HOLIDAY TASTE OF OPERA

Recognized for her grace and warmth of tone, soprano Catherine Ortega Spitzer is an accomplished performer based in South Florida. Earlier this year, Catherine was a Professional Artist in Residence with Gulfshore Opera. Prior to that, she performed the role of Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus with First Coast Opera.

Catherine has performed in concerts and operas with Vero Beach Opera, Little Opera Theatre of NY (virtual), Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, the Sunrise Pops Orchestra, Miami Oratorio Society, and was a Young Artist with Chicago Opera Theater.

Previous operatic credits include Penelope Ann in Penelope Ann’s Revenge (World Premire), Mimì in La Bohème, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, La Contessa di Folleville in Il viaggio a Reims, Die Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, Le Feu in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte, and Amelia in Menotti’s Amelia Goes to the Ball. She has been the soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Carmina Burana, and Rutter’s Mass of the Children and Requiem.

A native of Hawaii, singing performer Torlef A. Borsting has enjoyed many stages of a varied career. Based now in central Florida, he has worked with opera companies, musical theater companies, and is a founding member of the Pinnacle Singers a 5 person ensemble being engaged all over the region.

While a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Torlef worked with San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, Sacramento Opera, Opera Parallele, Berkeley Opera, and Livermore Valley Opera. His many roles include Scarpia, Germont, Marcello, Sharpless, Horace Tabor, Belcore, Jack Rance, Prince Yeletsky along with many new roles created in modern operas and productions. An active concert performer as well, Torlef worked with Mendocino Music Festival, Pacific Chamber Symphony, Oakland Symphony and chorus, Symphony Parnassus, Cantare con Vivo, and most recently Orlando Sings.

Now that Torlef makes his home in central Florida, he has made his debut with Opera Orlando, New York City Opera, Indianapolis Opera, First Coast Opera, and the Savannah VOICE Festival. His newest chapter includes a debut with Citrus Alliance for the Arts in Amazing Grace the Musical and an upcoming debut with JPAS (Jefferson Performing Arts Society) in Metairie, Louisiana as Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Prize-winner at the Russian Cities Chamber Ensembles Competition (Volgograd, 2007)

Prize-winner at the 18th International Roma 2008 Piano Competition (Roma, Italy)

Prize-winner at the 16th International Pietro Argento Piano Competition (Bari, Italy, 2012)

Andrey Annenkov was born in Volgograd. In 2003 he graduated from the College of the Serebryakov Arts Institute (now, Serebryakov Volgograd Conservatory), and then in 2008 from the Arts Institute itself (class of professor V.I. Lesenko). In 2014 completed postgraduate studies at the Rachmaninoff Volgograd State Conservatory under artistic direction of professor I.S. Benditsky and professor R.G. Skorokhodov. In 2008, he was offered the position of an accompanist at the chair of folk instruments and the chair of wind and percussion instruments, as well as the position of a teacher at the chair of chamber ensemble and accompaniment at the Serebryanikov Volgograd Conservatory. In 2007–2013, he was an artist of the Symphony Orchestra of the Volgograd Musical Theatre.

Andrey Annenkov was awarded the Best Accompanist Diploma at multiple competitions and festivals, including the Eighth International Young Musicians Competition Symphony in Volgograd (2012).

From 2012 to 2016 was an accompanist with the opera company of the Volgograd Tsaritsinskaya Opera Theatre. He took part in such performances as Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, Le Nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte by Mozart, Tosca by Puccini, The Tsar’s Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov, Aridna by Ristory, The Dawns Here Are Quiet by Molchanov.

Andrey Annenkov has performed recital, chamber and vocal music programmes in Russia, West-European countries, China and the USA. In 2015 and 2016 he participated in the productions of operas Sister Angelica by Pucсini, Così fan tutte and the Die Zauberflöte by Mozart at the festival International Lyric Academia in Roma&Viterbo (Italy). In January 2017, he was engaged in the production of Cavalleria rusticana by Mascagni at The Opera Project DSM (Des Moines, USA).

Since March 2017 he has been an accompanist of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.