Broadway star Raquel Suarez Groen is on her way to Qualicum Beach for a seven-performer concert and a masterclass on Feb. 22.
She was originally asked to do a virtual zoom event by her former colleague, Lindsey Tromba of Songbird Voice Studio.
As it turned out, Suarez Groen, born and raised in Calgary, has a few weeks off from her world tour of The Phantom of the Opera and will be back in Canada this month.
“Right away she said, ‘you know, between China and Mumbai, I’m getting married in Calgary on the 15th, so why don’t I just fly in and do an in-person masterclass’?” said Tromba, a former colleague of Suarez Groen. The two performed together in productions in Italy and Manhattan.
Suarez Groen, along with The Phantom of the Opera conductor Carmine Aufiero will host the concert and vocal masterclass at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach.
Suarez Groen made her Broadway debut in 2017 with her portrayal of Carlotta Giudicelli in The Phantom of the Opera, which tells the tragic story of a talented soprano whose beauty captivates a reclusive, disfigured musical genius dwelling in the hidden depths of the Paris Opera House.
Her performances continued for five years and more than 1,200 renditions of that role until the production ended its 35-year run in 2023 due to the impact of COVID-19 on ticket sales.
Since then The Phantom of the Opera has been reborn and is currently on a 195-city world tour, Tromba said.
The concert at the Village Theatre will feature students (and provincial-level voice competitors) of several mid-Island voice teachers, including Tromba, Patricia Plumley and Andrea Bertram.
“It’s going to be a great concert," Tromba said. "They’ll each get to sing a song and then Raquel and Carmine, who’s a really famous vocal coach and conductor, he and she will come up on stage and work with them in front of the audience.”
Tromba clarified that a masterclass is not a lecture where people just sit in the theatre, and added the audience will learn from the on-stage workshop as well as enjoy the musical performances.
She anticipates Suarez Groen will do an "impromptu song" as well as offer a question and answer period, and opportunities for photos and autographs.
Tromba returned to Qualicum Beach in recent years after a Broadway career in New York City.
“Part of me coming back to Qualicum Beach was to bring artists that I know from Manhattan to this area, to make the arts more accessible,” she said, and added she hopes to repeat similar events in the coming years.
The event goes from noon to 3 p.m. and is being organized by Tromba and Jennifer Galloway at Ohs Marketing Team, in partnership with ECHO Players.
Tickets are available for $30 online at Ticket Owl: https://app.ticketowl.io/Z5qAhEYOFtrxRb6j/event/Z5vJjcOVpAXsxHpo.
