Passione d’Amore: Arias of Love and Longing

Immerse yourself in opera’s most cathartic moments as passion and longing intertwine through the masterworks of Handel, Dvorak, Puccini, and Verdi. Dr. Megan Ratliff guides you through an intimate journey where each aria unveils a character caught in their most vulnerable moment of love – from the first flutter of desire to the depths of romantic longing.

As stars appearing in a darkening sky, these timeless stories of love emerge one by one, each expressing that singular moment when the heart must speak. Romantic piano interludes bridge each aria’s unique expression proving passion needs no words.

Experience the raw power of opera’s most moving works in one unforgettable evening, followed by a light reception where the warmth of these timeless melodies will linger in conversation and companionship.

Let yourself be swept away in this celebration of love’s transformative power through the centuries’ most passionate operatic expressions.

Dr. Megan Anania Ratliff‘s musical journey began at age four with Suzuki violin training, laying the foundation for her diverse musical career. Her early accomplishments included earning first chair in the prominent St. Cecelia Music Society orchestra and summers spent at the renowned Interlochen Arts Camp. A pivotal moment came when she was selected for the Grand Rapids Youth Chorale, igniting her passion for vocal performance.

Under the instruction of accomplished vocalists’ mezzo-soprano Lynn Maxwell Keller and coloratura Diane Penning, Dr. Ratliff developed her operatic technique. Her vocal journey has included performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Choir and Bel Canto choir of Milwaukee, as well as a notable concert appearance with jazz legend Wynton Marsalis. Her versatility as a vocal performer extends to musical theatre including “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Meet Me in Saint Louis.”

Currently, Dr. Ratliff contributes her talents to the West Michigan Opera Project, an organization dedicated to making opera accessible to all audiences. In a career highlight, she will perform with the group at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in June 2025.

Julia Siciliano is an award-winning concert pianist praised for her “fabulous creative power” by the Bonn General-Anzeiger. Her impressive career spans multiple continents, with performances across North America, Europe, Asia, and Central America at prestigious venues including Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, and the Teatro Nacional of Guatemala. She has earned top prizes at several international competitions, including the Sicily International Piano Competition and Heida Hermanns International Competition. In 2020, she accomplished the notable feat of performing Beethoven’s complete “accompanied sonatas” across multiple countries.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, where she studied under Nelita True and Logan Skelton respectively, Siciliano has established herself as both a distinguished solo artist and chamber musician. She has collaborated with Metropolitan Opera stars and acclaimed instrumentalists, and regularly performs with prestigious orchestras worldwide. Her 2016 debut album “Dream Catchers,” featuring works by Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Ravel, and Debussy, received high praise from both Fanfare Magazine and Gramophone Magazine, with the latter specifically commending her “fine technique and natural musicality” and her “masterful delicacy, harmonic motion, and timing” in Debussy’s Images II.