Dear friends of The Villages Philharmonic

During the nineteenth century the works of authors such as Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and many more enjoyed great success.

In general, the works of this period were influenced by national literature but also by the nascent European romanticism and by William Shakespeare consequently the plots are often based on the inner movements of the characters, not infrequently protagonists of passionate love stories and tragic actions. The most present figures are those of the tyrant and the woman in love. However, the many spectacular effects and twists are due to the French opera. The libretto usually consists of 2-3 acts.

During the nineteenth century a precise relationship was established between the role of the singer and his voice:

The tenor was no longer entrusted with the antagonist parts, on the contrary, he more and more often embodied the ideal of the hero in love and extremely passionate the bass were entrusted with solemn parts, mixed airs of wisdom and morality

great importance was given to the baritone, antagonist in love for the tenor (as is the soprano, its female correspondent, the mezzo-soprano)

the soprano's voice was by now inextricably associated with very delicate as well as idealized and angelic female figures, fragile but at the same time often strong in the values ​​of modesty and chastity.

At the end of the nineteenth century and in the first decades of the twentieth century the major composers who dedicated themselves to melodrama and were important exponents of musical realism were: Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano, Francesco Cilea and above all Giacomo Puccini.

Critics have united them with the epithet of Young School and, starting with Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, some of them have followed the path of realist opera, which had particular success in the last decade of the nineteenth century.

Musically yours,

Pasquale Valerio 

Founder, Director and President of

The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra

Meet Our Guest Artists

Raphaella Medina has been consistently praised for her colorful timbre and moving performances. In the 22/23 season, she made role and house debuts as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Clarina in La cambiale di matrimonio with Opera Orlando as a member of their Studio Artist program. She also made appearances with the Orlando Ballet and Orlando Philharmonic in Moulin Rouge, and the UCF Symphony as part of their UCF Celebrates the Arts Festival under the baton of Eric Jacobsen. In the summer of 2022, she joined Opera Saratoga as a Festival Artist, performing the role of the Mezzo Elder in Sky on Swings working alongside

composer Lembit Beecher and covering the role of Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. A versatile artist, Raphaella has sung leading roles across a wide range of repertoire, including opera and musical theater and encompassing composers as varied as Mozart and Sondheim. Previous seasons have included performances with Opera Santa Barbara, Florentine Opera, and Opera Columbus.

Devin M. Eatmon is a full lyric operatic tenor from Ocala, Florida. His performance history includes working with the Central Florida Lyric Opera, Chelsea Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Aspen Music Festival, most recently Opera Colorado, and soon to be Opera Orlando. With both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Voice Performance from Florida State University; Devin studied under the tutelage of former San Francisco Opera staring baritone, David Okerlund. Some of Devin’s most notable collegiate roles include, George Villiers in the Scholastic Premier of Carlisle Floyd’s, Prince of Players, Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's, La bohème, Curley in Floyd's, Of Mice and Men, and Edgar Aubrey in Heinrich Marschner’s German Romantic opera, Der Vampyr. Mr. Eatmon accepted a contract offer to be a member of the Apprentice Singer Program at The Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2020 however, it was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While at Opera Colorado, he was to cover the role of Don José in their production of Georges Bizet’s, Carmen however, the season was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, Mr. Eatmon is a member of the new operatic/pop fusion trio, The Serenad3, with America’s Got Talent finalist, Fernando Varela as well as internationally acclaimed OperaNews baritone, Craig Irvin. The group has already received critical acclaim having collaborated with some legendary artists, such as David Foster, Gloria Estefan, American Idol’s, Pia Toscano, and the A Capella sensation, Voctave. Devin is currently living in Orlando, Florida and is looking forward to future endeavors with The Serenad3 as well as Opera Orlando.

Grammy Award winning baritone Gabriel Preisser has been praised by Opera News for his “handsome voice, charismatic energy, and timbral allure” and The New York Times called his performance as Lt. Gordon “wonderful.” His resume includes over 40 operatic and musical theater roles including Danilo in The Merry Widow with Utah Festival Opera, Billy Bigelow in Carousel with Minnesota Orchestra, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with St Petersburg Opera, Dandini in Cenerentola with Opera Tampa, Escamillo in Carmen with Lyric Opera of the North, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore with Shreveport Opera, Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tiresias with Opera Parallele, Albert in Werther with Minnesota Opera, Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette with Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera, Tommy in Brigadoon with Gulfshore Opera, Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera Naples, Harold Hill in The Music Man with Colorado Symphony, and Bob Baker in Wonderful Town with Skylark Opera to name a few. He has been praised for having a “matinee idol’s charm and charisma,” “a beautiful, luscious baritone,” and “a compelling, commanding stage presence.”

Opera Gala Concert Program