Philip Pierce Named New Director of Artistic Administration At FGO

Sunshine State-Bound: Philip Pierce gets new position

"Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is pleased to welcome Philip Pierce as Director of Artistic Administration. Mr. Pierce will be responsible for the overall supervision and logistics of the artistic department, including the casting process, rehearsal schedule, artistic budget, and contracting of artists, among other duties. In recent months, Mr. Pierce has transitioned actively from a solo career into the realm of artistic administration Through these experiences, he acquired a great understanding of the opera companies, agents, and singers. Most recently Mr. Pierce has served as the assistant to the Director of Opera at the Caramoor Music Festival in Katonah, NY. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and his Master of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory. 'Philip is very intelligent, highly organized, and passionate about opera and FGO,' says Susan T. Danis, General Director & CEO of Florida Grand Opera. 'We look forward to his arrival and welcoming him to the team!'" [Source]

"Guillaume Tell" Returns to the NY Region After 70 years

Julianna Di Giacomo will sing the role
of Mathilde in Rossini's Guillaume Tell

"Bel Canto at Caramoor opens its 15th season at the Caramoor International Festival in Katonah, N.Y., with a concert performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore on the evening of June 25, followed in mid-July by two concert performances of Gioachino Rossini's rarely heard masterpiece Guillaume Tell (William Tell). Bel Canto at Caramoor is under the direction of its founder, maestro Will Crutchfield. The Overture to Rossini's William Tell is of course familiar to all music lovers; Mathilde's aria 'Sombre forêt' from Act 2 sometimes appears on recital discs, as do Tell's 'Sois immobile' from Act 3 and Arnold's 'Asile hereditaire' from Act 4. The New York area last saw an actual staging of William Tell at the Metropolitan Opera in 1931. 'We're very excited to be presenting `Guillaume Tell' in a version that is as nearly complete as feasible,' says Will Crutchfield in an electronic interview. Crutchfield was in Poland at the time conducting Donizetti's 'Maria Stuarda' and Verdi's 'La Traviata.'" [Source]