President
Barack Obama praises and congratulates Maestro Anton Coppola
***
Tampa, Fla.
─ President Barack Obama has offered Maestro Anton Coppola congratulations on
his retirement from Opera Tampa.
President Obama’s April 5 letter
expresses pride for Coppola’s “many accomplishments and contributions,” and
wishes him luck as the Maestro begins a new chapter in life. A copy of the
letter is attached.
Following the April 22 performance of the company’s production of Aida, Coppola retired from the podium
after 17 years as founding artistic director of Opera Tampa. “I must confess, I
will never be the same person without Opera Tampa,” Coppola said, calling Straz
Center President Judy Lisi his “blessed fairy godmother.”
During
his illustrious career, Coppola conducted almost all of the important opera
companies in the United States
and Canada including the San Francisco and New
York City Operas. Known for his range and versatility, Coppola conducted the
world premieres of Lizzie Borden, Deseret and
Of Mice and Men, as well as many Broadway musicals. He worked with the
Royal Opera Orchestra and opera soprano Angela Gheorghiu to release a complete
recording of Puccini works. After serving four years as an army bandmaster
during World War II, he moved on to conduct at Radio City Music Hall. For 15 years, he was the
director of both the Symphony and Opera Departments at the Manhattan School of
Music and holds a master’s degree in composition. Among his larger works are a
symphony, an opera, a violin concerto and numerous film scores. Coppola
conducted important revivals of Zaza, Mireille and Falstaff,
and appeared in his nephew Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Godfather III.
He also conducted the score for the Coppola film Dracula. Coppola has
received honorary Doctorates from the University
of Tampa and Quinnitiac
University in Connecticut. He was honored with the
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Puccini Foundation and recognized by the
Italian government as Cavaliere, Gran Ufficiale. Coppola has conducted all of
Opera Tampa’s productions including Madama Butterfly, Carmen, La Bohème, Tosca, Hansel and
Gretel, La
Traviata,
The Marriage of Figaro, the world premiere of his own opera Sacco
& Vanzetti,
Otello, Turandot and many more.
Maestro Daniel Lipton, who has been appointed artistic director and
conductor of Opera Tampa, will succeed Coppola. Details of the upcoming season
and Lipton’s first appearance with Opera Tampa will be announced in the next
six weeks.
For
more information about Opera Tampa and its upcoming
events, visit www.operatampa.org.
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