The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera Gala: Magic Moments of Opera Scenes 2025
Based in Florida's friendliest hometown, "The Villages Philharmonic" is a professional Orchestra presenting the highest possible standard for excellence in musical performance since 2003.
Under the musical direction of acclaimed Conductor Pasquale Valerio, the orchestra has grown in stature while enriching and shaping cultural life. The orchestra presents musical masterpieces to nourish the hearts, souls and minds of local music patrons.
Most members live in the Orlando area but we have regular members who come from as far afield as Jacksonville, Tampa, Daytona and St. Petersburg. The Philharmonic gives 13-15 concerts per year and so we don't provide full time employment for any of the players. Our players are comprised of resident and international artists who collaborate with symphonic and operatic companies at large. Although most orchestra members are not Villagers, there are two professional orchestra members who are Village residents and there are six amateurs who train each Saturday so that they can meet the standards required to play with the Philharmonic.
Gabriel Preisser
Grammy Award winning baritone Gabriel Preisser has been praised by Opera News for his "handsome voice, charismatic energy, and timbral allure" and The New York Times called his performance as Lt. Gordon "wonderful." His resume includes over 40 operatic and musical theater roles including Danilo in The Merry Widow with Utah Festival Opera, Billy Bigelow in Carousel with Minnesota Orchestra, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with St Petersburg Opera, Dandini in Cenerentola with Opera Tampa, Escamillo in Carmen with Lyric Opera of the North, Belcore in L'elisir d'amore with Shreveport Opera, Le Mari in Les Mamelles de Tiresias with Opera Parallele, Albert in Werther with Minnesota Opera, Mercutio in Romeo et Juliette with Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera, Tommy in Brigadoon with Gulfshore Opera, Silvio in Pagliacci with Opera Naples, Harold Hill in The Music Man with Colorado Symphony, and Bob Baker in Wonderful Town with Skylark Opera to name a few. He has been praised for having a "matinee idol's charm and charisma," "a beautiful, luscious baritone," and "a compelling, commanding stage presence."
Mr. Preisser has made a name for himself as a versatile, cross-over performer and has especially been active in new works. He created the role of Lt. Gordon in Kevin Puts' Pulitzer Prize winning Silent Night at Minnesota Opera with subsequent performances at Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre. His performance as Lt. Gordon with Minnesota Opera was also broadcast nationally on PBS in 2013 and 2014. He also took on the role of Farmer Bean in Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr Fox both with Opera San Antonio and Odyssey Opera of Boston. He can be heard on the first official audio recording of Fantastic Mr Fox under the baton of Gil Rose with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project which won the Grammy Award for best new opera recording in 2020. He has also been seen as the title role in Aldridge's Elmer Gantry, Tom Joad in Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath, Riolobo in Catan's Florencia en el Amazonas, Antonio in Hagen's New York Stories, John Brooke in Adamo's Little Women, and the Shoe Salesman/Puppet role in Argento's Postcard from Morocco. He recently made his Italian debut in Naples, Italy as soloist in the Mozart Requiem under the baton of Maestro Pasquale Valerio.
Pedro Valdez
Pedro Valdez, tenor, hailed for his agile yet full-bodied voice, tenor Pedro Valdez is a dynamic performer who brings lyrical warmth, emotional depth, and technical brilliance to every role. He excels in the bel canto and lyric repertoire, captivating audiences with his expressive phrasing and soaring high notes.
Pedro has performed with Opera Orlando, Finger Lakes Opera, Northern Lights Music Festival, Madison Opera, and Sarasota Opera. He has portrayed iconic roles such as Rodolfo in La Bohème, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola. His most recent engagement is with Opera Orlando, where he is making his lead role debut at Steinmetz Hall in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts as Bénédict in Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict.
A graduate of Texas State University (MM, 2020) and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (BM, 2018), Pedro has also trained as a studio artist with Opera Orlando and Madison Opera and covered roles such as MacDuff (Macbeth), Naraboth (Salome), and Spoletta (Tosca).
Beyond performance, Pedro is passionate about the intersection of opera, humanity, and the universe. He believes that opera is a gateway to experiencing profound emotions, a release that connects both the performer and the audience to something greater. Whether on stage or in nature, he finds inspiration in the raw beauty of human expression and the vast mystery of existence.
Raphaella Medina
Lauded for her ability to "exquisitely set the scene" (Orlando Sentinel), Chilean-American mezzo-soprano Raphaella Medina continues to charm audiences with her "vibrant voice and ability to entrance" (The Villages Daily Sun).
This season, Medina returns to Opera Orlando's mainstage, debuting the title role of Beatrice in Berlioz' Beatrice and Benedict.
In the 2023/24 season, Medina made her Winter Opera St. Louis debut as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, covered the role of the Collector in On Site Opera's premiere of Song of the Nightingale, and reprised her role as Diana in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with Opera Santa Barbara.
Previous seasons saw Medina make role debuts as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi and Clarina in Rossini's The Marriage Contract with Opera Orlando. Medina also made multiple debut appearances across Central Florida: as a soloist with the Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orlando Ballet, and as a soloist with the UCF Symphony under the baton of Eric Jacobsen.
On the competition circuit, Medina was the Third Place winner in the 2022/23 Opera Tampa D'Angelo Competition. In past seasons, she was named a Bonnie Bell Encouragement Award winner in the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition, as well as a Winner of the San Francisco District and an Encouragement Award winner in the Western Region Finals of the Laffont Competition.
In addition to her work on the opera stage, Medina has been featured as a soloist in concert and recital repertoire with Florentine Opera, New Albany Symphony Orchestra, Paradise Symphony, and the Leipzig Hochschule für Musik und Theater. Medina also participated in both Joyce DiDonato's and Marilyn Horne's Carnegie Hall masterclass series.
Medina is managed by Encompass Arts, LLC.
