Lindenhurst sopranos reunite for concert

Elizabeth Dow stood onstage looking poised and confident as she sang out the flowing, Italian lyrics of a song from the opera “Adriana Lecouvreur,” by Francesco Cilea.

The 25-year-old soprano from Lindenhurst made her hometown debut on Sunday with Opera Night Long Island, a traveling opera group that performed at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Though it was her first time with the group, it was a stage reunion for Dow and two other performers, Amanda Chmela and Danielle Davis, who all graduated from Lindenhurst High School in 2004.

“It was interesting,” she said. “I haven’t seen them since about five years ago. We’ve kept in touch online, but it was interesting to hear how they’ve grown.”

She said the three women knew one another well in high school, participating together in such musicals as “Guys and Dolls” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Since then they’ve gone their separate ways, though Chmela and Davis said they’ve seen each other briefly at auditions and once at a music program.

The performance in their hometown brought them back together.

Isabella Johnson, music director of Opera Night Long Island, said she hosts events at churches and other venues about once a month. The shows are open call for performers, though they must send her a resume and clip of their singing beforehand. After the first night, they are invited back for other performances.

As it happened, five of the 12 performers on Sunday were from Lindenhurst, and one was from Copiague.

“Should we call that Lindenhurst?” Johnson asked the audience during the performance, who responded with cheers. “It’s only a stone’s throw away.”

Johnson said a performer with her group informed her that Lindenhurst -- for one reason or another -- seemed to be a hotbed of opera singers.

“Lindenhurst seems to produce these great sopranos,” Johnson said. “I don’t know whether it’s in the water or what, but it’s fun to know we have six performing here tonight.”

Other “Lindy” singers that night included Frances Fascetti, of Copiague, Linda Garrity and Kara Vertucci.

The rest of the show included songs by Barbara Divis, of Plainview; Maurizio Casa, of Manhattan; Lorraine Helvick, of North Massapequa; Stephen Barchi, of Hauppauge; Jessica Stolte Bender, of Miller Place; and Jeanny Schwartz, of Greenlawn. The performances were accompanied by Manhattan resident Kelly Horsted on piano.

The Lindenhurst performance was also Chmela’s first time performing with the group.

“It’s great that from one high school, in one year, we had so many people who were interested in classical music and pursuing it as a career,” Chmela, 25, said.

Davis, 25, said it was an emotional experience to meet up with her classmates.

“It was really touching, especially when you’ve grown with them,” she said. “We’re growing and progressing in each of our careers. It’s a group you can really stand by and believe in.”