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Aria Nouveau brings classical and pop influences to Packard

Submitted photo Soprano Laura Auer, left, and tenor John Riessen make up Aria Nouveau, which performs Wednesday at Packard Music Hall as part of the Warren Civic Music Association’s 2025-26 season.

Aria Nouveau will be the next concert in the Warren Civic Music Association’s 2025-26 season.

The duo of soprano Laura Auer and tenor John Riessen draws from classical and pop influences for a program that includes crossover hits (“The Prayer,” “Amigos Para Simpre”), show tunes (“Music of the Night” from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables”) and opera favorites (“Nessum Dorma” from “Turandot,” “Quando me’n vo'” from “La Boheme”).

Auer released her debut album, “Chasing Down the Dream,” in 2014 and won the Philadelphia Songwriters Contest the following year. She relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked with three-time Grammy-winning producer Tim Sonnenfeld.

Auer trained as a classical singer and studied vocal performance at Pennsylvania State University, and she revisited her classical roots during the COVID-19 pandemic. She decided to merge classical bel canto and “popra” on a four-part album series called “Seasons,” which charted in the top 10 on Billboard’s classical crossover chart.

Riesen has performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and performed with orchestras and opera companies around the country. He has released more than 100 studio records that have been streamed more than 10 million times combined.

He appeared on the reality competition series “America’s Got Talent” as part of the group Metaphysic, and he has performed for Presidents Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave NW, Warren. Tickets are $45 and are available in advance at the Packard box office and through Ticketmaster.

Starting at $3.23/week.

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