FARMINGTON – August 17, 1911 was the day when famed opera diva and Farmington native, Lillian Nordica, performed for the last time in her hometown.
|
|
August 17 has since been known as “Nordica Day,” thanks to the efforts of the Nordica Memorial Association, a local organization dedicated to celebrating and maintaining remembrances of her amazing career.
Two special events will highlight this year’s celebration. One is an open house, with free admission and refreshments, at the Nordica Homestead Museum on the Holley Road, two miles north of Farmington. The other is a recital at 7:30 p.m. by this year’s recipient of the Nordica Scholarship, awarded annually to a promising young singer in Maine who aspires to a career in opera.
This year’s recitalist is Stephanie Gilbert of Vassalboro, a voice performance major at USM. She placed first in her division for the past two years in the state auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). She will be performing in the chorus of this summer’s PORT-opera production of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. Her Nordica Day recital will include pieces by Mozart, R. Strauss, and Amy Beach, accompanied by her teacher, Bruce Fithian.
The recital will be held in the same hall in which Lillian Nordica gave her final concert in Farmington. Nordica Auditorium is located on the second floor of Merrill Hall on the University of Maine at Farmington campus. There will be no charge for admission since the concert is a gift to the community from the Nordica Memorial Association. For more information about the concert or the open house you can call the Nordica Homestead Museum at 778-2042.
