Florida Grand Opera Trains Miss Florida For Miss America Talent Competition

Florida Grand Opera invites the public to join in a special celebration designed to send Juliette Valle, Miss Florida 2023, off to the Miss America Pageant with confidence and style. The Miss Florida Talent Dress Rehearsal takes place on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Doral Opera Center, 8390 NW 25th St., Miami, FL 33122.

FGO has been working with Valle, an aspiring operatic soprano who attended Florida Grand Opera's Young Artist Learning Academy during her freshman year of high school and later earned a Bachelor's degree in political science with minors in broadcast journalism, musical theater and classical vocal performance at the University of Miami. After she won the Miss Florida crown, FGO General Director Maria Todaro invited her back for exclusive training in preparation for the talent segment of the Miss America Pageant. Valle will sing “Sempre libera” from Verdi's La traviata at the pageant.

“We thought it would be a great idea to give Juliette a little dress rehearsal as the finishing touch in our preparations for the pageant,” says Samuel M. Townsend Studio Artist Manager and renowned bass-baritone Neil Nelson, who has been giving Valle voice lessons. “Dress rehearsals before an audience are a very important part of performance preparation for any singer. Juliette has worked very hard and we're committed to seeing her all the way through to the crown."

The event will include performances by Florida Grand Opera Studio Artists Joseph McBrayer, Joseph Canuto Leon, and Keith Klein, as well as Valle herself; a question and answer session, wine reception, and photo opportunities.

 

Admission is free, but space is limited, so tickets must be reserved by emailing csadler@fgo.org with contact information and the number of tickets desired. Tickets will be confirmed via email.

After the Miss America competition in January 2024, Valle intends to audition for graduate schools, pursuing a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance with the goal of singing opera fulltime.

“FGO prides itself on encouraging and empowering future female leaders like Juliette Valle. We wish her every success and hope that she will follow in the footsteps of great artists like soprano Elizabeth Caballero who worked in our box office, became a Studio Artist, and went on to an international career, or baritone Troy Cook, a former Studio Artist who sang Germont in our recent production of La traviata,” says Todaro. “We are thrilled to support young, hard-working artists like Juliette and we would love to see her return to our stage one day.”

 

Florida Grand Opera is committed to arts education and accessibility in South Florida. Its programs provide a variety of fun and engaging learning opportunities and immersive experiences to audiences of all ages. In the 2022-23 season, FGO's Education Program brought over 2500 Miami-Dade and Broward County schoolchildren, teachers, and chaperones, many from Title 1 schools, to experience opera at a final dress rehearsal or opening night performances. Other initiatives include in-school performances, pre-performance lectures and post-show talkbacks with staff and special guests, Community Conversations, and the new ZIP CODE tours, which bring free, vibrant opera performances to nontraditional venues throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. For more information, please contact Lauren Frick, Education and Social Entrepreneurship Director, at lfrick@fgo.org.

 

Florida Grand Opera produces classic grand opera, contemporary works, and new commissions in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Founded in 1941 as the Opera Guild of Greater Miami by Arturo Di Filippi, it merged with the Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale in 1994 and is now under the direction of Maria Todaro. FGO is the oldest producing arts organization in the state of Florida and the seventh-oldest opera company in the United States. Its Florida Grand Opera Studio trains the opera stars of tomorrow, whose work supporting the world-class artists starring on FGO's stages and performing in the community brings some of the greatest music ever composed to all of South Florida. Its 2023–24 season takes place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, and features Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata, Ruggiero Leoncavallo's I pagliacci, and Giacomo Puccini's La bohème. All FGO productions feature projected translations in English and Spanish. For more information, please visit fgo.org.

 

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