ҹɫ����

In a historic first, the Basically Beethoven Festival will feature a lineup of exclusively ҹɫ����Meadows students and alumni its July 13 concert at Moody Performance Hall in Dallas’ Arts District. This free event, part of the festival’s beloved summer chamber music series, will highlight the artistry and accomplishment of Meadows students and alumni in both its “Rising Stars” and “Feature Performer” segments.

The 2025 performance marks the first time in the festival’s decades-long history that one of the programs will be composed entirely of Meadows-affiliated musicians. According to organizers, the selected performers were chosen based on their stellar reputations and professional accomplishments. This emphasis on excellence reflects both the caliber of Meadows training and the festival’s ongoing mission to elevate emerging and established talent alike.

The concert will open with the “Rising Stars” recital, spotlighting three Meadows-students: mezzo-soprano Grace Monsanto, bass-baritone Bradley Ritschell and collaborative pianist Kara Solis. Monsanto, a current voice performance student, recently portrayed the Child in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges at Meadows and is the mezzo soloist at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. She is also currently performing as a nun in The Sound of Music with Garland Summer Musicals. Ritschell, an incoming student in the Meadows Performance Certificate program, brings an unusual combination of artistry and technical background—holding a B.S. in engineering from UT Dallas while also working as a teaching artist and performer with The Dallas Opera.

Together with Solis at the piano, the duo will perform a dynamic selection of arias and scenes by Mozart, Rossini and Cole Porter. The program includes excerpts from Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Fifty Million Frenchmen, offering audiences a lively blend of opera and musical theatre. Their “Rising Stars” showcase begins at 2:30 p.m.

The “Featured Artist” of the afternoon is renowned pianist Liudmila Georgievskaya, a Meadows alumna and former adjunct professor in piano and accompanying at SMU. Now a professor of piano at the University of North Texas, Georgievskaya enjoys an international performance career and is celebrated for her nuanced interpretations. Her solo recital, beginning at 3:00 p.m., will include works by Claude Debussy and Joaquín Rodrigo.

Held annually since 1981, the Basically Beethoven Festival is a cornerstone of Dallas’s summer cultural calendar. Each Sunday concert throughout July features a “Rising Stars” prelude followed by a main performance by a more seasoned artist. The festival provides free classical music programming to the public, drawing diverse audiences from across North Texas.

Seating for the July 13 performance is first-come, first-served, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure a spot. The concert begins at 2:30 p.m. and admission is open to the public. More information, including program details and artist bios, can be found on the festival’s website at .