Gather with us to celebrate love and music in the beauty of Ryerson Woods. Soprano, Angela De Venuto, and Bass, Leo Radosavljevic, bring their operatic talents to Brushwood with a curated program of your favorite romantic arias, accompanied by dinner provided by Pear Tree Catering. Proceeds from this event support Brushwood Center's mission of improving health equity and access to nature in Lake County and the Chicago region.

Ticket options range from communal dining ($100 per seat) to private dining ($300 for a table of two). Private tables are limited to six tables with two seats each, and communal seating is limited to twenty seats (2 tables of 6 and one table of 8).

5:30 pm - Doors Open for arrivals and Check-in

6:00pm - 6:00 pm Guests are seated and Dinner is served

7:00pm - Performance Begins

8:30pm - Performance Ends

Festive Attire. Complimentary parking available.

This event is open to the public, but tickets are limited. The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, February 12th.

If you require certain accommodations in order to observe or attend our events, or have questions regarding accessibility of our facilities, please contact our Director of Public Programs and Music, Parker Nelson, at pnelson@brushwoodcenter.org or at (224) 633-2424 ext. 1.

Ticket scholarships available. Please email info@brushwoodcenter.org.

Menu

Appetizers

Blood Orange Brie Toasts - creamy brie, infused with blood orange puree and topped with fig jam
Lemon Lavender Sugared Nuts
Sweetheart Salad (gf, v) - Mixed greens, strawberries, orange segments, candied pecans, blue cheese, and blood orange
vinaigrette

Dinner (choice of 1)

Option 1
Lemon Basil Chicken - Chicken breast encrusted with basil and thyme with a lemon basil sauce
Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic (gf, v)
Sautéed Pesto Zucchini (gf, df, vg)

Option 2
Burrata Eggplant Parmesan (vg) - Our eggplant Parmesan topped with Burrata and homemade tomato jam
Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic (gf, v)
Sautéed Pesto Zucchini (gf, df, vg)

Dessert

Lemon Sorbetto with Fresh Berries (v)

Angela De Venuto

Praised for her versatility and range, soprano Angela De Venuto is becoming known as a dramatic force in Classical music. In addition to the standard repertory, Ms. De Venuto's affinity for new music has made her a sought after interpreter by many of today’s established and up and coming composers of vocal music.

Ms. De Venuto most recently made her role debut as Musetta (La Bohème) with The Savannah Voice Festival and as the title role of Alice Riley (Michael Ching) under the baton of Andrew Bisantz. Ms. De Venuto has portrayed a wide range of characters, including: Emily Webb (Our Town), Mrs Grose (The Turn of the Screw), Drusilla (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), the title role of Angélique, Adele (Die Fledermaus), Amore (The Return of Ulysses) with DePaul Opera Theatre; Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and premiered the roles of Sarah Davenport and Jane in Michael Ching’s Anna Hunter with The Savannah Voice Festival; Despina (Cosí fan tutte) with DuPage Opera Theatre; Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw) with Chicago Fringe Opera; Marzelline (Fidelio) with Intermezzi; Maria (West Side Story) with the Northwest Chicago Symphony.

Most recently, Ms. De Venuto was a quarter-finalist in the 12th International Telemann Competition held in Telemann’s birthplace of Magdeburg, Germany and was named a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council competition (2019).

Ms. De Venuto has been awarded first prizes in the Evanston Music Club Competition (2018), Classical Singer competition Emerging Professional Division (2017), Musician’s Club of Women (2017), the Sherrill Milnes Opera Idol competition (2016), and she won 2nd place in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition (2018). Working in collaboration with her husband, they received 2nd prize in Chicago’s 3rd annual SongSlam art song competition with his setting of Eleanor Roosevelt’s address to the United Nations in 1948 (Words of Eleanor).

Leo Radosavljevic

Praised for his “steely power” (Voix des Arts) and “resonant bass” (Opera News), Leo Radosavljevic is a presence on the operatic stage. Mr. Radosavljevic is sought after around the world for his “excellent musicianship” and “expansive delivery”. A native of Chicago, he spent his childhood singing in the Lyric Opera Children’s Chorus and studying piano with his father. He then attended The Juilliard School where he received a bachelors degree with scholastic distinction and a masters degree. During his studies he performed many operatic roles such as Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tobia Mill in La Cambiale di Matrimonio, and gave the U.S. premiere performances of Willi Graf in Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Kommilitonen!. Since his studies, he has been heard with Opera Colorado as Bonze (Madama Butterfly), The New Philharmonic as Don Alfonso (Così fan Tutte), Opera Theater of Saint Louis as Manders (Regina), Teatro Nuovo as Orbazzano (Tancredi), and covered the role of the King in Aida with Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is the 3rd Prize winner of the 8th Klaudia Taev Competition in Estonia, Grand Prize winner of the 2017 Bel Canto Competition, and was a Regional Finalist in the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. On the concert stage, he has appeared as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Metropolis Symphony, The Orchestra Now, New Juilliard Ensemble, and Juilliard415, with whom he performed Telemann’s rarely heard Die Tageszeiten to high acclaim from The New York Times, as well as made a studio recording in Vancouver with the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

He has also appeared regularly as an art song recitalist at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and Carnegie Hall in New York. Mr. Radosavljevic is a proud recipient of the 2020 Marcella Kochańska Sembrich Award from the American Council for Polish Culture. In 2021 he returned to Teatro Nuovo to cover Bartolo (Il barbiere di Siviglia), as well as performed the roles of Colline in Puccini’s La Boheme with the Savannah Voice Festival, and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Opera in Williamsburg. He was also heard in a workshop of Proximity which will premiere later this season (2023)at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Radosavljevic began 2022 with a company debut with Opera San Jose, as Zuniga in Carmen. Later in the year, he jumped in as the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro with Manhattan School of Music, sang the role of Richard in Michael Ching’s Alice Riley with the Savannah Voice Festival, covered Archieros in Szymanowski’s King Roger with Chicago Opera Theater, and reprised the role of Zuniga with MasterVoices at Lincoln Center to great acclaim by The New York Times, OperaWire, and Opera News.

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Sweetheart Soiree with Angela De Venuto & Leo Radosavljevic

Sweetheart Soiree with Angela De Venuto & Leo Radosavljevic

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Sweetheart Soiree with Angela De Venuto & Leo Radosavljevic

Sweetheart Soiree with Angela De Venuto & Leo Radosavljevic

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