Category: Music

Gabriel Preisser, who is singing the part of Mercutio in The St. Petersburg Opera Company‘s production of Charles Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet, Friday, October 4, 2013, 7:30pm, Sunday, October 6, 2:00pm Matinee, and Tuesday, October 8, 7:30pm, will be singing at the Lakewood UCC 10:30am service, Sunday, September 29th.

The following is from the St. Petersburg Opera website:

“Praised for his ‘matinee idol charm and charisma,’ ‘a beautiful, luscious baritone,’ and ‘a compelling, commanding stage presence’ by Opera News, the Star Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, the Pioneer Press, and others, he recently once again received rave reviews for his performance of Lt. Gordon in the world premiere of Kevin Putz’s Pulitzer Prize winning Silent Night with Minnesota Opera.

“Mr. Preisser has been seen in several new works including the title role in Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, Tom Joad in Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, and Riolobo in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas, all at the Moores Opera Center, Antonio in Hagen’s New York Stories at Kentucky Opera, John Brooke in Adamo’s Little Women, and the Shoe Salesman/Puppet role in Argento’s Postcard from Morroco, both at Pensacola Opera.

“His wide range of performed repertoire has included Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Danilo in The Merry Widow, the title role in Don Giovanni, Albert in Werther, Schaunard in La Bohème, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Prince Ottokar in Der Freischütz, Marullo in Rigoletto, Yamadori in Madame Butterfly, Falke in Die Fledermaus, Larry Foreman in The Cradle will Rock, and Bob Baker in Wonderful Town with such companies as Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Pensacola Opera, Kentucky Opera, Skylark Opera, and others

“He was a resident artist at Minnesota Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Pensacola Opera and an apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera. In the competition circuit, he has been honored as a district winner in the Met National Councils and won the American finals of the International Lirico Concorso Competition this past summer. Mr. Preisser graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University with a double major in Vocal Performance and Commercial Music and completed a Masters in Voice at the University of Houston. This will be Gabriel’s first appearance performing on the stage of St. Petersburg Opera Company.”

The role which Mr. Preisser will be performing is Mercutio, who, according to the SPO site, is a “friend of Romeo, and relative of the Prince, who relies on satire and serves as comic relief to the melancholy mood of Romeo. He is responsible for making the young lovers aware of the practical aspects of love.”

For more information on Mr. Preisser and the SPO’s production of Romeo & Juliet and to purchase tickets online go HERE. Group rates are available.

Just a reminder that the Choir’s August Evening Rehearsal is this coming Wednesday, August 28th, 7pm til 8:30pm.

Also, please note that this rehearsal–and all following evening rehearsals–will start at 7pm and not 7:30pm as the earlier ones did.

At lot was accomplished at the last evening rehearsal. They really do give us the luxury to concentrate on the material. Looking forward to seeing you all who are in town on the 28th.