Amid the busyness and rush of the Christmas season, it can be nice to pause for a moment to savor its beauty.
Beloved carols and holiday pop classics can capture many of the emotions of the season. But with soaring vocals and lilting strings, chamber music has the ability to reflect the solemn, the sacred and the serene.
That is the aim of a special Christmas concert being planned on Sunday.
“It’s a little break, a little moment of pause and reflection,” musician Donata Cucinotta said. “I hope people come to hear an hour of music in a unique setting with a wide range of songs.”
Cucinotta, who is a voice teacher at Center Grove High School in addition to being a renowned opera singer, will be part of a Christmas chamber music concert with a group of other skilled musicians. The concert features a collection of sacred music classics ranging from the medieval period to present day.
The concert will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Nativity Catholic Church on the southeast side of Indianapolis, featuring classical favorites and beloved carols.
“As a musician, I feel like there are certain Christmas songs that we get inundated with,” she said. “What I’ve tried to do with this concert is try to incorporate some new music. I’ve incorporated some standards, but also some lesser known things you wouldn’t expect to hear.”
Growing up in Philadelphia, Cucinotta was introduced to opera music at a very young age. She comes from a large Italian family where singing — particularly during meal preparation — was imperative.
“It’s a scientific fact that pasta sauce cooks better when you sing to it, and if you’re not a good singer yourself, you can put on recordings of opera,” she said. “So my parents played all the big Italian operas.”
As she grew older, Cucinotta furthered her music education, encouraged by her singing instructor in high school. Opera, in particular, stood out to her.
“The thing about opera was that it was so over the top,” she said. “It’s unamplified, it’s so visceral, and there’s something so exciting to me about that style of singing that it envelops you like a big blanket.”
Cucinotta ended up studying voice and opera as a student at Mannes College of Music in New York City, followed by a series of apprenticeships. She’s been a professional musician ever since.
Cucinotta has built a reputation as a powerful performer in opera, musical and concert performances. She has performed with Michael Tilson Thomas and the Louisville Orchestra, debuting at the Lincoln Center with the Queens Symphony Orchestra, and singing multiple times with Jack Everly and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra — including multiple featured spots in the annual AES Indiana Yuletide Celebration.
As an opera singer, she has appeared as Donna Elvira in “Don Giovanni,” Countess Almaviva in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Musetta in “La Bohème.” Cucinotta solos regularly with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and Indianapolis Symphonic Choir.
Now living in Seymour, Cucinotta was offered an opportunity to teach voice lessons to students at Center Grove two days a week. She was connected to the position by Greg Sanders, vocal director for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, who has also worked in theater and music at Center Grove.
He had been pushing Cucinotta to take a vocal coach position for a number of years, but it never fit into her life until now.
“My child is in school now, and the previous voice teacher retired, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to step in and have a full garden of beautiful singers,” she said. “I absolutely love it there. All of the children are great, and it’s the perfect situation.”
Not only does Cucinotta have the chance to share her knowledge with the upcoming generation of performers, but she’s found that teaching improves her own performances as well.
“I love being able to bring my experience as a performer to my students,” she said.
But despite her new teaching responsibilities, singing on stage remains a core piece of her life. The concert at Nativity Catholic Church came about through her experience with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as a colleague had arranged a chamber concert as part of the church’s concert series.
Cucinotta will be performing with a string trio of talented musicians.
“Usually I perform with a full orchestra or a piano or a string quintet or quartet. So to pare it down to a trio is a really unique combination of instruments. I had to get very creative with what repertoire would work,” she said.
The trio of musicians working with her bring a wealth of skill and experience to the concert.
Eva Tao is a violinist studying currently at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. As a founding member of the Luft String Quartet, she played in the 20th Harvard College China Forum Concert, Confucius Institute Concert, and European Institute for One Belt One Road Economic and Cultural Cooperation and Development Concert. She has also participated in the Beijing Music Festival, International String Music Festival and Singapore Violin Festival.
Violinist and violist Chang-Ping Gu currently holds the position of assistant instructor of violin and viola at the Jacobs School of Music. He earned a master’s degree in jazz piano in Queens College in New York, while continuously playing the violin in local orchestras, Queens College Orchestra and Queensboro Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Gu attended Duo 526 sonata seminar and Atlantic Music Festival in 2023.
Cellist Peter Kim has performed everywhere, from at the White House with the DePauw Cello Ensemble to the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Fresno Summer Orchestra. He is an active orchestral musician performing with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Kokomo Symphony Orchestra, and Paducah Symphony Orchestra as principal cellist. In addition, he is a regular substitute with the Indianapolis Symphony and St. Louis Symphony.
Cusinotta also commissioned a new arrangement by composer Felix Jarrar, whose piece looks at the Nativity from the perspective of Mary.
“I really put a lot of thought into what music we’re representing,” she said. “At least, it’ll be a really interesting concert in the way that Barbra Streisand would think about her music and the order of the songs and stories she tells.”
IF YOU GO
Christmas Chamber Concert
What: A performance of classical favorites and beloved carols performed by Donata Cucinotta, soprano and Center Grove High School vocal instructor; Eva Tao, violin; Chang-Ping Gu, violin and viola, and Peter Kim, cello. A reception with light refreshments will follow the concert.
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Nativity Catholic Church, 7225 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis
Cost: Free, though a free-will offering will be collected to help offset the expenses of the church’s concert series.
