Our Production Team
THE IMPRESARIO / CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Román Ortega-Cowan
Artistic Director
Román Ortega-Cowan, Vero Beach Opera Artistic Director, is a professional economist and an operatic baritone. He was born in La Habana, Cuba migrated to the USA in 1960 following the Cuban Castro Revolution. Román studied music and trained in the operatic field both in Cuba and in Europe under maestros such as Stracciari, Bastida, Iglesias, and Hubert de-Blanc. He has performed in multiple operas and operatic concerts both in the United States and abroad; singing leading roles in La Traviata, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, La Serva Padrona, Manon Lescaut with Richard Tucker, Raina Kabaivanska, Romeo and Juliet with William Lewis, and Spanish Zarzuelas with the Inter-American Opera Society in Miami. Román has invited renowned artists like soprano Deborah Voigt, tenor Marcello Giordani, and basso Paul Plishka to perform for Vero Beach Opera.
Gregory Buchalter
Music Director
Gregory became Vero Beach Opera's Music Director in 2023. He has been an Assistant Conductor at the MET Opera for many years. The position of “Maestro di Banda” was created for him there, and he worked extensively with the MET 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. He served as Music Director of Opera Fairbanks and Opera Camerata of Washington. Highlights include conducting Salome at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Die Fledermaus at the Vienna Volksoper, Mozart’s Entführung aus dem Serail at the Spoleto Festival, Cosi fan Tutte with the Mediterranean Opera Festival in Italy, and Eugene Onegin with the New Opera World Festival in Moscow, as well as the American Premieres of Mercadante’s I due Figaro, Von Winter’s Das Labyrinth, and Donizetti’s Olivo e Pasquale in New York. He conducted a tour of Madama Butterfly with Opera Lirica d'Europa and with Varna International, where he is also Music Director.
Nicholas Muni
Opera Designer, Producer and Stage Director
Nicholas Muni has served as Professor of Opera at CCM, AVA and Bard Conservatory of Music and as Artistic Director for several companies: More Than Musical, Ltd, a new opera company in Hong Kong (2017-2019), Cincinnati Opera (1996-2005) and Tulsa Opera (1987-93). He has produced and directed operas at San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Hong Kong Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Manhattan School of Music, Victoria State Opera in Melbourne, Prague National Opera, the Kurt Weill International Festival, Stadttheater Giessen, Opera Ireland, Theater Erfurt, Tirolerlandestheater in Innsbruck, Stadttheater Bern, Berlin Opera Academy, Calgary Opera, The Dallas Opera, The Academy of Vocal Arts, Tanglewood Music Center, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Michigan Opera Theate, and Odyssey Opera in Boston. He has earned numerous awards throughout the world. For details, please visit www.nicmuni.com
Dr. Anthony Baron
Chorus Master
Dr. Anthony Baron currently serves as Chorus Master for Vero Beach Opera. In addition to this role, he serves as Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church and School. Previous appointments include being on the teaching faculties of Nazareth College, University of Rochester, Cranbrook Schools, and Saint Edward’s School. Previous performing credits include leading roles in Le nozze di Figaro, Dialogues of the Carmelites, La Traviata, among others. He is the 2013 Music Teacher’s National Association National Young Artist Winner in Voice. Anthony is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and the Eastman School of Music.
Rachel Lebon
Stage Manager
Rachel grew up in Vero Beach. She studied at the University of Central Florida and earned her B.M.E. in Music Education, and B.S. in Psychology. She majored in voice and discovered opera in her extensive music history classes. "I fell in love with the drama and passion behind all of the music as well as the set and costume design involved in every production," she says. She was introduced to Vero Beach Opera through her husband, John LeBon, who is our Assistant Stage Manager. She began working with Toni Lemoine and Paula Andreozzi in costumes, then backstage for our 2023 L'Elisir d'Amore, and as Stage Manager for our 2023 Rising Stars Vocal Competition. She is now our permanent Stage Manager, and our Administrative Director. Her two favorite operas are Carmen and Don Giovanni. "Carmen has such raw and powerful music and always invokes a wide spectrum of emotions," she says. "Don Giovanni was the opera that first captured my interest. I was thrilled to stage manage Vero Beach Opera's 2024 production of Don Giovanni and be a part of making it come to life."
John LeBon
Assistant Stage Manager
John was raised in Port Saint Lucie. He earned his Bachelor of Art in History from The Florida State University, with a minor in Business. He first discovered opera when I found a VHS tape of Amadeus that belonged to his father. "I was instantly hooked because, though I had heard opera before, I didn't understand the human element to it," he says. "After learning more about Mozart's life, as historically accurate or inaccurate as the movie was, I felt a real connection to the music. Luckily, that connection has developed into a full love for opera," he says. "The Vero Beach Opera is one of my best and most valued clients," he says. "It's a joy to bring these operas and concerts to life with them." His favorite opera is Don Giovanni by Mozart. "Watching the Commendatore scene as a kid was intense and really stuck with me for all of these years," he says. "Imagine my surprise and delight when I was told we were performing Don Giovanni last year! That whole tech week and performance was absolutely amazing."
Paula Andreozzi
Costumes
Paula works endless hours as Costumes Co-Manager for our productions, and is our Vero Beach Opera Bookkeeper.
Toni Lemoine
Costumes
Toni serves on the Board of Directors, works endless hours as Costumes Co-Manager for our productions, and serves as Chair for A CLASS ACT: Opera in the Classroom. She brings her teaching experience, her joy for life, her love of students, her talent for costuming, AND even her extensive costume collection to the classrooms as well!