Roswell Daily Record- February 4, 2007- Ashley Meeks
‘Carmen thrills Roswell audience’
Saturday evening’s performance, directed by LizBeth Lucca, starred mezzo-soprano Geeta Novotny as Carmen, tenor Christopher Campbell as Don Jose, baritone E. Philip Schneider as Escamillo, soprano Myriam Zekaria as Micaela…
ABC News- January 14, 2005
‘School’s Outreach Plays on U.S. Opera Surge’
Pittsburgh Tribune Review- January 3, 2005
‘LA Opera Company Performs for School’
Bhatnagar said, “They (the children) are engrossed in the show…if you build upon teaching these children art and different forms of art at a young age, they'll develop a taste for it when they're older. And we hope that we're looking at our future audience.”
Indian Life & Style Magazine, Cover Story for May / June 2004- Sunil Adam
‘Geeta & Dana Bhatnagar, The Sopranos & the Indian American Ensemble’
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The small apartment in Janakpuri – a middle class urban ghetto in New Delhi where boisterous Hindi film music from neighbors’ televisions wafts in, and the din of chaotic two-stroke engine traffic serenades residents three flights up – may not be an ideal setting for the rendition of arias. But it was in that cacophonous condo, in front of their paternal grandmother, the 76-year old Vimala Devi Bhatnagar, and a few handpicked relatives, that Dana, a soprano, sang “Deh vieni non tardar,” from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro”, and Geeta, a mezzo-soprano, sang “Verdi Prati,”, from Handel’s “Alcina”…
“When Geeta walks into a room, she makes her presence felt”, says Professor Robert Page of Carnegie Mellon University. “She has a luscious voice”, he adds. Geeta has the rounder richer voice, whereas Dana has a higher and brighter one.” If Geeta is the flamboyant one, Dana is introverted but extremely focused. Together, the Bhatnagar sisters, everyone agrees, make glorious music…
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Peninsula News- June 19, 2003- Clarence Anderson
‘Young Artists from Around the World Pay Tribute to Music’
The Bhatnagars, Dana and Geeta, are sisters and have joined to create a unique vocal duo. The sisters recently made their Carnegie Hall debuts as featured soloists in Felix Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Maestro Jaime Laredo conducting the New York String Orchestra and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Dana and Geeta both earned bachelor’s degrees of fine arts in the vocal program at Carnegie Mellon University.
Los Angeles Times- January 23, 2003- Carolyn Patricia Scott
‘My Favorite Weekend: Geeta Bhatnagar- Getting out, getting ahead’
The mezzo-soprano and her sister, Dana, a soprano made their Carnegie Hall debuts on Dec. 28 as soloists in Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the New York String Orchestra. The production was narrated by actress Claire Bloom. The Bhatnagar Sisters have just released their first CD ‘Duets’…
Bhatnagar said, “Moving to L.A. has had so many advantages. There’s so much of the natural environment, you don’t get that in certain regions of the country…I love to go to the beach, to drive through the mountains of Santa Barbara. I love to be in the earth of it: Hiking, walking are my natural salvations…”
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The New York Times- December 31, 2002- Bernard Holland
‘Letting Young String Players Find the Way Themselves’
Claire Bloom narrated the Shakespeare end of the evening with elegant understatement. The Young People’s Chorus of New York City and the sisters Dana and Geeta Bhatnagar sang the solos…
Jefferson County Neighbors- December 14, 2002- Kathy Young
‘Brookville Natives to make Carnegie Hall Debut Dec. 28'
Past week’s Saturday’s “Meet the Artist” event in Brookville’s Forty Something that featured Dana and Geeta Bhatnagar had trouble staying on course owing to the two classical singers’ popularity with local residents. Although the two performers were present in Brookville to promote their latest musical endeavors, the release of a CD entitled “Duets”, personally autographing each copy purchased, they frequently had to lay down their pens to hug old friends…
Geeta, who now lives in Los Angeles, appearing with the Los Angeles Opera Company, was happy to be home but was less enthused about the cold weather. “That is one of the plusses about living in California”, she said. “I love the weather there; I keep encouraging the rest of the family to come visit me, especially this time of year.”…
Speaking as a mother, Colleen Bhatnagar says, “They are both respectful of each other’s musical careers, with both knowing the commitment and hard work it takes to succeed. Both of them have always been very supportive of the other’s efforts and glad for each other’s success. There’s nothing, I’m sure, that will ever change that.”
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Jeffersonian Democrat- December 5, 2002- Randy Bartley
‘Bhatnagar Sisters First CD a Reflection of Family Ties’
The release of a new CD is rare and seldom occurs in rural Pennsylvania. But on Saturday “Duets” a CD by Brookville Natives Geeta and Dana Bhatnagar was released in Brookville. As an added feature, the girls were on hand at Forty Something to sign the CD…
“I am so overwhelmed by the response”, said Dana Bhatnagar. “We have seen so many of our friends and classmates today.” Teased about their new celebrity status, Geeta Bhatnagar said, “We don’t feel like celebrities. This is home.”
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Jefferson County Neighbors- November 23, 2002- Kathy Young
‘Forty Something to host Bhatnagar Sisters’
Last June, people in this community had a rare opportunity to experience a world-class musical performance when Geeta and Dana Bhatnagar returned to perform a concert sponsored by the Brookville Borough Council on the Arts. The two sisters will again be in Brookville next Saturday to promote their newest musical endeavor, a premier CD entitled, “Duets”. The CD follows the format of their earlier Brookville show, featuring both classical music and show tunes…
People who attended their June concert and remember the spellbinding magic of their music can also participate in their homecoming by being present at their CD signing at Forty Something…
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Jeffersonian Democrat- June 6, 2002- Randy Bartley
‘Bhatnagar Sisters to Perform in Brookville’
…The Bhatnagar sisters, who, for the past seven years have been forging careers in opera both nationally and internationally, have come a long way from the days of chorus, orchestra, band and musicals at Brookville Area High School, proving that small town kids can make enormous accomplishments…
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Jefferson County Neighbors- June 2002- Kathy Young
‘Bhatnagar Sisters Return Home to Present Concert’
There is little similarity between the return of the Prodigal Son and the Bhatnagar Sisters, Dana and Geeta, to their hometown of Brookville, except for the joy expressed by the parents of the returnees in both instances…
Colleen Bhatnagar says of her daughters’ homecoming, “With everyone so scattered, Geeta in Los Angeles, Dana in New York City, and Vimal in Ohio, it’s hard to get everyone together. Having everyone home again under one roof will be a real event.” Colleen is more reserved in discussing her daughters’ professional successes in music. “Of course, we’re proud”, she says of herself and her husband. My husband’s father was a violinist”, she relates, “and we began the girls on the violin when they were five years old…”
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Jackson Hole Guide- December 19, 2001- Marie Ewald
‘Local Students Become Opera aficionados’
…Henderson said she liked the workshop on makeup and costumes the most because of how easily a person could be transformed into someone completely different. With just a hat and a prop, workshop leader Geeta Bhatnagar turned students into a pirate, Robin Hood, a princess, an old lady and a movie star. By adjusting the hairdo, Bhatnagar turned student Cody Hunt, who usually has spiked hair, into a “nerd”. Bhatnagar’s greatest triumph was when she turned a little boy into an old woman. She painted on wrinkles, white eyebrows, sunken cheeks, blush, and lipstick. Then she added glasses, a wig, a shawl and a cane…
The workshop and performances worked to add an interesting dimension to opera for the students. “It’s a good way to show them that opera isn’t stereotypically boring or hard to understand”, Bhatnagar said. “We’re trying to dispel a lot of myths about opera.”
Jackson Hole News- December 19, 2001- Richard Anderson
‘Vocalists Introduce Students to Opera’
…The rest of the Utah Opera apprentice team was made up of mezzo-soprano Geeta Bhatnagar, soprano Amy Wolf, and pianist Jeremy Frank. The five young artists, who just started their careers in music, hail from across the United States…
Other workshops covered sets, makeup, props and costumes. Bhatnagar transformed 11-year old Justin Brummet into an 80-year-old woman in less than 10 minutes…