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Prepare for an afternoon of scandalous entertainment in Las Vegas on July 14, 2024. Witness the tumultuous tale of love, lust and betrayal in Mascagni’s Opera Cavalleria Rusticana. This is a performance you can’t afford to miss. The International Opera Institutes model for our productions is to “keep it simple”. We intend to do productions with piano accompaniment and minimal sets. This style of production is very intimate, featuring Artists who have performed at The Metropolitan Opera as well as Internationally and Singers from the International Opera Institutes’ Young Artists Program. What makes our Opera presentation so unique? A character in the Opera narrates the story and sets the mood for what is about to happen.
Allan Glassman “Turiddu”
The Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Opera Berlin, The New Israeli Opera
Amy Youngquist “Santuzza”
International Opera Institute Young Artist Program
Andrew Eisenmann “Alfio”
Opera San Jose, Cleveland Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Carnegie Hall, Opera Memphis
Rose Kingsley “Mama Lucia”
Metropolitan Opera, Florida Grand Opera, New York Grand Opera, Prague Opera, Carnegie Hall,
Rosemary Cunningham “Lola”
International Opera Institute Young Artist Program
Knut Erik Jensen Conductor
Norwegian State Opera, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Rice University, Institute for young dramatic voices, Reno Nevada, Palm Springs Opera Guild, Toured United States and Canada as an acclaimed International Pianist.
The International Opera Institute (IOI) was founded in 2010. It is committed to increasing awareness, appreciation and understanding of Opera as a classical art form in all segments of society within California and beyond.
Mission Statement
The International Opera Institute (IOI) is a 501 (c) (3) non profit educational performing arts organization. We are a humanitarian, charitable and educational performing arts organization that increases awareness, appreciation and understanding of Opera and Musical Theater. The IOI engages in outreach programs with schools and the public, by performing Operas and Theater performance. The IOI prepares vocal artists on Opera and Theater stages
IOI Staff -Administration
Rose Kingsley - PRESIDENT / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Norman Miller - VICE PRESIDENT / TREASURER
Norman Miller is a graduate of The University Of Southern California with an MBA in Marketing and Finance
He is an entrepreneur who spent 16 years in various sales, marketing and management positions for Baxter Healthcare Corporation.As Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions for Bergen Brunswig he started Alternate Site Distributors a specialty distribution company providing Oncology and Plasma Products to Hospitals, Clinics, and Doctors Offices throughout the U.S.
He spent 15 years as Senior Vice President for FFF Enterprises a private medical specialty distribution company growing their business from $ 12,000,000 to $ 365,000,000.
In 2012, because of his successful business background he became a producer producing music CD’s, Concerts, and Operas throughout the U.S.
Sharon DeWees - SECRETARY
FACULTY
Rose Kingsley - VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Rose Kingsley; President / Artistic Director / Vocal Instructor: Rose Kingsley is the founder of Desert Opera and the International Opera Institute (IOI). She is one of the world’s foremost leading Dramatic Sopranos. Rose Kingsley began her career, not only with singing, but with ballet, performing with The American Ballet Theatre and The Royal Ballet of London, becoming a member of the prestigious Royal Academy of Dancing, London, England. Although she first appeared on the Operatic Stage as a dancer with The Metropolitan Opera, her love of singing led her to focus her talents on Opera – her “other” passion! In the early eighties she was brought to the attention of Lawrence Stayer, then Artistic Director of The Metropolitan Opera and later became his protégé where she received her formal vocal training.
She has performed for three U.S. Presidents and HRH Prince Charles. She has also performed for the Thirtieth Anniversary of the first American in space, Alan Shepard, with Walter Cronkite; with Hugh Downs, and Bob Hope; for The Democratic and Republican Conventions; and sung the National Anthem for all NFL, AFL football and major league baseball teams. She was the first opera singer to perform at the Bob Hope Desert Classic Show alongside Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone, and John Denver. She has contributed her time performing in fundraisers: To include The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and Give Kids the World. She was co-composer of the first opera ever written about an actual U.S. Space mission, “Apollo 14 – A Space Opera”. It debuted, on May 9th 2002, at the New York City Opera, to rave reviews!
Allan Glassman - VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Sought after by orchestras, both domestic and international, Mr. Glassman maintains an active concert calendar. Notable engagements include: Prince Osaka in Mascagni’s Iris with the Munchner Philharmoniker, Verdis’ Requiem with L’Opera de Nice, Mahler’s Lied von her Erde with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa in Mexico, Rusalka with The Fort Worth Symphony, Erik in Der Fliegende Hollander in concert with the Syracuse Opera, Das lied von her Erde with Grand Rapids Symphony, and Boito’s Mephistofele with Boston Concert Opera.
Allan is currently on staff as adjunct professor at Rosevelt University, Chicago.
Tenor Allan Glassman has thrilled audiences throughout America and Europe for decades with his vibrant timbre and committed interpretations of roles. Critics exclaim “his very presence on stage made those around him sound
better.” Aregular at The Metropolitan Opera, M.r Glassman triumphed as Herod in a production of Salome and has since been heard in The Met’s productions of Billy Budd as Red Whiskers; Die Frau ohne Schatten as The Hunchback Brother; Salome as the First Jew; Lady Macheth of Mtsensk
District as The Shabby Peasant; and in productions of Boris Godunov, The Great Gatshy, Carmen, Elektra, Kát a Kabanová, The Ghost of Versailles,
Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina, and Wozzeck.
Mr. Glassman has performed the role of Herod in Salome to wide acclaim in opera venues throughout the world. Critics wrote: “His fear and distress seemed to come from his heart and soul.” Some notable engagements as the patriarch include productions with San Diego Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera San Antonio, the Ravinia Festival (under the baton of Maestro James Conlon), with Cape Town Opera in Cape Town, South Africa, and most
recently with Los Angeles Opera. This season, he returns to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of Die Zauberflöte and Hänsel und Gretel.
Mr. Glassman’s impressive career includes many titular roles in some of opera’s most notable works, including Samson in Samson et Dalila at the former Opera Pacific, Sacco in Sacco and Vanzetti at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Hoffmann in Les contes d’Hoffmann,
and Idomeneo at Los Angeles Opera, where he was double cast with the esteemed Plácido Domingo. Hailed as the Otello of his generation:
“Glassman is a full-on Verdian tenor… Glassman is more than equal to the demands of the role, conveying Otello’s pain and suspicion vividly.” In past
seasons, he has performed the role with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Arizona Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and at Chautauqua Opera. Other highlights from his leading roles résumé include Don José in Carmen, Cavardossi in Tosca, and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with New York City Opera; and Canio in Pagliacci with Arizona Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Palm Beach Opera, and Nashville Opera.
Andrew Eisenmann - VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Andrew ‘Andy’ Eisenmann has had an interesting career, combining teaching, performing as a professional operatic baritone, choral conducting and providing free opera education programs to public school students for over 20 years. .
As a master teacher, Andy has conducted his student choral groups in China, New York, Europe, Chicago and Australia. His groups are always diverse and represent the students within them, both musically and visually. At Rancho Mirage High School in the Southern California Desert, he was the founding staff member as the school started, as well as opened and managed the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center for its first four years, turning it into a $250,000 revenue producing business in its first season.
As an operatic and concert baritone, Andy performed leading roles in the opera companies of Baltimore, Cleveland, Memphis, Santa Barbara, San Jose (as a principal artist in residence under the mentorship of mezzo soprano, Irene Dalis, performing 16 roles over a 4 year period) and Philadelphia. Also as principal soloist at concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, San Gimignano’s MUSICA and Prague’s Rudolfinum. He studied voice with Beverley Johnson at the Juilliard School (and her home studio) and devotes his success within the arts, both educational and performing to a couple people…Larry Ammel, his high school band director (Andy’s undergraduate degree was in trumpet…long story) and Irene Dalis, world renowned mezzo-soprano and founder of Opera San Jose. He has been honored to work with conductors and directors such as, Christian Badea, Marion Adler, Renaud Doucet, Bernard Uzan, Sara Jobin, Scott Bergeson, Johanna Puglisi, Lillian Garrett-Groag, Barbara Day Turner, Valery Ryvkin, Matthew Barclay, Craig Bohmler (who wrote him a song cycle entitled, ‘Cinema Song’) and many others…all who have left important influences on his career choices.
As a teaching artist, Andy frequently travels to work with choral groups in the United States and world wide. He has worked (as both a volunteer and hired clinician/master teacher) with groups in Chicago, Memphis, San Francisco, Italy, South Korea, China, Croatia, Australia, USA (39 states, between opera singing and choral clinician work), as a faculty member/guest conductor at the Pacific Basin International Music Festival in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has been on faculty at the Singapore and Netherlands International Music Festivals and worked with the prestigious choral faculty for the Australian International Music Festival at the Sydney Opera House for five consecutive years.
Through musical expression, one can find the best version of themselves.
Dr. Wayne Hinton - VOCAL COACH
Dr. Wayne Hinton received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California.
He worked as music editor for film and television and was assistant music director of Orange County Opera and Golden West Opera. Dr. Hinton has been the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, The General Manager of the Nimoy Concert Series of Temple Israel of Hollywood, and the Executive Director of the Riverside County Philharmonic in Riverside, CA.
Dr. Wayne Hinton is currently professor at Riverside Community College.
William Vendice - VOCAL COACH
Maestro William Vendice has been one of the quintessential conductors in the world of Opera. He has been conductor for 12 years at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera for 2 years, Opera Company of Boston for 1 year and Chorus Master and head of Music Staff at the Los Angeles Opera for 12 years.
From 1992 to 1995 William Vendice was Director of Opera at USC, and Opera Artistic Director at UCLA from 1998 to 2009.
The International Opera Institute is honored to have him as a member of our faculty.
Gregory Buchalter - CONDUCTOR / VOCAL COACH
Gregory Buchalter holds the titles of Music Director of Opera Fairbanks and Opera Camerata of Washington. Internationally, he has conducted Salome at the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Die Fledermaus at the Vienna Volksoper, Mozart’s Entuhrung ads dim Serail at the Spoleto Festival. Cosi fan Tutti with the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Italy and Eugene Onegin with the New Opera World Festival in Moscow.He has also conducted the American Premieres of Mercadante’s I due Figaro, Von Winters Das Labyrinth and Donizett’s Olivo e Pasquale in New York.
He was the first American to conduct with the Kazakhstan State Opera including a televised Gala concert for the President of Kazakhstan. Mr. Buchalter was Chorus Master of Santa FE Opera, Bregenz Festival in Austria, Theater Des Westerns in Berlin and for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.
Gregory Buchalter is currently a cover conductor at the Metropolitan Opera (where the position of “Maestro di Banda”) was created for him. He has worked extensively with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. At the Met he prepared several world premieres including John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, Philip Glass, The Voyage and John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby.
Upcoming he will be conducting Idomeneo New England Conservatory, Don Pasquale with the Pacific Northwest Opera, Faust with the Florida Grand Opera and Hoffman and Fledermaus with Varna International.
Knut Erik Jensen - CONDUCTOR / VOCAL COACH
Norwegian State Opera, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Rice University, Institute for young dramatic voices, Reno Nevada, Palm Springs Opera Guild, Toured United States and Canada as an acclaimed International Pianist.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rose Kingsley
Norman Miller
Dr James Hansen
Gregory Buchalter
Allan Glassman
Andrew Eisenmann
Aaron Elekes
IOI students who have and are performing professionally: