DON GIOVANNI, an opera by Mozart, will be performed this June at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St. New York NY 10011), starring David Serero as Don Giovanni along with an international cast.
Don Giovanni is one of the most famous operas of all time, written by Mozart with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte.
This new production will include an international cast of world-renowned opera singers: Charles Gray (Leporello), Anna Cley (Donna Elvira), Pablo Veguilla (Don Ottavio), Jennifer Allenby (Donna Anna), Javier Ortiz (Masetto/Commendatore), Yi Wang (Zerlina).
Performances are June 1st (3 pm), June 6th (Premiere at 8 pm, followed by an After Party), June 8th (3 pm), June 11th (8 pm), and June 14th (Closing night at 8 pm, followed by an After Party).
Tickets are $26 and $36 (VIP tickets including gold seating and access to the After Party) and can be purchased at DonGiovanniASF.bpt.me or 1.800.838.3006. This new production is presented by the American Sephardi Federation.
The CAST:
DAVID SERERO (Don Giovanni)
Actor and baritone, David Serero, has received international recognition and critical acclaim from all over the world. At only 36 years old, he has already performed more than 1,200 concerts and performances throughout the world played in over 100 films, and recorded 20 albums. After studying in Paris, New York, St Petersburg (Mariinsky Theater), David has given concerts in Paris at the PARIS OPERA GARNIER, OLYMPIA, EIFFEL TOWER; in New York at the LINCOLN CENTER, CARNEGIE HALL, TIMES SQUARE; in London at the ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC, WEMBLEY STADIUM; and in Moscow at the TCHAIKOVSKY HALL; in Amsterdam at the CONCERTGEBOUW, the BUDAPEST OPERA conducted by PLACIDO DOMINGO and more. He made his sold-out WEST END debuts at the Dominion Theatre. He has sung more than 30 lead roles in Opera, Operetta, and Musical Theater. In 2012, David Serero performed Don Quixote from MAN OF LA MANCHA in Paris and the title role from the revival of Duke Ellington's only musical: BEGGAR'S HOLIDAY, and also starred in the cast album recording. In 2013, David performed with JERMAINE JACKSON in YOU ARE NOT ALONE, a musical written, directed, and produced by David Serero. He has also produced and arranged I WISH YOU LOVE an album of Jazz standards for Jermaine Jackson. In December 2013, David shared the cover of Theatre & Performances with Barbra Streisand in London, made his BROADWAY solo debut at the Snapple Theatre in New York, and released his first studio album ALL I CARE ABOUT IS LOVE. In 2014, he released The Broadway Baritone featuring Broadway classics, and toured in the UK with a performance on WEST END. During the summer of 2014, he recorded the entire love letter correspondence of NAPOLEON to Josephine and released his new studio album THE CROONER BARITONE, The FRANK SINATRA Classics for the 100th anniversary of Sinatra. In 2015 and 2016, he played Off Broadway the lead roles of SHYLOCK (MERCHANT OF VENICE) and OTHELLO's title role with both critical acclaim. In 2015, he performed two open-air concerts on TIMES SQUARE (New York) for BEST OF FRANCE in the presence of French President Mr Francois Hollande. He released SEPHARDI, an album of Sephardic music in the Ladino language, and recorded the title role of RICHARD III in French. In 2016, he released ALL MY LOVE IS FOR YOU, a Rock album, entirely composed, performed, arranged, and produced by himself. He also played NABUCCO (Nabucco) in New York; and the title roles of DON GIOVANNI and RIGOLETTO at the CARNEGIE HALL. In 2017, David entered the prestigious WHO'S WHO AMERICA for demonstrating outstanding achievements in the entertainment world and for the betterment of contemporary society. In the summer of 2017, he released BARITONE OPERA ARIAS, singing opera classics such as Toreador (Carmen) and from operas Tosca, Nozze di Figaro, Fanciulla del West, and Barbiere di Siviglia.
In the 2017/2018 season in New York, David Serero starred as CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Rostand), DON GIOVANNI (Mozart), BARABAS (Marlowe's Jew of Malta), and KING LEAR (Jacob Gordin's The YIDDISH KING LEAR).
His next engagements for 2018/2019 in New York are I, Napoleon (a one-man musical about Napoleon written by David Serero), Hermann (Queen of Spades - World Premiere), Eugene Onegin's title role, Romeo (Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare), Boris Godunov's title role (World Premiere adaptation), Captain Dreyfus's title role (Jacob Gordin's play), Figaro (Nozze di Figaro by Mozart) and Macbeth's title role by Shakespeare.
In American Television, he has appeared in: The Hunt with John Walsh (CNN), Mysteries at the Museum (Travel Channel), Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall (NBC), Six Degrees of Murder (Discovery Channel), Checked Out, On The Case with Paula Zhan (Discovery ID), Rabid Beast (Animal Planet TV), Suddenly Rich (TLC TV), Whistleblowers (Spike TV), Blood Feuds - Gangs of New York (Discovery Channel), We Speak NYC (New York TV), Crimes of Fashion (Discovery ID).
In American Films he starred in Alice in America, Tango Shalom, Winter Has No Sun, Most Beautiful Island, Paisanos in Paris, Following Phil, Terminal 5, Sheepshead, Again, Overload Rock or Die, The Redemption, Kingdom of the Alley, Ring Ring, Laundry Day, Capicola, Make it Work, There Will Come Soft Rains, Amarena, When I Sing, Hatikvah.
He starred in several commercials for Sotheby's & eBay, Bank of America, Don Julio Tequila, Khiel's, Volkswagen, BJ's, Pepsi, Mitsubishi Cars, and more. Full biography on www.davidserero.com
CHARLES GRAY (Leporello)
Originally from Southern California, baritone Charles Gray made his debut as Plagio with Amore Opera in 2011 in the American Premiere of Mercadante’s I Due Figaro. Other roles with Amore Opera include Masetto in Don Giovanni in 2015, Wagner in Faust, and Morales in last year's Carmen. He appeared with Vocal Productions NYC as Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Sheen Center and Don Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia last Fall at the Nagelberg Theatre at Baruch University. He most recently performed the Four Villain roles in Les Contes d'Hoffman with the New York Opera Forum this past February. Charles Gray lives in Brooklyn.
ANNA CLEY (Donna Elvira)
French mezzo-soprano, Anna Cley’s operatic credits include Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Il Tabarro, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilèges, Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, and Rubinstein’s The Demon. She has performed in France with the ensemble Opalescences, at the Cortot concert hall in Paris, for the Mairie de Paris, and for the Artenetra festival. She founded her company “Souffle d’Or” to provide a lyrical musical experience to those unfamiliar with this kind of event. In the U.S., Anna has performed with the Commonwealth Lyric Theater in Boston, with the Mendelssohn Glee Club, the Classical Saxophone Project orchestra, the New Asia Chamber Music Society, at Carnegie Hall, and the Symphony Space in New York. She enjoys contemporary works and collaborated with composers E. Chiriacopol, N. Davoy, World Krystal, and H. Ping Chang, B. Cockerham. In 2016, she had her first CD “Art & Aesthetics” released by Lux Classic, and in collaboration with philosopher Dr. Benedict Beckeld. In March 2018, her first music video “Destinée” came out in which she is the singer, the lead actress, the lyricist, and co-scenarist with movie maker Alec Loin. A multidisciplinary artist, Anna is the muse of designer Minika Ko, for whom she performed on her 3 last runway shows. Cley is dedicated to charitable projects with a focus on children’s wellbeing.
JENNIFER ALLENBY (Donna Anna)
Jennifer Allenby (Soprano) has been seen performing regionally with companies such as Chelsea Opera, Golden Rose Opera, and New York Opera Forum. Favorite roles include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Bulgarian State Opera of Stara Zagora, Prima Touriere (Suor Angelica) with Chelsea Opera, and Antonia (Les Contes d’Hoffman) with New York Opera Forum. During the 2016- 2017 season, Ms. Allenby was a member of Opera Pomme Rouge's Young Artist Program where she sang the Sandman (Hansel und Gretel) with their educational outreach program. Ms. Allenby is a first-year Master’s Candidate at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.
PABLO VEGUILLA (Don Ottavio)
Winner of the 8th Annual Alfonzo Cavaliere Memorial Scholarship, and two-time Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Finalist, Pablo Veguilla made his debut with New York Grand Opera as Fenton in Verdi's Falstaff and has also sung Roberto in Puccini's Le Villi, Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème, Marcello in Leoncavallo's La Bohème, Lt. B.F. Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, all with the New York Grand Opera under the baton of Maestro Vincent La Selva. He has performed numerous roles with such companies as Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Yale Opera, Houston's Opera in the Heights, Sarasota Opera, Opera Theater of Philadelphia, Capital Opera Sacramento, Viva la Musica, Oper Haupt'nah, Opéra Liberté, and Opera festival di Roma. Some of Mr. Veguilla's featured roles are Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata, Nemorino in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, and Don José in Bizet's Carmen. On the concert stage, Mr. Veguilla has performed as tenor soloist in Verdi's Requiem at Carnegie Hall with the New York Grand Opera and at l'UNESCO Paris with the Orchestre Philharmonique International, as the tenor soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the Mozart Requiem, the Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio, the Bach Magnificat, and Händel's Messiah with companies such as the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, West Valley Opera Theatre, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Yale Symphony Orchestra, and the Hartford Symphony and Chorale. Mr. Veguilla received his bachelor's degree from Florida State University, and his master's from Yale University, and has participated in various Young Artists Programs across the United States as well as in Italy.
JAVIER ORTIZ (Masetto / Commendatore)
Bass-Baritone Javier Ortiz has been engaged as a Resident Artist at Opera North, the Dutch Opera Studio, and Sarasota Opera, and his performed repertoire consists of nearly 30 opera roles and 15 major concert works. He appears regularly with various regional orchestras and opera companies. Internationally, Javier has portrayed Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, performed in a concert of arias at the famous Concertgebouw, sung a duet for the 25th Anniversary Jubilee of the Netherlands Opera's residence in the Muziektheater, and played the role of Colline in La Boheme at the Rotterdam Opera Days. Recently, Javier toured Mexico with the Chicago Arts Orchestra, sang the Sprecher in The Magic Flute with the Connecticut Lyric Opera, and joined Opera Southwest as Narciso in the world premiere of the opera Bless Me, Ultima, based on the famous novel.
YI WANG (Zerlina)
Yi Wang, Soprano, reared in a family of musicians, received her bachelor's degree from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and her Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Ms. Wang is the Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Boston District in 2018, she also won the Second prize in the 4th International Competition of Young Opera Singers named after Maxim Mikhailov and the Fourth prize in the International Competition for Performers of Vocal Chamber Music named after Maxim Mikhailov in Russia, as well as a winner of the 2014 Chinese National voice competition of Peafowl Award. Favorite past roles include L'enfant et les sortileges (Princess), conducted by the Metropolitan Opera’s Maestro Pierre Vallet and directed by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' James Robinson. As well as La Rondine (Yvette), and Cendrillon (spirits) with the Manhattan School of Music. Carmen (Frasquita) with the Bel Canto in Tuscany summer program in Italy. And Ms. Wang will perform the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute with Barn Opera in the 2018 season.