Thursday, Nov 14, 2013
Both will perform at Westminster Choir College in December and January
Westminster Choir College graduate students Gerard Michael D’Emilio and Rexford Tester recently were two of four winners in the Washington D.C. district competition of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. As winners at the district level, they will move on to the regional auditions, and if they’re successful, to the semi-finals and finals at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Princeton area residents can hear both of these promising young opera stars now when they appear in Westminster Opera Theater’s production of Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi in December. Also, as alumni of Westminster’s CoOPERAtive opera training program, they’ll perform in a concert version of Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment in January.
D’Emilio, who is known as Michael to his friends, is in his second year as a voice pedagogy and performance major studying with Laura Brooks Rice. A bass-baritone, he appeared as the villains in last season’s production of The Tales of Hoffmann at Westminster. He is also the 2013-2014 Westminster Voice blogger.
Tester is also in his second year as a voice pedagogy and performance major studying with Laura Brooks Rice. A tenor, he appeared in the title role in last season’s production of The Tales of Hoffmann at Westminster. After receiving his master’s degree in 2014, he will enter Santa Fe Opera’s prestigious apprentice program, where he will cover the role of Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and sing in the chorus for the other operas during the season.
To learn more about Westminster’s upcoming opera performances, go to www.rider.edu/arts.