ABOUT TOA
We are a group of artists and intellectuals with successful professional paths in different fields of knowledge: Music, Visual Arts, Psychoanalysis, Languages, Anthropology, Education, Architecture, Mathematics, Information Technology, Media and Web Design, Cinema, and even Law. We share a close friendship and a passion for opera.
Thanks to the resulting synergy across multiple disciplines, and to our relevant connections to national and international opera centers and other institutions, we at The Opera Atelier are pleased to offer singers powerful tools, resources and training that transcend geographic frontiers and traditional paradigms.
Our Mission
The mission of The Opera Atelier is to further opera through performance, education, and connections to other disciplines, contributing to Miami Dade as a great cultural destination by engaging residents and tourists in transformative cultural experiences.
Board Members
Founders
Jorge Arcila, Artistic Director
Daniel Daroca, Music Director
Xiomara Ponce, Art Coach Director
Jacqueline Solorzano, Executive Director
Trustees
Carlos Jimeno, Artist - NY Chapter
Rene Gonzalez, Finances-Treasurer
Jorge Fornes, Artist
Advisor
Ruby Romero, Executive Director
Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida
Volunteers
Julio Alejandro Rodriguez
Carmen Luisa Jimenez
Rexsor Gonzalez
Our History
The Opera Atelier (TOA) originated in New York City out of the desire to provide a kinder way for recent graduates to move into the often disconcerting world of opera. Merging the requirements of the art and business of opera, the founders put their experience at the service of artists who were beginning or redeploying their careers. The support provided included intensive opera role and audition preparation, emotional support, public relations, and artist management services. Opportunities to participate in TOA productions- including Tosca, Aida and L’elisir d’amore, besides numerous recitals and scenes programs- or procured elsewhere by its management services, gave artists the chance to use their newly honed skills. Thanks to TOA, dozens of artists renewed their career pursuits, as debuts and contracts were obtained for them in leading opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic, and as young artists entered quality young artists programs.
Since its incorporation in Florida in 2011, TOA has been presenting original productions of opera in South Florida, as well as innovative programs infusing this art form with dance, ballet, visual arts and fashion. In the process, TOA has collaborated with local organizations, as well as local, national and international artists. South Florida presentations have included Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center, Roca Theater, Steinway Piano Gallery and Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Besides producing quality performances for the community, the organization, in the spirit of a Renaissance atelier, provides a creative platform where artists at different stages of their careers collaborate, young artists hone their craft in a nurturing environment, and where audience and artists inspire each other.
Works produced have included Don Pasquale, La Boheme, Lucia di Lammermoor and Le Nozze di Figaro. The Great Opera Moments has proven a favorite format, through varied programs of anthological scenes from operas, designed to whet the appetite of the general audience and to attract new audiences. Established performers, such as Met sopranos Sandra Lopez and April Evans, next to excellent local singers have been featured, as well as choreographer Leyson Ponce, and laurate virtuoso violinist Erzhan Kulibaev. meaningful collaborations have included Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, Steinway Piano Gallery, Barry University, Allegro Music, Amazonia Vocal Ensemble, and the Downtown Miami Charter School.
In alignment with its mission, The Opera Atelier has brought opera and music education to public and private schools, senior and community centers through residencies, concerts and workshops. TOA educational programs include the Classical Musical Program, and the MOZ-Art Program, an intensive summer program for children 9-17 with instruction in the art of the musical, the opera and the zarzuela. In addtion to its regular educational outreach programs, during the 2017-2018 season TOA launched Close Encounters with Music: Creating through Sound, a program to teach music composition to elementary school children. Both programs received the support of the Miami Dade Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional residencies and afterschool programs have included a successful music initiation program at the Downtown Miami Charter School and an introduction to opera for children at SMDCAC, as well as community concerts for Mental Health organizations, such as Morning Star and 1st. JPA. Outreach activities extend to senior residences and nursing facilities, such as Vista Alegre and Brisas del Mar in Little Havana. To make cultural programming more accessible to Little Havana residents, The Opera Atelier has recently rededicated an additional space as an intimate contemporary performance hall/gallery on Eight Street for concerts, lectures, workshops and exhibits. This venue, the Sala Santa Cecilia, is being equipped for live streaming. As part of its series Culture for the Mind and the Heart, The Opera Atelier cultivates the art of the salon by presenting small format soirees, including historical reenactment of famous events in music history. A memorable event in that vein was A Night in Paris, a recreation of a Parisian musical evening after a script created by The Opera Atelier, based on historical sources. The performance incorporated musical selections of the age of Belcanto and literary selections in the original languages with characters brought to life by local artists in period dress.
The Opera Atelier is thankful for the support received from the Miami Dade Department of Cultural Affairs, the State of Florida, the City of Miami, the City of Coral Gables, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the Downtown Miami Development Authority, as well as private foundations and individual donors, whose contributions have enabled The Opera Atelier to continue its mission in performance and education.
We have worked with
these artists
Carlos Jimeno
Silvia Luduena
Eduardo Calcaño
Kiley Hernandez
Nathalie Avila
Nicole Bequer
Henri Coizeau
Marinel Cruz
Ketty Delgado
Greisel Dominguez
Giselle Elgarresta Rios
Guillian Cura
April Evans
Sergio Gonzalez
Matthew Maness
Yndira Marrero
Samantha Napoles
Nydia Noriega
Marcela Penaranda
Hugo Marcos Rodriguez
Kunya Rowles