The Bascom

Bel Canto is an annual benefit performance featuring international opera stars, many of whom have performed at the Metropolitan Opera. The program features arias from favorite operas but also includes popular songs from Broadway shows as well.

Founded in 1993 exclusively as a benefit for the Bascom, Bel Canto’s beneficiaries now include the music programs at the Highlands school and the local preschools. Through the generosity of its benefactors Bel Canto has contributed over $750,000 for the benefit of the Highlands Community in the last 15 years.

This Year's Recital

The 33rd annual Bel Canto Recital will be held in Highlands on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at 4 PM at the Performing Arts Center.  A gala dinner with the artists will follow at the Highlands Country Club. 

The performance will feature a quartet of internationally recognized singers.

• Soprano: Ashley Milanese 

• Mezzo Soprano: Abi Levis 

• Tenor: Christopher Bozeka

• Baritone: Brian James Myer 

• Bass:  Matthew Anchel

Knoxville Opera

Johann Strauss II, composer

Karl Haffner & Richard Genée, librettists

Knoxville Opera

Johann Strauss II, composer

Karl Haffner & Richard Genée, librettists

Opera Grand Rapids

Jake Heggie, composer

Gene Scheer, librettist

Opera Grand Rapids

Jake Heggie, composer

Gene Scheer, librettist

Brooklyn Art Song Society

RACHMANINOFF

Discover the songs of the greatest Russian virtuoso—tender, beautiful, and heartbreaking—paired with the composer’s Preludes for solo piano.

Sunday, December 13, 2026 — 5:00 PM

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Selected Songs and Preludes

Ashley Emerson, Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano

Dominic Armstrong, tenor;

Brian James Myer, baritone

Joel Harder, Ryan McCullough, piano

Pre-concert Lecture (4:30PM): Pianist Roundtable 7

This concert is made possible by the generosity of Michael Wetstone and Emily Sachs