Join us for an evening of entertainment at Old Warson Country Club!
September 27, 2019
Cocktail at 6:00pm
Dinner at 7:00pm
Ticket includes cocktails, dinner, wine, and entertainment by Winter Opera’s top artists and can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 314.865.0038
$75 of ticket price is tax deductible
Meet the Fall Gala artists
John Robert Green, baritone: Hailed for his “rich and deep sound, robust and regal” regarding his recent Carnegie Hall debut, John Robert Green is a versatile baritone with an exceptionally beautiful timbre. He appeared with Teatro Grattacielo last fall with his menacing performance of Bardo in the American premiere of Cilea’s Gloria. This was John’s second American premiere with Teatro Grattacielo in as many years. Previously, he was praised for his endearing performance as Caleb Plummer in Zandonai’s Il Grillo del Focolare. John recently had great success with his Wagnerian debut as Gunther in Götterdämmerung with LidalNorth. He enthralled Norwegian audiences with his transfixing Tarquinius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and his enchanting Peter in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel. For his performance with DCINY at Carnegie Hall he sang with “an infectious energy, and imbued with such pure emotion that a number of tissues were spotted being pulled from pockets and purses.” Audiences were also moved by John’s powerful interpretation as the Baritone Soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Helena Symphony.
Jorge Pita Carreras, tenor: Hailed as one of the leading exponents of the bel canto and lyric styles among today’s singers, Jorge Pita Carreras has performed the lyric tenor repertoire to great praise in opera houses throughout the world. Mr. Pita’s appearances have taken him to the leading opera houses in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Linz, Amsterdam, London, Covent Garden, Oslo, Toulouse, Kiel, Basel, Nantes, Marseille, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin, Los Angeles, Leeds, Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Paris, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Toronto, Tel Aviv, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Salzburg, Berlin, Edinburgh, Boston, Dallas, Denver, New York, among others. Mr. Pita began his vocal studies under the guidance of Placido Domingo and Joan Owen. Mr. Pita has won the Boca Raton International Competition, the Pavarotti Competition, the Rosa Ponselle Competition, and the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition. The 2020 season Mr. Pita returns to Winter Opera St. Louis where he will debut the role of Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West.
Soprano Karen Kanakis is hailed for her fine vocal technique and dramatic flair. Her operatic credits include Giorgetta in Il Tabarro, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Violetta in La Traviata, and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. She is frequently featured as a soloist with symphony organizations performing the Verdi Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. A frequent performer of modern compositions, she can be heard on American composer Brooke Joyce’s CD “Waves of Stone” on the Innova label.
Rebecca Koebbe, collaborative pianist: Rebecca keeps a busy schedule throughout the Metro East as a freelance musician. She is currently a staff pianist at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Choral Director/vocal coach/keyboardist for Summer Repertory Theater at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois, and a long-time church musician. In addition to these occupations, she maintains her own piano and voice studio. Rebecca received her M.M. in Collaborative Piano Performance, as well as Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy, at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where she was a Teaching Assistant and a recipient of the Dr. Warren L. Brown Memorial Graduate Student Music Award. She earned a B.A. in Music (Piano) from Missouri Southern State University.