Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast

I Am Harvey Milk
Una Voce


Una Voce, The Florida Men's Chorale from Tampa/St. Petersburg, presented its superb Pride Season concert on June 12 and 13, 2015. I attended the June 12 performance at The Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg. The concert was a salute to equality and justice; the first half consisted of tributes to Nelson Mandela ("Tshotsholoza), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ("We Shall Overcome"), Gloria Steinem ("Back to Before," sung by Ruthie Nelson), Keith Haring ("Go the Distance," sung by Chris Romeo), Larry Kramer (a reading), and Everyday Heroes ("Wanting Memories"). For a first act finale and to remind us how important GLBTs everywhere are, the chorus sang "Color Out of Colorado" with solos from chorus members Scott Hartman, Scott Lockard, Jim Beaty, Will Hession, Tom Barker, Zac Clements, and Louis Fiol.

For the second half, Una Voce presented The Florida Premiere of I Am Harvey Milk by Andrew Lippa, an exciting new Cantata commissioned in 2013 by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and several other choruses. My husband who lived in San Francisco during that era and knew Harvey Milk tells me that the piece captures his spirit.

The piece calls for an orchestra, three soloists playing Young Harvey, Harvey's Mother and Harvey, and a men's chorus. Una Voce met all these demands to present a performance that was thrilling in every way. Chris Romeo was excellent as Harvey, with an engaging stage presence. Ruthie Nelson as the mother displayed a gorgeous voice, solidly supported in the middle and soaring beautifully up to high A and B. Master Hari-Krishna Koipallil displayed a wonderful boy soprano; his opening phrases "I Want My Life to Be an Opera" got the piece off to a solid start. (Someone please mount a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors for this young man, before his voice changes.) The chorus covered themselves with glory, their singing was beautiful with rhythmic vitality. The hand clapping in "Friday Night at the Castro" was crisp, never mushy, as these things can become.


The Chorus
Photo courtesy of Una Voce
The 18-piece orchestra—19 with pianist Evyn Surrency, who is Una Voce's accompanist—was accomplished. The lively acoustics in the hall made every timpani stroke or roll by Jeff Ridgeway meaningful. The entire affair was under the direction of Interim Director Joseph Caulkins. A word of advice to Una Voce's leadership: If this is what Maestro Caulkins helps you accomplish, quickly make him your Director.

I Am Harvey Milk, presented by Una Voce on June 12 and 13, 2015, at The Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, Florida. For more information visit una-voce.org

Members of Una Voce

The Florida Men's Chorale
Tenor One: Will Hession, Michael Kaiser, Edward McBride*, Chuck McSorley
Tenor Two: Jackson Davis, Dominic DeCore, Rom Delacroix, Jason Fields, Louis Fiol, David Fraga*, Dennis Garver, Michael Glunt, Bill Kanouff, Alex Kloehn, Scott Lockard, David O'Brien
Baritone: James Beaty, Brooke Bryington, Scooter Chappellie, Tom Dwyer, Paul Gibson, Keith Lewis, Kirk Martin
Bass: Tom Barker, Zac Clements, Clare Decatur, Harold L. Harkins, Jr, Tommy Heffington, Stan Kutz, J. Peter Schultes
Fifth Section: George Algozzina, Will Perras, Barbara Scharf, Harriet Zazzaro
*-New Member

Una Voce Chamber Orchestra:
Piano: Evyn Surrency
Violin 1: Nancy Chang, Ginny Respess, Kasia Dolinska
Violin 2: Eric Nordstrom, Milene Moreira
Viola: William Goodwin, Karen Dumke
Cello: Nadine T Grudel, Grace Juliano
Bass: Gil Katz
Flute: Betsy Traba
Oboe/English Horn: Jeffrey Stephenson
Clarinet/Bass Clarinet: Laura Stephenson
Bassoon: Fernando Traba
Timpani: Jeff Ridgeway
Percussion: John Shaw, Kurt Grissom
Drum Set: Kurt Grissom

--William S. Oser