Diana Soviero Honored By The Gerda Lissner Foundation

Singers Joseph Dennis, Mario Chang, Ryan Speedo Green, Paul Han, Shirin Eskandani, Alison King, Maya Lahyani, Jonathan Kelly, Arlene Shrut, Honoree Diana Soviero and Alexey Lavrov. (Photo: Howard Heyman)

"On the evening of Wednesday, May 7 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City, The Gerda Lissner Foundation showcased their 2014 winners and honored internationally acclaimed soprano Diana Soviero. Stephen De Maio, President of The Gerda Lissner Foundation, spoke enthusiastically about the winners and how proud he is of the awards given to so many throughout the years to help them attain their goals. He thanked Trustees Barbara Ann Testa, Dorothy Moore, Karl Michaelis and Michael Fornabaio, Vice President/Treasurer of The Gerda Lissner Foundation, for their efforts and all of the operatic notables present. Stephen De Maio was recently honored by Opera Index at their Spring Lunch. The Newark born De Maio, a legend himself, asked Opera News editor and author Brian Kellow to host the program and introduce the honoree, New Jersey born (Jersey City) internationally acclaimed soprano Diana Soviero. Kellow elaborated on Soviero’s great career and the impact she had on her audiences everywhere. The New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden–not bad for a 'Jersey girl.' Kellow mentioned how the arts influenced his life and how the 1945 film Spellbound impacted him. He then thanked Soviero for the influence her performances gave all of us as Cio Cio San,