Slovenian-American Golden Voices

Slovenian-American Singing Stars on Two New CDs, June 12

Two new CDs pay tribute to Eddie Kenik, June Price, Anton Schubel and other American Slovenian singers who made their mark on the Cleveland music scene. Cecilia Dolgan returns to Cleveland to premiere “The Golden Voices of Glasbena Matica,” a two-CD set of vocal concerts from 1961 and 1962, at the Polka Hall of Fame, on Thursday, June 12, at 7:00 p.m.

The Glasbena Matica Slovenian Singing Society has long been recognized for producing some of the best-known talents in Slovenian-American entertainment. Under the direction of baritone Anton Schubel, a one-time member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, these now-legendary vocalists were brought together for two special performances in Chicago in 1961 and Waukegan, Illinois, in 1962.

The CDs feature Schubel, along with Eddie Kenik, June Price, Anne Safred, Carolyn Budan, Frank Bradach and Cecilia Dolgan, the only singer still with us. Back then, young Cecilia had the foresight to record these two concerts and now is releasing them as a remarkable document of the grandeur achieved by these amazing Slovenian-American performers.

The selections include arias, sung in Slovenian and Italian, from operas, such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, Carmen and Pagliacci. There are also Slovenian folk songs, Slovenian classics, polkas and American popular melodies in English.

Cecilia will share behind-the-scenes stories on the staging of the two benefits concerts and the glory days of Glasbena Matica, when the ensemble staged full-scale operas in Slovenian. The Polka Hall of Fame is located in the historic old Euclid City Hall at 605 East 222nd Street in Euclid, Ohio. For more information about the CD premiere, call the Polka Hall of Fame at (216) 261-3263 or e-mail PolkaShop at aol.com.