Clatsop Community College
1653 Jerome, Astoria OR 97103
For immediate release
Contact: Lenore Morrisson (503) 338-2473

Deac Guidi and Friends to perform at Next CCC Arts & Ideas Summer Concert Series


Wrapping up the Clatsop Community College Arts & Ideas’ Summer Concert Series is Deac Guidi and Friends, who will perform at 3 pm Sunday, September 3 at the Performing Arts Center in Astoria.

An Astoria favorite, Deac promises a delightful afternoon of opera, filled with arias duets, trios and, possibly, quartets! Joining him will be Ellaina Lewis, Sharon Karsner and James Walters. Deac's delicious baritone fills the PAC beautifully.

Deac first began performing as an undergraduate at Montana State University in Bozeman. On the North Coast he has appeared in several productions of the North Coast Chorale and the Astoria Music Festival.

Deac’s recent performances include the Marquis D’Obigny in La Traviata with Oregon Lyric Opera, his debut with Opera Pacifica as Tonio in I Pagliacci, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Baritone Soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Olympia Chamber Orchestra, Marco in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Theater Oregon, and Principe di Boullion in Adriana LeCouvreur with Willamette Concert Opera.

Joining him is Ellaina Pauline Lewis, originally from Washington, D.C., who has studied at The Astoria Music Festival and Academy, The Aspen Opera Theater Center, The University of Washington and Iowa State University. Among her most recent credits, Lewis April completed a tour of elementary and middle schools with Open Door Theater, helping to keep children safe from abusers through dramatic plays.

Mezzo-Soprano Sharon Karsner is a native Washingtonian who has appeared in performances ranging from musical theater to concert and opera. Sharon was last heard as Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Pacifica. She has been heard with Seattle Opera and on the concert stage, Sharon has appeared as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

Tenor James Walters is seen regularly on West Coast stages. His roles include Don Octave in The Stoned Guest with Tacoma Opera, Camille in The Merry Widow with Willamette Concert Opera, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann with N.O.I.S.E., and Agenore in Il Re Pastore with Off-Center Opera. This year he has been seen as the Narrator in Bach's Coffee Cantata with Olympia Chamber Orchestra, The Love in Amelia Goes to the Ball with Puget Sound Opera, and in November will be seen with Kitsap Opera as Alfred in Die Fledermaus.