"Claudia - the Diva on your Doorstep" Mid Devon Advertiser Article (no by-line) Friday 8 September 2017

Claudia Álvarez Calderón

Peruvian-Italian coloratura soprano Claudia Álvarez Calderón is bringing her unique voice to village halls over South Devon. The Diva on your Doorstep: Access all Arias! tour starts on September 15 in Lustleigh Village Hall. Claudia, who is based in Dartmoor, will perform a programme of opera arias and solo piano pieces with pianist Simon Dunbavand.

She said, "The programme will span from the Baroque period all the way to 20th century Bernstein. It will have very bubbly and exciting operatic arias for coloratura soprano and some solo piano pieces."

Claudia came up the idea for touring Devon village halls after recently touring in Italy.

"At the moment I collaborate with an international opera company based in Italy called Gli Amici di Fritz and we perform in a variety of different venues  around Italy," she said. "Although we get to sing in beautiful theatres, maybe the most satisfying performances have been the ones in small villages in which people are not used to having opera being performed. After the shows they come to us and tell us how happy they are to have quality music being performed on their doorstep. With this in mind, I realised that's something that lacks in small communities in Devon."

"I've been performing in some bigger towns and cities in Devon since I arrived here three years ago but thought it would be lovely to take my shows to people's doorsteps as well. That's why I called my project Diva on your Doorstep! I thought it would also provide a chance for people who maybe don't want to drive all the way to Exeter or Plymouth to listen to quality music."

For more information see Claudia's Website