Opera NOVA Annual Brunch

Renowned soprano Desiree Dodson leads an array of opera singers who will perform at Opera NOVA’s annual brunch on Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Washington Golf & Country Club, 3017 N. Glebe Rd. in Arlington.

Guests will also hear baritone Jose Sacin, mezzo-soprano Elise Jenkins, tenor Tony Torchia and keynote speaker Dr. Vivek Patil, founder of Building Bridges Community Engagement and former county board candidate.

Reservations for the $60 brunch can be made at 703-536-7557 or by writing mcdm1@verizon.net. Doors open at noon, lunch begins at 12:30 p.m., and the performance starts at 1:15 p.m.

Desiree Dodson most recently was singing Mimi in La Boheme the role of Tosca in Sicily with the Mediterranean Opera Studio. She has sung multiple concerts in Italy with the Treviso Summer Concert Series, including selections from Otello and Madama Butterfly. A native of Colorado, Dodson won rave reviews at the Pikes Peak Center for Opera Theater of the Rockies and in the Aspen Music Festival. As a young singer, Dodson was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions as well as a semifinalist in the Meistersinger Competition of Austria.

Jose Sacin has been artistic director of Opera NOVA for five years, performing regularly with Opera Camerata in Washington, as well.

Peruvian native Jose Sacín is considered one of the leading South America baritones of our time. He has appeared as a recitalist in Russia, Japan, Costa Rica, Honduras, Venezuela, Bolivia, his native Peru and extensively throughout the United States.

Opera NOVA, formerly the Opera Guild of Northern Virginia, regularly puts on concerts aimed at seniors, young people, minorities and others who would not normally attend more costly events in Washington. Every year it puts on an opera seen by hundreds of school children, the most recent being Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha last spring.