. (Route 58), between the Oberlin Inn and the Allen Memorial Art Museum. Box-office hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.

Detailed information about the performers, dates, and times for this year’s Artist Recital Series is available online at www.oberlin.edu/arseries. Concert artists, programs, and dates are subject to change.

Tenor Juan Diego Flórez has emerged as one of today’s most dynamic artists. He has been captivating audiences worldwide with his solo recitals, operatic performances, and orchestral appearances since breaking onto the scene at the 1996 Rossini Festival. There, at the age of 23, he stepped out of the chorus to take on the leading role in Matilde de Shabran from an indisposed Bruce Ford. Flórez’s performance caused a sensation, and he has never looked back. Peter G. Davis, writing in New York Magazine, says:“Flórez’s accurate articulation of coloratura and the sheer fizz of his passagework, without loss of tonal quality or definition, take the breath away.”

Pianist Vincenzo Scalera has been heard in major music centers of the world accompanying such celebrated singers as Carlo Bergonzi, Montserrat Caballé, Renata Scotto, and Leontina Vaduva.

This is Marilyn Horne’s second year in residence at Oberlin as Distinguished Professor of Voice. Regarded as one of the great mezzo-sopranos of the 20th century and noted for the power and artistry of her unique and dazzling coloratura, her remarkable five-decade career is preserved not only by her discography but also by the legacy she has created as a teacher and mentor. She created the Marilyn Horne Foundation in 1994 to support young singers and the art of the song, and is vocal program director at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. Support for her professorship and residency is provided by the Danenberg Residency Fund and the Edgar Visiting Artists Fund.

Media sponsorship for the Artist Recital Series is provided by WCLV 104.9-FM, Cleveland’s classical music radio station, and 90.3-WCPN ideastream. Corporate sponsorship is provided by DeWitt Stern, Legend Financial Services, and the Riverside Company.