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Holiday spectacular 2023
December 3, 2023
Holiday Spectacular Review
by Frank Strafaci
How do you say, "Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukkah," and "Happy Holidays" all in one breath? Well, Opera at Florham accomplished that mission! Opera at Florham's (OAF) Holiday Spectacular at St. Margaret of Scotland R.C. Church in Morristown on December 3rd said it all with an overflow of joy and beautiful music to truly begin a happy and joyous time of year. A full audience exited the concert singing Christmas carols and holiday songs all the way home!
Mary Pinto, Artistic Director, assembled a concert program that was filled with holiday classics, popular songs, and overwhelmingly inspiring music. The singers were well-known and loved by the audience. Pedro Barrera and Sarah Sherman Barrera, a Tenor and Soprano, harmonized and intertwined their singing talents as only a highly accomplished married couple could do. Matthew Ciuffitelli, aka “Opera Daddy,” is a powerful Baritone, bringing depth and an extra layer of vibrancy to the entire performance. Matthew also dazzled the audience with a performance as The Grinch; you could hear the happy squeals from the children in the audience when he jumped out singing the beloved "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."
Adding to the wonderful performance was Donald Batchelder, a highly distinguished trumpeter who electrified the performance of "The Trumpet Shall Sound" from The Messiah by George Frideric Handel. The audience was also regaled with an original composition by Fairleigh Dickinson student Matthew North, a Baritone who sang artfully.
When Joan del Giudice, President of OAF, opened the concert and wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season, she opened a concert that ignited the joy of Christmas, the festivities of Hanukkah, and the holidays for one and all!
See you in February for our Valentine Serenade concert!
Holiday Spectacular 2023
SARAH SHERMAN-BARRERA
Soprano
Soprano Sarah Sherman-Barrera was born in San Diego, California and received her Bachelor of Music from Northern Arizona University in 2016. In 2017 Sarah began her Masters in Music at the University of Denver where she played the leading roles of Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Her love of Opera and classical singing began when she was invited to be an apprentice for the summer at the Greek Opera Studio at the age of 17. She has since sung in Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Austria.
PEDRO BARRERA
Tenor
Colombian Tenor Pedro Barrera, born in Barranquilla, moved to the United States in 2017 after receiving a full scholarship for his Master's at the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music. Pedro has been seen as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, and later on he played Goro in Madama Butterfly, both performances at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. Upcoming projects include Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni in 2024 with Camerata Bardi - Teatro Grattacielo in New York City.
MATTHEW CIUFFITELLI
Baritone
“Truly an anthem of our times,” said Classic FM in regards to Matthew Ciuffitelli’s (AKA “Opera Daddy”) ‘Figaro’ parody. Matthew spent this past winter singing with New York City Opera originating the role of Giampi Malnate in their world premiere of The Garden of the Finzi Continis. He was also heard on Broadway's 10th Anniversary Concert of A Tale of Two Cities. Ciuffitelli had the unique opportunity to perform with the Rolling Stones at Chicago’s United Center and to appear in the United States premiere of the mixed-media work Mountain Top by Dutch avant-pop composer Jacob Ter Veldhuis. Matthew’s Operatic roles include Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Sergeant Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Eisenstein and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Valentin in Faust, Marcello in La Bohème, and Figaro in The Barber of Seville.
MARY PINTO
Artistic Director & Piano Accompanist
Mary Pinto, an acclaimed accompanist and vocal coach, has worked with international opera singers and major American opera companies for the past 25 years. Ms. Pinto's career began as a rehearsal pianist for noted opera companies: Dallas Opera, Chicago's Lyric Opera, Omaha Opera, and others. In 2012, Ms. Pinto coached and was rehearsal pianist for Metropolitan Opera star and international soprano Deborah Voigt as she prepared for the three Brünhilde roles for the Met's production of Wagner's Ring Cycle which was featured in the documentary Wagner’s Dream: The Making of the Met's Ring Cycle and premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
In 2022, Ms. Pinto was invited to be official accompanist for the Giulio Gari Competition and to accompany singers in the Gerda Lissner Song, Zarzuela and Aria Competition. She made her Carnegie Hall debut playing for the winners of the Gerda Lissner Winners Concert. In 2021, Ms. Pinto coached and directed scenes at the Summer Opera Festival of Morelia and coached at the Queens Summer Vocal Institute. In the fall of 2020, she performed at Black Opera’s tribute to Jessye Norman. She spends her summers on the coaching staff at Masterclass d' Ischia, Italy. She has worked with the NJ State Opera and Light Opera of NJ, and internationally with Opera Noire’s Ensemble in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Ms. Pinto is on the faculty of Montclair State University as a private coach, accompanist, and prepares students for opera productions. She serves as Artistic Director and accompanist for Opera at Florham while maintaining coaching studios in New Jersey and New York City.
Mary received her Bachelor’s degree in Music for piano performance from DePauw University and a Master’s in Music degree for piano and voice accompaniment from University of Illinois.