Music at Pitt-Greensburg’s concert schedule for the 2025-2026 season will open with the Joan Chambers Concert Series and a performance on Thursday, Oct. 30, featuring tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica performing a program titled, “Winter Words.” Maeve Berry, DMA, will accompany Laucerica for the performance.
The program, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Center at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (150 Finoli Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601).
Fran Daniel Laucerica
Cuban-American Fran Daniel Laucerica has been praised for his clarity, agility, and musical versatility, and as a rising star on the operatic and concert stages. Known for his “sweetly shining tenor” (Opera Today) and “heroic vocal intensity” (Pittsburgh Quarterly), as well as his “authoritative stage presence” (Entertainment Central Pittsburgh), Laucerica’s repertoire spans from Bach, Gluck, and Rossini to contemporary works.
This season, he debuts with Opera Philadelphia, Washington Concert Opera, and Opera Omaha in roles such as Il viaggio a Reims and Susannah, while returning to First Coast Opera for The Mikado. In concert, he will perform Bach’s B minor Mass with various ensembles.
Recent operatic highlights include roles in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Pagliacci, and La traviata. He has covered roles in Madama Butterfly and Sweeney Todd. On the concert stage, Laucerica has been a soloist in works like Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, and Mozart's Coronation Mass. He advocates for new music, premiering works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Bienen Contemporary Vocal Ensemble.
Maeve Berry
Berry, who resides in Pittsburgh, is a pianist and vocal coach. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music’s doctoral program, she is the inaugural Resident Artist Pianist at the Pittsburgh Opera, where she serves as a coach and pianist for rehearsals and productions.
As a recitalist, Maeve has appeared at various summer festivals, including Songfest, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Source Song Festival, Cincinnati Song Initiative’s Fellowship of the Song, and the Franz Schubert Institut. In addition to performance, Dr. Berry earned an Advanced Certificate in Music Theory pedagogy at Eastman.
Music at Pitt-Greensburg
Music at Pitt-Greensburg will host several other events this semester. The performances, which are free and open to the public, will also be held in the Mary Lou Campana Chapel and Lecture Hall. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
- Fall Concert of the Pitt-Greensburg Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Campana Consort on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21. The program will feature music from Rent, Moulin Rouge, and La Boheme.
- The Voice & Piano Recital on Dec. 3. This event will feature Pitt-Greensburg students who are studying voice and piano with Chelsea Ritenour and Matt Klumpp, both instructors of music at Pitt-Greensburg.
About the Joan Chambers Concert Series:
The Joan Chambers Concert Series is possible through the generous support of President Emeritus George F. Chambers. It brings local, national, and international artists to our campus for performances of the highest professional caliber. It has featured international opera star Andrew Zimmerman, cello/piano duo Antonio Lysy and Patricia Hoy, soprano Julie Wyma, pianist Pablo Amorós, the Swara Sonora Trio, Shana Mashego, North Sea Gas, the Tucson Girls Chorus, thingNY, tenor Chris Carr, and contralto Emily Marvosh. It has proudly presented some of Pennsylvania's finest ensembles and artists, including the Pittsburgh Camerata, Voces Solis, Kassia Ensemble, Heinz Chapel Choir, Pittsburgh Trombone Project, Elizabeth Lins Shonfelt, Skip Napier & Tim Heavner, Blue Mile Jazz, PM Woodwind Project, Zach Rohlwing, and the Penn State Chamber Singers.
The series is named in honor of Joan Chambers, the late wife of President Chambers, who was an ardent supporter and representative of Pitt‐Greensburg in the community for many years. While her interests were diverse, she particularly enjoyed participating in book discussion groups, attending cultural events, and hosting themed luncheons at her home. The Children’s Literature Collection in Millstein Library, another of her passions, was developed and named in her honor.