Nataliya Stepanska, soprano

Ke Jiang, baritone
Francesco Frudua, piano

Programme:
F. P. Tosti: L’alba separa dalla Luce l’ombra
R. Leoncavallo: »Qual fiamma… Stridono lassù«, Nedda’s aria from I pagliacci
W. A. Mozart: »Là ci darem la mano«, Don Giovanni and Zerlina’s duet from Don Giovanni
G. Puccini: »Sì, mi chiamano Mimì«, Mimì’s aria from La bohème
G. Donizetti: »Di tua beltade immagine«, Severo’s aria from Poliuto
G. Verdi: »Pura siccome un angelo«, Giorgio and Violetta’s duet from La traviata
***
P. I. Čajkovski: Iolanta’s arioso from Iolanta
U. Giordano: »Nemico della patria«, Gérard’s aria from Andrea Chénier
R. Leoncavallo: »Silvio! A quest’ora«, Nedda and Silvio’s duet from I pagliacci
S. Gastaldon: Musica proibita
W. A. Mozart: »Porgi, amor, qualche ristoro«, Countess’s aria from Le nozze di Figaro
G. Rossini: »Largo al factotum«, Figaro’s aria from Il barbiere di Siviglia
F. Lehár: »Lippen schweigen«, Hanna and Danilo’s duet from Die lustige Witwe

Soprano Nataliya Stepanska was born in Kiev in 1988 and began studying the violin at the age of seven. She went on to study at ARTAVE, the professional arts school of the Vale do Ave region in Portugal, and then enrolled at the University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic, graduating in violin performance in 2010. In 2012 she began vocal studies with Victoria Loukianetz and in 2018 completed a master’s degree in opera performance at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where she studied with Gabriele Lechner, Peter Marshik and Beverly Blankenship. Within two years of embarking on her career as a soprano she came third at an international opera competition in Karpacz (Poland) and a musical interpretation competition in Portugal. In 2015 she reached the final of the Osaka International Music Competition (Japan), while in 2019 she was one of the ten finalists at the prestigious Stignani Competition in Imola (Italy). She performs regularly, both as a violinist and as a soprano, in Europe and in China. She considers her performances in various roles in well-known operas at the Schönbrunn Palace Theatre to be among her most magical experiences to date.

Baritone Ke Jiang comes from China, where he began studying with Zhuqing Wu and in 2009 completed his basic vocal studies as the best student in his year. Since 2013 he has been training with Rudolf Piernay at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim. He has been the recipient of numerous international prizes and is a former finalist of the International Opera Singing Competition of Marmande (France). In 2012 he sang alongside the famous bass Cornelius Hauptmann at an international festival in Stuttgart and in subsequent years has sung various roles in operas by Mozart and Verdi at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim. He is the holder of a Chinese state scholarship and a Richard Wagner Scholarship.

Francesco Frudua graduated in piano from the Gioachino Rossini Conservatory of Music in Pesaro (Italy) and in vocal chamber music from the Arrigo Boito Conservatory of Music in Parma. He has pursued advanced studies with Maria Teresa Carunchio, Bruno Canino and Umberto Finazzi and at the Incontri col Maestro International Piano Academy in Imola (with Pier Narciso Masi), where he is currently also teaching. He has held seminars on vocal and musical interpretation in the Lieder and opera fields and curated a range of musical events. He performs with singers and musicians both in chamber ensembles and as an accompanist. He was recently invited by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Institute of Culture to give a concert in the recently inaugurated auditorium of Nanyang University in Singapore.