Alastair Presents: Waltzing with Strauss

The South Bend Symphony Orchestra steps back in time to the extravagant ballrooms of 19th-century Vienna at the third performance of the Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series, Alastair Presents: Waltzing with Strauss on Saturday, March 22, 7:30 p.m. at the Morris Performing Arts Center.

This sixth installment in the acclaimed Alastair Presents series will transport audiences to the golden era of dance music, dominated by the legendary Strauss family.  Under the direction of Music Director Alastair Willis, the Symphony will perform a selection of some of the most well-known waltzes and polkas ever composed. Soprano Leela Subramaniam, dancers from Southold Dance Theater, and Notre Dame & Saint Mary’s Ballroom Club join the Symphony to truly showcase the elegance and beauty that defined Strauss’ musical legacy.

Adding a unique twist to the evening, Willis will take on the persona of the “forgotten brother” of the Strauss family, sharing humorous and heartfelt stories about life in the shadow of his more famous siblings — Johann Jr., Eduard, and Josef Strauss.

Aha! With Alastair: Episode 22

About Leela Subramaniam

Praised by Opera News as a “gleaming, pitch perfect soprano” and the Wall Street Journal as “piercingly lovely,” soprano Leela Subramaniam has sung with some of the world’s most prestigious houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Gärtnerplatz Theater, Theater Basel, Irish National Opera, LA Opera, and Carnegie Hall. A winner of the Bjorn Eklund Scholarship, she was a member of the Bavarian State Opera studio as a young artist. She was the 1st prize winner of the Joan Taub Ades Competition, as well as a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, Tenor Viñas Competition, Giulio Gari Foundation, and the Zinka Milanov International Competition. Passionate about new music, Leela has performed in five world premieres, two of which have been by women of color.

Most recently Ms. Subramaniam made her Long Beach Opera debut in Pauline Oliveros’ first staged performance of Bye Bye Butterfly, as well as performed Veronica in the world premiere of Richard Danielpour’s The Grand Hotel Tartarus. Last fall, she made her role debut as
Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with Portland Opera. In previous seasons she was seen reprising the role of Annu in Kamala Sankaram’s Thumbprint with Portland Opera, Turan in Threshold of Brightness by Iranian composer Niloufar Nourbakhsh with Beth Morrison Projects and Contemporaneous at National Sawdust, the title role in Kamala Sankaram’s virtual reality opera Miranda with Tri-Cities Opera and the Contemporaneous ensemble, and covered and performed in a staging workshop the role of Marzelline in Fidelio with the LA Philharmonic and Deaf West Theater. Upcoming she will be performing the title role of Laila in new works workshop of Kamala Sankaram’s The Many Deaths of Laila Starr with Minnesota Opera.

Her past performances include the title roles in Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) and Thais (Massenet), Pamina, Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring/Britten), and Angelica (Orlando Paladino/Haydn). As a young artist, she was a Gerdine Young Artist with the Opera Theater of St. Louis and attended the Chautauqua Institution Voice Program with Marlena Malas. Ms. Subramaniam received her Master of Music and Professional Studies Certificate in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and her B.A. from the University of California-Los Angeles in Art History and Music (Vocal Performance). She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance at the University of California-Los Angeles.

Ms. Subramaniam speaks German, French, Italian, and Spanish conversationally and lives in Los Angeles, California, where she maintains a robust voice studio. She was born and raised in Los Angeles of multiracial descent; her father is South Indian and her mother is Ecuadorian and Cuban.

About Southold Dance Theater

Southold Dance Theater is a nationally recognized, pre-professional dance company currently entering its 50th season. Under the direction of the professional staff, dancers strive to achieve mastery of technique and performance. Many dancers successfully audition for some of the nation’s most prestigious dance institutions. Several have gone on to professional dance careers. As the resident dance company at the Morris Performing Arts Center, Southold enriches its audience with high standards of performance. 

Notre Dame & Saint Mary’s Ballroom Club

The ND/SMC Ballroom and Latin Dance Club offers dancing opportunities for every level of dance ability. They have everything from beginner lessons for those who have never danced before, to advanced lessons for those who want to learn the dances more in-depth. Whether you want to learn how to dance at a formal or in your room, the ND/SMC Ballroom Club offers a judgment-free community of dancers where everyone can learn to dance. Throughout the year, they also participate in collegiate dance-sport competitions.