East Village Opera Company

La Donna

In 2004, EVOC released their first album, La Donna, under the Canal Records label. On this album, Ross and Kiesewalter fuse classic Italian arias and Neapolitan folk songs with "unabashed 70's arena rock, sultry bossa nova, four-on-the-floor disco, and celtic and bluegrass-tinged ambience." It was arranged and produced by Peter Kiesewalter, vocal arrangements by Tyley Ross, mixed by Wayne Bartlett at Bartmart Audio, Ottawa, and mastered by Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound, New York. Behind the duo are over twenty musicians, including guitarist Vernon Reid (Living Colour), banjo master Tony Trishka, Blue Man Group music director Byron Estep, and a string ensemble from the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada.

La Donna found its launching point as the soundtrack for Derek Diorio's 2001 film, The Kiss of Debt. The comedic film stars Ernest Borgnine as the godfather and self-proclaimed opera aficionado, and Tyley Ross, as Tino Moriano, the talented young tenor aspiring to sing with The Continental Opera Company. Ross performs "Panis Angelicus" and "Ave Maria", from La Donna, and the rest of the tracks are background music to the fanciful storyline.

The CD contains the following tracks:

1. "Vesti la giubba" – Ruggero Leoncavallo
2. "Una furtiva lagrima" – Gaetano Donizetti
3. "La Danza" – Gioachino Rossini
4. "M'apparì tutt'amor" – Friedrich von Flotow
5. "Maria, Mari" – Eduardo di Capua
6. "La Paloma" – Sebastián Yradier
7. "La donna è mobile" – Giuseppe Verdi
8. "Panis Angelicus" – César Franck
9. "Questa o quella" – Giuseppe Verdi
10. "La Serenata" – Paolo Tosti
11. "Ave Maria" – Franz Schubert

The East Village Opera Company

EVOC's second, self-titled album was released September 27, 2005 on the Decca Records label. The album was produced and recorded by Neil Dorfsman, a Grammy Award winner who has worked with notable artists such as Sting and Paul McCartney, and group acts like Dire Straits. Symphonic portions were performed by the Czech Philharmonic.

The CD contains the following tracks:

1. Le nozze di Figaro Redux – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2. "Nessun dorma" Redux – Giacomo Puccini
3. "Flower Duet" Redux – Léo Delibes
4. "La donna è mobile" Redux – Giuseppe Verdi
5. "Un bel dì" Redux – Giacomo Puccini
6. "Au fond du temple saint" Redux – Georges Bizet
7. "O mio babbino caro" Redux – Giacomo Puccini
8. "Ebben? Ne andrò lontana" Redux – Alfredo Catalani
9. "Che gelida manina" Redux – Giacomo Puccini
10. "Habanera" Redux – Georges Bizet
11. "When I Am Laid in Earth" Redux – Henry Purcell
12. "E lucevan le stelle" Redux Giacomo Puccini

Olde School

EVOC's latest release, Olde School, debuted in August 2008. Produced, arranged and orchestrated by Peter Kiesewalter and mixed by Neil Dorfsman at Saint Claire Studios near Lexington, Kentucky, Olde School received a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album.

The CD contains the following tracks:

1. "The Ride from Die Walküre" – Richard Wagner
2. "King^sic of the Night" from Die Zauberflöte – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3. "Help Me (Jove, In Pity)" from Semele – George Frideric Handel
4. "Brindisi" / "Libera" (Pop the Cork) from La traviata – Giuseppe Verdi
5. "Gloria" from Griselda – Giovanni Bononcini
6. "Walk" from Semele – George Frideric Handel
7. "As You Were Then" from Norma – Vincenzo Bellini
8. "Soldiers" from Faust – Charles Gounod
9. "You're Not Alone" from "Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208" – Johann Sebastian Bach
10. "Va Tosca" from Tosca – Giacomo Puccini
11. "Butterfly Duet" from Madama Butterfly – Giacomo Puccini

Comparisons

EVOC's music has drawn comparisons to other contemporary artists in pop culture including the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller, or Metallica's S&M (Symphony and Metallica) album. Fans of EVOC generally reject these comparisons for various reasons.

Notable Performances

Quotes and press

Trivia