ARTS
Finalists in the 2018 Deborah Voigt International Vocal Competition take the stage at Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
Treasure Coast Chorale
Almost 20 years ago, Michael Carter,
minister of music and worship at First
Baptist Church, pulled together a group
of Vero Beach Choral Society members
and community singers to build a chorus
for those who just enjoy singing. He
named it the Treasure Coast Chorale. Its
series of concerts brings innovative and
eclectic programming to the local music
scene with multimedia presentations and
audience participation. A typical theme
might be patriotic, Big Band, Broadway,
or maybe an all-Irish selection of songs.
It also joins the collaboration of singers
each Christmas season in the performance
for a simple audition.
Vero Beach Opera Guild/
Vero Beach Opera
It was 1988 when a group of opera
fans decided to share their passion with
the community, showcasing local talent
and promising a lot of fun. Along the way
they created a scholarship program and
exposed students to great music with the
Opera in a Classroom program.
John Houx, who performed in many of
the shows as a singer and a narrator, pointed
out that opera singers can be extremely
difficult to come by, so they tackled operettas
by Gilbert & Sullivan, Broadway and
love songs, popular music from the 1800s
to the present, and holiday music.
In 2003, a new board of directors decided
as Vero Beach Opera. Heading the mission
were Roman and Joan Ortega-Cowan.
With connections in the international opera
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of Handel’s Messiah. Anyone interested
in joining is welcome to rehearsals
to take the guild in a more professional
direction and incorporated in 2006
Vero Beach Opera presented a fully staged Madama Butterfly to a standing ovation in 2018.
community, they booked Metropolitan
Opera stars who discovered the treasure
that is Vero Beach.
Deborah Voigt appeared in concert
in 2004 and a few years later joined the
group to form the Deborah Voigt/Vero
Beach Opera Foundation, mentoring and
encouraging young singers. Voigt and Met
tenor Marcello Giordani have held international
vocal competitions at the Vero
Beach High School Performing Arts Center,
opening the auditorium to the public during
auditions. In 2016, Voigt was named
artistic adviser to Vero Beach Opera.
In partnership with Vero Beach Museum
of Art, an opera studies program
City of Vero Beach 1919-2019 VeroBeach100.org
VERO BEACH OPERA
VERO BEACH OPERA
was created, led by Wayne Kleinstiver.
Another community partner, Majestic 11,
broadcasts The Met Opera Live in HD. Vocal
and piano scholarships are awarded to
students in high school or college and the
Music Angels Education Fund makes it possible
for younger students to take music
lessons. The coming season will include a
fully staged opera, following the success of
last year’s Madama Butterfly.
Atlantic Classical Orchestra
It was almost 30 years ago that a small
group of professional musicians brought
together by Andrew McMullan volunteered
to play, unpaid, for a concert at the
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