Dr. Laura M. Petravage, mezzo-soprano is a choral conductor in the South Central Pennsylvania area. Dr. Petravage is an adjunct faculty member at Millersville University, and Messiah College. She has previously taught at George Mason University, Potomac Arts Academy, and American University. She has performed as a soloist and chorister in the Rochester, New York, and Washington metro areas. Dr. Petravage traces her Polish roots to her great-grandfather, originally Piotrowicz, a Polish coal miner who emigrated to Pennsylvania. Dr. Petravage was 2nd Place Winner in the 2015 Marcella Kochańska Sembrich Vocal Competition, sponsored by the American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) for singers of Polish descent. Dr. Petravage completed her doctorate in choral conducting at George Mason University. She received her Masters of Music in choral conducting from the Eastman School of Music and she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in vocal performance with a Minor in French language studies from American University. Dr. Petravage is fluent in French and German. She is a certified Kodaly specialist, and is completing a degree in Music Education at Millersville University. She currently studies voice with Dr. Damian Savarino.
Dr. Wanda O'Brien-Trefil, pianist, accompanies and performs around the Washington area. After working 42 years as a chorus and musical theater director in the public schools, Dr. O'Brien-Trefil retired to use her musical and leadership skills to promote talented young people of Polish descent. Dr. O'Brien-Trefil has chaired the ACPC Marcella Kochańska Sembrich Vocal Competition. She served as 1st Vice-President of the Polish American Arts Association of Washington (PAAA), and co-chaired the annual PAAA Chopin Concerts at the Polish Embassy to raise money for the PAAA Scholarship Program. The "Drs. James and Wanda Trefil Science Scholarship" is administered by the Kościuszko Foundation for an undergraduate student of Polish descent who shows exceptional promise in the natural sciences. When Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Washington DC in March of 2016, Dr. O'Brien-Trefil was granted the honor of playing the national anthems at the Polish Embassy. Dr. O'Brien-Trefil received her music performance degrees from Case-Western Reserve University and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.
Tickets:
$30 General Audience
$20 KF Members
IF YOU BECOME A MEMBER OF THE KOSCIUSZKO FOUNDATION ON THAT EVENING YOU WILL HAVE AN ADDITIONAL $5 OFF! (so you pay $15)
Wine and Snacks will be served
RSVP: bbernhardt@thekf.org
202-785-2320