Our History

We have displayed our entire history and opera productions in a brand-new, easy-to-follow timeline!

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Our Mission 

To enrich the cultural lives of our community members
by producing 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 audiences of all ages.

Our Artistic Team

Russell Franks

Artistic Director & Stage Director

Russell has enjoyed an international career both as a singer and director. He has sung over forty major operatic roles and performed in over a thousand concerts. He has appeared as soloist with many orchestral, concert, and choral organizations such as the Bach Society of Greater Miami, Verbier Music Festival, Handel Choral Society of Orlando and the Miami Symphony Orchestra. He has served as set designer and stage director for Vero Beach Opera since 2011. He became Vero Beach Opera Artistic Director in 2022. Russell holds a bachelor’s degree in voice performance and church music from Stetson University and a master’s degree in voice performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He previously served as Director of Opera Theatre at Stetson University for many years.


Gregory Buchalter

Music Director

Gregory became Vero Beach Opera's Music Director in 2023. He has been an Assistant Conductor at the MET Opera for many years. In fact, the position of “Maestro di Banda” was created for him there, and he worked extensively with the MET Opera Chorus. At the MET, he prepared several world premieres including John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Philip Glass’ The Voyage and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby. He served as Music Director of Opera Fairbanks and Opera Camerata of Washington. Highlights include conducting Salome at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Die Fledermaus at the Vienna Volksoper, Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail at the Spoleto Festival, Cosi fan Tutte with the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Italy, and Eugene Onegin with the New Opera World Festival in Moscow, as well as the American Premieres of Mercadante’s I due Figaro, Von Winter’s Das Labyrinth, and Donizetti’s Olivo e Pasquale in New York, Idomeneo at New England Conservatory, Rigoletto with Opera Orlando, Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire and Tosca for Florida Grand Opera, and he conducted a tour of Madama Butterfly with Opera Lirica d'Europa and with Varna International, where he is Music Director. Upcoming is Pagliacci with Florida Grand Opera, the Mozart Requiem with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and the Verdi Requiem, Don Giovanni, Hansel and Gretel and La Cenerentola with Varna International. 


Román Ortega-Cowan

Artistic Advisor

Román Ortega-Cowan is an operatic baritone who was born in Havana, Cuba. He trained in the operatic tradition both in Cuba and in Europe under such maestros as Stracciari, Bastida, Iglesias and Hubert de-Blanc. In 1960, Román immigrated to the United States and joined the financial institutions industry. Throughout his career, Román always found time to participate in his real passions: music, opera, and vintage car collecting. In the mid-sixties, Román performed in Spanish Zarzuelas with the now defunct Inter-American Opera Society in Miami under the direction of Maestro Manuel Ochoa. Román has performed leading roles from La Traviata, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Rigoletto, La Serva Padrona, among others, both in the United States and abroad. In Florida, he performed with Richard Tucker and Raina Kabaivanska in Manon Lescaut and with William Lewis in Romeo and Juliet with the Orlando Opera Company.
Roman has served as officer and director of various boards of service and civic clubs and was president of the original Vero Beach Rotary Club. He retired briefly in the mid-1980s as a successful senior executive, then spent substantial time working as a consultant to major financial-related private sector enterprises in the Pacific Rim, Mainland China, the Caribbean and South America. In 1988, he collaborated in the formation of Vero Beach Opera Guild, and along with the help of many passionate opera-lovers, has transformed the Guild into what is now Vero Beach Opera, Inc., for which his personal motto is “the best is yet to come.” Starting in 2004, through his efforts as Vero Beach Opera’s Artistic Director, Román and Vero Beach Opera have worked with contemporary opera stars including Metropolitan Opera Stars Deborah Voigt, Marcello Giordani, and Paul Plishka. He served on Deborah Voigt/Vero Beach Opera Foundation Board of Trustees and The Marcello Giordani Foundation Board of Advisors. Roman’s pride and joy is his family. “My major life’s accomplishment was marrying Joan, having our children Tania and Roman IV, now two grandchildren. I am a happy and lucky naturalized American making music here in paradise, Vero Beach!” 


Manny Perez

Artistic Consultant

An accomplished and sought-after voice teacher and artistic consultant, Manny Perez has discovered, taught and mentored some of the top vocal talents emerging today, maintaining vocal studios in Miami and New York City. His students pursue and have achieved national and international careers and have graced many of the world’s greatest stages including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florida Grand Opera, as well the Teatro Solis in Uruguay, La Scala, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, The Royal Opera House, Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires, Ópera de Oviedo, and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Over the last few years, Manny’s students have been finalists and award winners in The Cardiff Singer of the World, Operalia, the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the Paris Opera Competition and more.
Manny earned his degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance from the University of Miami. While singing with the opera chorus of the Greater Miami Opera (now Florida Grand Opera) as a student in 1981, he performed alongside idols including Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. He later became a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Grand Opera for over 10 years. 


Dr. Anthony Baron

Chorus Master

Dr. Anthony Baron currently serves as Chorus Master for Vero Beach Opera. In addition to this role, he serves as Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church and School. Previous appointments include being on the teaching faculties of Nazareth College, University of Rochester, Cranbrook Schools, and Saint Edward’s School. Previous performing credits include leading roles in Le nozze di Figaro, Dialogues of the Carmelites, La Traviata, among others. He is the 2013 Music Teacher’s National Association National Young Artist Winner in Voice. Anthony is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and the Eastman School of Music.


Directors, Officers, & Chairs

(Front) Toni Lemoine, Dr. Joan Ortega-Cowan, Carolyn Lange, Kendra Haines, Sue Gauthier, Carol Palowich and Marcia Loewinger. (Back) Paul Gauthier, Joseph Palowich, Dr. Robert J. Loewinger, Al Ferruolo, Joanne Webster, Bob Webster and Román Ortega-Cowan. (Not pictured) Russell Franks, Rosemary Gagliardi and Ed Halsey

The Big Picture

Production Team
Russell Franks, Artistic Director
Román Ortega-Cowan, Artistic Advisor
Gregory Buchalter, Music Director & Conductor
Manny Perez, Artistic Consultant
Dr. Anthony Baron, Chorus Master 

Officers
Dr. Joan Ortega-Cowan, President
Dr. Robert J. Loewinger, Vice-President
Edward Halsey CPA, Treasurer
Carol Palowich, Recording Secretary

Board of Directors
Russell Franks, Al Ferruolo, Rosemary Gagliardi, Paul Gauthier,
Sue Gauthier, Kendra Haines, Ed Halsey, Carolyn Lange,
Toni Lemoine, Marcia Loewinger, Dr. Robert J. Loewinger,
Dr. Joan Ortega-Cowan, Román Ortega-Cowan,
Joseph Palowich, Bob Webster

Executive Committee
Dr. Joan Ortega-Cowan, Paul Gauthier, Carol Palowich,
Ed Halsey, Bob Webster, Dr. Robert J. Loewinger

Advisory Council
Nelson Cover, Advisory Council Rep to Board
Eva Franchi, Nell Kleinschmidt, Maryann Kann

In Memoriam of Vero Beach Opera Directors
Lewis Golub, Donald Smith, Hermann Engelmann,
Joseph Bellomo, James Shields, David Hancock,
Richard Stark, Esq., Wayne Kleinstiver, Louis L. Lawson

Legal Counsel
Román Ortega-Cowan, Esq.

Bookkeeping
Paula Andreozzi

Historian
Connie Derman

Marketing Director & Web Design
Tania Ortega-Cowan