BIOGRAPHY
Celeste Tavera is a versatile artist and teacher. As a teacher, she was invited to develop the vocal training program at the Yamaha Music Education Center. With the success of the program, Celeste went on to produce, direct, and stage the Not So Royal Opera Company's production of "Ioanthe". Ms. Tavera has been teaching privately for over twenty years and recently is teaching private voice at Westmont College.
As an artist, Ms. Tavera is recognized for her warm lyric voice. She has won numerous awards as well as performed throughout the United States and Italy. In 1987 she became one of the National winners of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Awards, where she sang in concert with conductor Richard Woitach on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House. She went on to win the Golden Eagle awards for most promising performer in the field of classical music in 1988, presented to her on national television. In that same year, Ms. Tavera received the Victor Fuchs awards as well as the People's Choice award. In 1989 she received an award from the Liederkranz Foundation. She then went on to perform the role of Gilda in RIGOLETTO with the Merola program of the San Francisco Opera, where she was noted as being a "Gilda to watch for." Later she joined the National tour of CARMEN for the Western Opera where she performed the role of Micaela, as well as Frasquita. She also performed as Nella in GIANNI SCHICCHI with the Michigan Opera Theater and performed in the opera DIE ZAUBERFLOTE with the San Diego Opera. In 1991 Ms. Tavera performed the role of Susanna in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO for the New York City Opera National tour where she received noted reviews: "as Susanna, Celeste Tavera was for my money the anchor of the performance. Her creamy soprano voice was constant in quality and timbre over entire vocal compass, her phrasing was and is always liquid and tasteful, and she exuded the natural vitality and resilience that this role always needs but often doesn't get." Review by Herman Trotter, News Music Critic.Ms. Tavera is also versatile in concert performance. She performed as soloist for the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. She has performed with the Pacific Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and was the soprano soloist with the Las Vegas Symphony Christmas program of Handle's Messiah. She went on to perform and study in Italy with Ms. Paula Molinari, accompanist & coach to Mirella Freni. Ms. Tavera performed in the Festival dell' Opera Lirica Siciliana with Vincenzo La Scola. In Vincenzo Italy and Villa Albergati in Bologna, Celeste performed in concert with tenor Jose Carreras.
Since returning to the United States Ms. Tavera has been performing in Opera & Concerts. And recording various projects, such as "There Thought and Back Again, An Opera for two Sopranos and String Quartet. She was hired by the Yamaha Corporation as a recording artist to complete two CD's for their Pianosoft Library; the first Album includes Italian Art Songs from the Italian repertory and an Opera album of popular Opera Arias. She has also performed with the Newport Music Festival in Newport Rhode Island where she performed music from the French, German and Italian repertory.
EDUCATION
She studied voice and vocal performance at Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State. She also studied Italian at the Cultura Italiana language school in Bologna, Italy and studied voice under the tutelage of Jane Randolph, Herta Glatz, and Egidia Bonessi. She has also coached with Metropolitan Opera's Jane Dornermann and Carol Neblett and in Italy with vocal coach Paula Molinari. Celeste has taught voice at Westmont College for the past nine years. Her students have participated in various orchestral concerts and competitions, Celeste developed the vocal program for the Yamaha Music Education Center in Irvine, California, and she went on to produce, direct, and stage the Not So Royal Opera Company's production of "Iolanthie." Ms. Tavera has taught privately for over twenty years and is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singings). Website: celestetavera.net
|