The Big Picture
ONE WEEK TURNAROUND: Starting January 1st, some 80+ singers, musicians, cast and crew all come to Vero Beach to rehearse, and then perform on January 7. Our Artistic Director & Stage Director is Russell Franks.
8 main cast members, each with impressive credits, most especially the lead role of Don Giovanni himself: Eleomar Cuello.
31 chorus members. Our Chorus Master is Dr. Anthony Baron
25 musicians - Brevard Symphony Orchestra - conducted by Vero Beach Opera’s Music Director, Gregory Buchalter.
16 crew members including Chad L. Conley, Lighting Designer.
A big THANK YOU TO OUR HOMESTAY HOSTS! These are Vero Beach Opera members who open their homes to provide accommodations to our visiting Artists each season.
Our corporate sponsor is Tocqueville Asset Management.
Our season sponsor is Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Audi of Melbourne.
Meet THE DON.
Eleomar Cuello
DON GIOVANNI (Baritone)
Vero Beach Opera audiences know Eleomar, most recently as Dulcamara in our January 2023 production of L'Elisir d'Amore, and our First Prize ($10,000) winner of our 2023 Rising Stars Vocal Competition in March. One month later, he became a finalist in the MET Opera Laffont Competition in New York, and he is now part of the MET Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. During the 2023–24 season, he will cover the roles of Perichaud in La Rondine and Dancaire in Carmen at the MET Opera. Learn more here.
Andrew Allan Hiers
Il Commendatore, Don Pedro (Bass)
Vero Beach Opera audiences know Andrew as Benoit in our 2022 production of La Bohème, and as 2021 Rising Stars Vocal Competition finalist. He is known for his “mature musicianship and superb comic timing” and possessing a dark, yet vibrant timbre with both an extensive vocal and dramatic range. He is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program and Opera Colorado’s Resident Artist Program. Role highlights include Don Bartolo and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and the title roles in Falstaff, Le nozze di Figaro, Gianni Schicchi, and Don Pasquale. Learn more here.
María Brea
DONNA ANNA (Soprano)
Venezuelan soprano María Brea was chosen as a finalist in the 2022 Paris Competition and sang for the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. Her performance of Cavalleria Rusticana with New Camerata Opera in Fall 2021 was celebrated by Opera News, who said, “Maria Brea was an absolute delight as Nedda…demonstrating a natural theatrical instinct. She also has a lovely voice.” In the fall of 2022, Brea represented Venezuela in Placido Domingo’s Operalia, The World Opera Competition in Latvia. She recently performed Handel’s Messiah with the Indianapolis Symphony and the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall. Learn more here.
Joshua Wheeker
Don Ottavio (Tenor)
Vero Beach Opera audiences know Joshua, most recently as our Third Prize ($3,000) winner of our 2023 Rising Stars Vocal Competition in March. Recent roles include Nemorino in Opera Maine’s L'Elisir d'Amore, Don Ottavio in Dayton Opera's Don Giovanni, the Duke of Mantua in Tulsa Opera’s Rigoletto, and Tamino in LA Opera’s Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte. Opera News described his Duke with Tulsa Opera as “showing complete technical mastery” and his Nemorino as "an unfailingly fluid Italianante tenor...producing a bright but warm tone that remained both solid and supple...". He has performed on the MET Opera stage, most recently covering in Lucia di Lammermoor. Learn more here.
Shaina Martinez
DONNA ELVIRA (Soprano)
Vero Beach Opera audiences know Shaina from our 2022 and 2023 Rising Stars Vocal Competition. Her repertoire includes Gianetta and Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore), Violetta (La Traviata), Cio Cio San (Madama Butterfly), Donna Elvira and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), and more. She was a 2021 MET Opera Laffont Competition semifinalist and has received awards from numerous international vocal competitions. She has been part of multiple Young Artist Programs, most recently with Florida Grand Opera. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and a Master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. Learn more here.
Luis Alejandro Orozco
Leporello (Bass-Baritone)
An El Paso, Texas native, Mexican American, Luis has been praised for his “voluminous baritone and beautiful legato.” He made his MET Opera debut in the 2021-22 season as the Prime Minister in Cinderella. He also made house debuts with Virginia Opera singing Marcello in La Bohème, Opera Maine singing Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore, Intermountain Opera singing Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and made his French debut with Opera National de Lyon singing Payador in Maria de Buenos Aires. Last season, he performed as a Flemish Deputy in Don Carlo at the MET Opera, and as Marcello in La Bohème with Nashville Opera. Learn more here.
Kenneth Stavert
MASETTO (Bass-Baritone)
Vero Beach Opera audiences know Kenneth, most recently as Belcore in our January 2023 production of L'Elisir d'Amore and as Schaunard in our 2022 production of La Bohème. His 2023-24 season includes a concert performance as the title role in Sweeney Todd with HALO Opera, and he will return to Pacific Opera Project to sing Sharpless in a revival production of their Japanese language translation of Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the famous Aratani Theater in Los Angeles. Recent highlights include the title role in Verdi's Macbeth with Heartbeat opera and the role of Don Carlo in Verdi's Ernani with the Southern Illinois Music Festival. Learn more here.
Evelyn Saavedra
ZERLINA (Soprano)
Vero Beach Opera audiences know Evelyn, most recently as Musetta in our 2022 production of La Bohème. This past season, she sang Mabel in Pirates of Penzance with Nashville Opera, she returned to Alice Tully Hall with Juilliard415, the school's primary period-instrument ensemble, to sing in Purcell’s King Arthur, and she joined the Juilliard Orchestra to sing Act 1 of Mimì in La Bohème. She is currently completing her Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at the Juilliard School. She holds a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance & Literature from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Performance from Florida International University. Learn more here.
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 & Conductor
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.
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.