OPERA TAMPA PRODUCTION STAFF

Judith Lisi, President/General Director
Anton Coppola, Artistic Director/Conductor
Maria Zouves, Associate General Director
Sherrill Milnes, Artistic Advisor
Lorrin Shepard, Vice President/Managing Director
Michael Chamoun, Production Manager
Marion Sassen, Producing Manager
Cynthia Youkon, Chorus Director
Paul Dorgan, Rehearsal Pianist/Supertitles
John Smith, Italian Language Coach
Scott Cline, Master Carpenter
William Davis, Master Electrician
Terry McCann, Sound Technician
Jesse Perkins, Jr., Head Flyman
Kari Goetz, Marketing Manager

Judith Lisi,
General Director, Opera Tampa
Judith Lisi is very happy to collaborate once again with her opera colleagues. When she first came to The Center in 1992 as the executive director, her hope was to ultimately produce Grand Opera for this wonderful community. Her Opera Tampa successes include Madama Butterfly (1996), Carmen (1997), La Bohème (1998), Tosca (1999), Hansel and Gretel (1999), La Traviata (2000), The Marriage of Figaro (2000), the world premiere of Sacco & Vanzetti (2001), An Evening of Verdi & Puccini (2001), Die Fledermaus (2001), Basically Bernstein (2002), Rigoletto (2002), Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (2002), Otello (2003), Turandot (2004) and Madama Butterfly (2004). Before coming to Tampa, Lisi was general director of the New Haven Opera Company, where she produced more than 20 fully-staged operas with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Lisi is very grateful to The Center’s Board of Directors for their support in producing opera in Tampa and to her dedicated and talented staff.

Anton Coppola, Artistic Director/Conductor, Opera Tampa
Anton Coppola brings many years of experience to the podium, having 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 has conducted the world premieres of Lizzie Borden, Deseret and Of Mice and Men, as well as many Broadway musicals. Mr. Coppola has also 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 has conducted important revivals of Zaza, Mireille and Falstaff, as well as appearing in his nephew Francis Ford Coppola’s film, Godfather III. He also conducted the score for the Coppola film Dracula. Coppola most recently 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. Anton Coppola has conducted all of Opera Tampa’s productions: Madama Butterfly (1996), Carmen (1997), La Bohème (1998), Tosca (1999), Hansel and Gretel (1999), La Traviata (2000), The Marriage of Figaro (2000), the world premiere of his opera Sacco & Vanzetti (2001), An Evening of Verdi & Puccini (2001), Die Fledermaus (2001), Basically Bernstein (2002) Rigoletto (2002), Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci (2002), Otello (2003), Turandot (2004) and Madama Butterfly (2004).

Maria Zouves, Associate General Director, Opera Tampa 
In her new position with the opera company, Maria Zouves has been getting exciting wheels in motion. Her fresh perspective has created innovative programming, nurtured new audiences and launched a highly successful apprentice program. As a singer soprano, Zouves has been hailed by the Stuttgart Zeitung as a "beautiful, lyric voice" and "a not to be surpassed 'piano' in the high register." Opera News, in her debut recording with VAI Audio, described her voice as "creamy". This Greek-American soprano shows great versatility in opera, concert stages and cross-over, specializing in classical and popular Greek music. Zouves has sung leading roles with the Baltimore Opera, Memphis Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Orlando Opera and the Florentine Opera. 

As an educator, Zouves focuses primarily on training young artists. She is the director of the operatic training organization, V.O.I.C.Experience, having founded the program in 2001. She teaches and produces outreach all around the world.

Sherrill Milnes, Artistic Advisor, Opera Tampa 
Five-time Grammy® nominated and three-time Grammy® winner Sherrill Milnes is internationally recognized as the leading Verdi Baritone of his time. Milnes has conquered all of the great opera capitals of the world: the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; La Scala, Milan; Berlin's Deutsche Oper; the Paris Opera; Buenos Aires' famed Teatro Colon; the Liceu in Barcelona; the Bavarian State Opera in Munich; the Salzburg Festival; the Hamburg Opera; and Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre. He has had the honor of performing for every United States President since Gerald Ford. 

Milnes has worked extensively with young singers throughout his career. He has led master classes at the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools in New York, at most major universities throughout the country and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. More extensive teaching has been done at the Yale University School of Music; Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow; the Northern Royal College of Music in Manchester, England (where he is a fellow); the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv; Montreal; and Puerto Rico; and the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy.