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Former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean has been named Honorary Chair and longtime Princeton resident Marie L. Matthews will serve as the Gala Patron Committee Chair of the Fourth Annual Celebrate Opera Gala. The black?tie event, which will benefit Opera New Jersey’s upcoming season and educational outreach, will be held at the Princeton Marriott at the Forrestal.
“It’s an honor to gather such world class talent at Opera New Jersey’s Celebrate Opera Gala, this evening is a wonderful opportunity to not only hear great singing in an intimate environment but to kick off our next exciting season!” said General and Artistic Director, Scott Altman. Veronica Villaroel is one of Chile’s proudest cultural exports. As a world class operatic soprano, her sensational voice and regal beauty regularly grace the leading operatic stages around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Stuttgart Opera, Lyon Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and many others. She has sung leading roles in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte; Puccini’s La boheme and Madama Butterfly; and Verdi’s La traviata and Il trovatore opposite such names as Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Jose Cura, Placido Domingo and Renata Scotto.
Ms. Villarroel’s rise to international stardom reads like a classic fairy tale. Looking for work to support her family, she auditioned for the opera chorus of the Teatro Municipal in her native Santiago. Without previous vocal training, Ms. Villarroel immediately impressing everyone was cast as Musetta, opposite Renata Scotto as Mimi in La boheme. Ms. Scotto recognized the talent in her young co?star and advocated that government officials and private foundations send Ms. Villarroel to New York’s Julliard School. Shortly after arriving in New York, she won the Pavarotti International Voice Competition.
Ms. Villarroel made her professional debut in 1990 in Barcelona, quickly followed by her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1991. The Accidental Diva, a documentary film about the life and rise to international stardom of Chilean world?class soprano Veronica Villarroel has won numerous international awards and has been screened at leading film festivals including Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival, Boston Latino International Film Festival and Chicago Latino Film Festival, among many others.
James Valenti, a New Jersey native, is currently performing the title role in Gounod's Faust directed by internationally acclaimed stage director Bernard Uzan at Opera Carolina. This past summer he made his very successful La Scala Opera debut as Rodolfo in La boheme with Maestro Gustavo Dudamel at the podium. In March 2008, Valenti performed Lt. Pinkerton in Mark Lamos' Madama Butterfly at New York City Opera which was nationally televised on “Live from Lincoln Center” on PBS.
In 2007 he made his San Francisco Opera debut as Lt. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and sang the same role with Maestro James Conlon, soprano Patricia Racette and The Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival. In 2006 he made his much anticipated New York Ciy Opera as Rodolfo in James Robinson production of La boheme, performed Madama Butterfly at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova directed by Renata Scotto, and made his London recital debut. In 2005, he made his debut at the prestigious Salzburg Festival, performing in Willy Decker’s production of La traviata with Anna Netrebko, Thomas Hampson and the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Carlo Rizzi. Mr. Valenti made his professional debut in the summer of 2003 at age 25 as Rodolfo in La boheme directed by Franco Zeffirelli at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. Mr. Valenti studied at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. -- www.opera-nj.org
Posted October 25th, 2008 by ruzik_tuzik
