The Nancy Frampton
Rising Artists Series
Created in honor of the late Atlanta arts enthusiast Nancy Walker Frampton, The Nancy Frampton Rising Artists Series is a concert program highlighting the next generation of classical music stars. The series aims to bring exciting new talent from a variety of performance genres. All concerts take place at Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Upcoming concert information is listed below, and tickets for our 2024 season are available now! Be sure to join our email list for updates.
Tickets for our next concert are available at the button directly below, while links to purchase future concert tickets can be found under each performer’s photo as you scroll down the page.
Ticket links below for all individual upcoming concerts.
2025 Season
CelebrATL - Four of Atlanta’s best singers in concert
Saturday, February 1, 7:00 p.m.
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Benefit concert supporting the Nancy Frampton Rising Artist Series. Featuring opera arias and other favorites by the renowned Jeanné Brown, Morris Robinson, Indra Thomas and Talise Trevigne.
JOSE SIMERILLA ROMERO, Tenor
Saturday, April 5, 7:00 p.m.
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Mr. Simerilla Romero is an Award Winner from the 41st International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, the Chicago International Music Competition, the Camerata Bardi International Vocal Competition, the Jensen Foundation International Vocal Competition, the Opera Foundation, Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions, the Manhattan international Music Competition, Kyrenia Opera Vocal Competition, Vienna International Music Competition, Berliner International Competition, the Vero Beach Opera “Rising Star’ International Competition, the Orpheus Vocal Competition, and the Tampa Bay Symphony Jack Heller Competition. Mr. Romero has participated in Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artist Vocal Academy, the IA Opera Young Artist Program, the Dutch National Opera Ballet Studio, and the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute. He holds degrees from both Valencia College (Orlando, Fl) and Stetson University (Deland, Fl).
Praised for his “ample voice of arresting quality” (Opera News) and “power, passion and lyrical finesse” (Opera Magazine), in his 2024/25 season, rising young Argentinian-Spanish-American tenor Jose Simerilla Romera returns to the role of Alfredo (La Traviata) with Theater Basel and Opera Western Reserve; as Pinkerton (Madam Butterfly) with Dorset Opera Festival; as Cavaradossi (Tosca) with Opera de Limoges and Opera de Vichy; as Ismael (Nabucco) with Deutsche Opera Berlin; and in staged performances of Verdi’s Requiem with Staatsoper Hannover. He joins acclaimed soprano Erica Nakamura in concert with Latvian National Opera.
Dilon Bryan, French Horn
Saturday, June 7, 7:00 p.m.
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Dilon Bryan is a British-born hornist from Birmingham, United Kingdom currently living in Atlanta, GA. He recently held the horn chair of Ensemble Flatirons, a chamber group comprised of University of Colorado Boulder's top-performing brass musicians. Dilon is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Colorado University (Boulder CO) studying under Colorado Symphony's principal horn, Michael Thornton and second horn, Carolyn Kunicki. He has appeared on stage with ensembles such as the Colorado Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Central City Opera, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, as well as guest principal horn with the Atlanta Symphony. Mr. Dilon received his M.M and B.M degrees in Performance from the University of Georgia and Columbus State University, respectively. Named the winner of the 2019 Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta Scholarship Competition, Dilon was given the opportunity to study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. While in Salzburg, he had the privilege of performing in the beautiful Wiener Saal, as a result of also being named a First Prize winner in the Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition. Dilon's notable teachers have included Anna Dodd, Natalie Higgins, Catherine Kilroe-Smith, Jean Martin-Williams, Achim Reus, and Johannes Hinterholzer.
Dilon Bryan is an adjunct professor of French Horn both at the University of North Georgia and at the University of West Georgia.
Yang Gao (Jack Gao), piano
Saturday, September 20, 7:00 p.m.
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Born in 2003, Yang (Jack) Gao began playing the piano at age four and studying composition at age nine. In 2016, he entered Middle School affiliated to the China Conservatory of Music to study piano with Tianhong Tan, and composition with Xin Xie. Additional studies have been with Huiqiao Bao, Xu Fei, and Elmar Gasanov. Currently he studies at Julliard with Jerome Lowenthal. Among his awards include at Juilliard: the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition and winner of the concerto competition. He was awarded second prize in the 9th Steinway National Competition and 83rd Steinway International Piano Competition. His recent performances include playing John Corigliano’s Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Simone Young, and performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with En Shao and the Orchestra Academy of China Conservatory of Music.