VERO BEACH — In a move that reflects a transition from all-volunteer to paid professional management, Vero Beach Opera has named acclaimed opera conductor, vocal coach and accompanist Bruce Stasyna as its first full-time salaried music director.
Hiring for other positions is in progress, says Roman Ortega-Cowan, the opera’s artistic director who volunteers his time, which is considerable.
Citing the opera company’s “extremely sound” fiscal position, Ortega-Cowan says bringing “young, well-trained professionals” into the organization assures VBO’s work will go on.
Change of leadership should not “run the risk of not having somebody” willing to volunteer, he says. That risk would no doubt be high, considering Ortega-Cowan’s dedication, to say nothing of his connections in the opera world.
“I feel the effort merits looking ahead to place this company in a position to survive,” he says. “You need to hire the best that you can hire and pay them for it.”
Stasyna comes with connections of his own. An acclaimed choral director and accompanist, with a master’s in performance from New York’s Mannes School of Music, the conservatory of the New School university, Stasyna has served as chorus master with New York City Opera, Minnesota Opera, Washington Concert Opera and Wolf Trap in the suburbs of Washington, DC, and as artistic director for Vermont’s Green Mountain Opera Festival. That opera, citing fiscal reasons, has decided not to stage a 2015 festival.
Stasyna, who currently lives in New York, had a Palm Beach connection for many years, directing the Young Artist program of the Palm Beach Opera for six seasons. The Ortega-Cowans first heard him conduct a concert in Stuart.
“We were so impressed with his demeanor, his showmanship, the whole package, that we invited him to participate with us,” Ortega-Cowan recalls, adding, “The big stars love him, too.”
Tenor Marcello Giordani, who has tight ties with Vero Beach Opera, lined Stasyna up to accompany him in a concert in Toronto last week, but canceled at the last minute.
Stasyna’s first task as music director will be to conduct the Brevard Symphony Orchestra in Vero Beach Opera’s original production of Puccini’s “Il Tabarro” Jan. 11.
He will also accompany the Three Divas concert in February and tenor Marcello Giordani in his April concert, as well as competitors in the Giordani Foundation International Vocal Competition that same month.
As artistic director, Ortega-Cowan will make the final programming choices to present to the board for its approval. Joan Ortega-Cowan, his wife, is the board’s chairman and president of the opera.
In addition to their own exhaustive efforts, the Ortega-Cowans have relied on opera devotees here to contribute pro bono their legal, accounting and administrative expertise as the 15-member VBO ”working” board of directors, as Ortega-Cowan calls it.
“The main message is, it would be very selfish for us to believe we’re going to be alive forever or hold captive this organization to being dependent on two or three or four people for its administration,” says Ortega-Cowan. “Let’s place this company in a position of cultural profit that survives even its founders.”