Guests at a private gathering at the home of Kendra and Roger Haines last Wednesday evening were treated to a private special performance featuring Metropolitan Opera stars Matthew Rose, bass, and pianist Vlad Iftinca in a Pre-Carnegie Hall Recital to benefit the Vero Beach Opera Vocal and Piano Scholarship programs.
Rose, accompanied by Iftinca, will make his Carnegie Hall debut in New York on March 25, performing pieces by Purcell, Loewe and Schubert, and provided guests with an exclusive preview.
After performing two works by the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and one by German composer Carl Loewe, the duo devoted the rest of the recital to Franz Schubert’s “Schwanengesang” (Swan song), a collection written at the end of his life that was published posthumously.
Kendra Haines said the British-born Rose had approached her last year with an offer to do a fundraiser for the Vero Beach Opera.
“Matthew has been a dear friend of my family for many years. He’s very involved in trying to help young singers achieve,” said Haines. “This is his rehearsal for his Carnegie Hall recital, so it’s very important to him. For him to do this here is very special. I didn’t love opera until I met Matthew. It’s become very special for me, and I love being part of the piano scholarship program.”
Vero Beach Opera scholarships are awarded to local college-bound high school or college students majoring in Vocal Arts/Performance or Music Education. The piano scholarships enable students showing talent, commitment and financial need to study with Dr. Marcos Flores.
Joan and Román Ortega-Cowan, Vero Beach Opera president and artistic director, respectively, said they were thrilled to have such high-caliber performers share their talents. Joan also noted that soprano Deborah Voigt would be returning in 2018 for the Deborah Voigt Vero Beach Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition.
Rose studied at the Curtis Institute of Music before joining the Young Artist Program at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He received the John Christie Award for his role as Bottom in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and has performed at the Glyndebourne Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Opéra National de Lyon, Houston Grand Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, among others.
Iftinca, who serves on the Metropolitan Opera assistant conductor roster, attended the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid and the Julliard School and has performed at the Frankfurt Opera, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Max-Joseph-Saal in Munich, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles Opera and numerous other international venues.
The Vero Beach Opera was originally established in 1988 as the Vero Beach Opera Guild to offer a platform for local performers. In 2003 they made changes to their programming and, along with a name change, began to focus on a more professional platform presenting grand opera.
The nonprofit’s mission is to “enrich the cultural lives of our community through fully staged professional opera productions, concerts and international vocal competitions of the highest quality, which promote an increased awareness and deeper appreciation of opera to expanding and diverse Florida audiences of all ages.”
For more information visit VeroBeachOpera.org.
