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Mara Adler, soprano
Mara Adler – soprano, has crafted a musical life that spans continents. An expert in Neapolitan classical music, she performs regularly with I Filarmonici di Napoli at the famed Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy, where her specialty — the comic operas of 17th-century Naples — has been featured across regional festivals.
As co-founder of Ensemble Bella Luce and former Leader of Song at Saint Paul the Apostle Church in Englewood, NJ, she organizes and performs with international artists throughout New Jersey.
Mara's career includes background vocals for major motion pictures and pop recording artists, solo work with the San Francisco Opera, and recordings with the Grammy-winning San Francisco Symphony. She has also been featured with Bel Canto at Caramoor and the Metropolitan Opera's Educational Outreach Program. In the summer of 2025, she sang with Andrea Bocelli in Pompeii Italy. Her passion for making classical music accessible has taken her to Rowan University, the East Brunswick Arts Council, and stages throughout the region.
Mara is the owner of Academy of Italian Bel Canto and teaches private voice lessons and group masterclasses. Her web site is: www.Mara-Adler.com
Oswaldo Iraheta, tenor
Salvadoran-American tenor Oswaldo Iraheta made his international operatic debut at the Royal Opera House Muscat with Maestro Lorin Maazel and he made his European solo recital debut at the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Italy.
Oswaldo is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and North Park University-Chicago. He transitioned up from baritone to tenor with acclaimed tenor Vinson Cole. Currently, Oswaldo studies with Bill Schuman. He was a member of the Aspen Opera Center and performed with the Martina Arroyo Foundation. He has sung in premieres of operas including the role of Domingo in Luis Díaz Hérodier's El Mozote (El Salvador), the role of the Prince in Polina Nazaykinskaya's The Magic Mirror (NY Int’l Fringe Festival) & the Shepherd in Dina Pruzhansky's Shulamit (New York City). Other performed roles include Alfredo (La Traviata), Rodolfo (La bohème), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), The Student Prince (title role), Beppe (Rita), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Tebaldo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Turiddu (Cavaliea rusticana) and Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor).
In concert, Oswaldo performed in the Sounds of the South Loop concert series (Chicago) with acclaimed Brazilian guitarist Paulinho Garcia, the Center for Contemporary Opera’s Sing for Hope outreach series in New York City with song cycle premieres by Juan Guerra González and chamber works by Polina Nazaykinskaya. He has performed with the acclaimed Ensemble Bella Luce in Italy and the United States. Oswaldo has performed in concert with Marvin Hamlisch at Severance Hall. Oswaldo has performed in gala concerts honoring playwright Terrence McNally, composer Maury Yeston and Broadway legend Chita Rivera in New York City. Oswaldo has performed the Tenor solo in Handel's Messiah (Germany), the Tenor solo in Monteverdi’s Vespers (U.S.), the Tenor solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (U. S.) and the Tenor solo in the Mozart Requiem (U. S.).
Opera companies & festivals performed with include ZêzereArts Festival (Portugal), New York City Opera, Guildford Opera (UK), St. Petersburg Opera (USA), New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Flehite Sinfonietta (Netherlands), Roman Borgman Opera Company, New York Opera Alliance, Aspen Music Festival, Assisi Music Festival (Italy), Castleton Festival, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar (Germany), Ópera de El Salvador, Opera Circle of Cleveland, Instant Opera (UK), Assisi Performing Arts Festival (Italy), Phoenicia Int’l Festival of the Voice, Connecticut Lyric Opera, Trentino Lirica Opera (Italy), Regina Opera, Knoxville Opera, Mettiamoci all’Opera Associazione Culturale (Italy), New Sussex Opera (UK) & the Royal Opera House Muscat (Oman).
Oswaldo performed in concert at the Green Space in New York City to premiere Encompass Opera Theatre’s “Unheard Voices: An Immigrant’s Dream. He performed in two concerts with tenor Andrea Bocelli at the historic Anfiteatro di Pompei. In Mantova, he performed at the Teatro Bibiena with the Quartetto Pergolesi del Teatro San Carlo.
In addition to performing, Oswaldo has served as an adjudicator in international competitions. He is a voice instructor and has taught Masterclasses abroad. He is co-director of the Voice program at the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Italy. Oswaldo was named Artist In Residence with Encompass New Opera Theatre. He is the first artist to be given this title in the company’s fifty-year history.
For more information please visit: https://www.oswaldoiraheta.com/
Matthew Schmidt, multi instrumentalist
Matthew Schmidt received his BOA in Music Education from Montclair State University. While at Montclair he performed with the MSU Orchestra, Wind Symphony Band, University Singers, and a variety of small chamber ensembles. He is currently an active woodwind player in the northern New Jersey area and performs regularly as the principal oboist of the East Brunswick Symphony Orchestra. Matthew frequently performs as a woodwind doubler for local community and school theater productions. When he is not performing as an instrumentalist, he is composing recital music and is a proud co-owner of the music publishing company D.S. Musiks. His music can be described as cinematic and whimsical, drawing inspiration from nature and fantasy.
Website link:
Donna Sarratt, violin
Donna Sarratt is a violinist and educator with a distinguished international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. She studied at the New England Conservatory and in Toulouse, France.
She has performed with renowned ensembles including the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, the Virginia Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. She served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Assisi Performing Arts Festival Chamber Orchestra in Italy and most recently as Concertmaster of the Summer Music in Tuscany Orchestra.
As a Visiting Artist at the Summer Music in Tuscany Festival, Donna performed as a soloist and chamber musician. She has also served as a chamber music instructor at both the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Assisi, Italy, and the Summer Music in Tuscany Festival.
Donna's students have earned top competition honors, orchestral leadership positions, and admission to leading conservatories. Donna performs regularly throughout the United States and Europe and remains active as a chamber musician and recording artist. She is currently recording at Grey Cat Sound in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Donna holds Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Master of Business Administration degrees.
For more information, please visit uniquemusicality.org.
