Classical Notes

Dawn Upshaw talks. Few mainstream sopranos have sung so much new opera as Upshaw, and in a 7 p.m. Tuesday master class at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater, she'll tell Opera Philadelphia's composers in residence how to get the most out of the human voice. Excerpts will include two operas-in-progress, David T. Little's JFK and Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves, plus music by Andrew Norman. Upshaw herself will not sing but will work with singers from the Curtis Institute. The event is free but registration is required through www.operaphila.org or by calling 215-893-1018. - David Patrick Stearns.
Paulus, with a cast of hundreds. To Be Certain of the Dawn, a major 2005 oratorio by the late composer Stephen Paulus, is more than a commemoration of the Holocaust - it also commemorates the Vatican II document that officially condemned putting the blame on Jews for Jesus' death. The Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Choir, the Cathedral Basilica Choir and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia come together under the direction of Jeffrey Brillhart at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at 8 p.m. Friday. Information: 215-587-3696 or www.cathedralphilaconcerts.org.

- D.P.S.

Mixing oil and opera.  You might learn about oil prices and the Swiss franc in Vitaliy Katsenelson's financial newsletter (www.contrarianedge.com), but not before the investment adviser asks you to consider, say, Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana. Every report to his readership includes something about music and/or art. Why? "One day I started sharing classical music with my readers. I just did. Not sure why," says the Denver-based Katsenelson. He is fascinated with classical music's longevity, and says it turns out that many of his readers know more than he does, so he learns from them. "Since I write about it, now I can justify spending hours on YouTube listening to various performances. I love investing, and I love writing about it. But sometimes I feel it consumes too much of me."

- Peter Dobrin