Masterclass with Tenor Carlos Enrique Santelli Comes to Freedom High School

Acclaimed tenor Carlos Enrique Santelli, winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, will return to his hometown of Orlando this April to make his professional debut in Orlando and Mainstage debut with Opera Orlando as Tonio in their production of The Daughter of the Regiment. Before he takes the stage, he will return to his alma mater Freedom High School where he will present a voice masterclass for their music students on April 7.

"As an Orlando native, it's been wonderful to see the arts thriving in Central Florida. I am elated to be debuting with Opera Orlando in a dream role, but also very excited to work with the next generation of singers and give back to this community that gave so much to me as a young person," says Mr. Santelli about his return to Central Florida.

Freedom High School students will also have the opportunity to see Mr. Santelli on stage performing one of the greatest tenor roles in the repertoire, as they attend a special invited final dress rehearsal of The Daughter of the Regiment in Steinmetz Hall on April 19. Opera Orlando is able to provide these masterclasses, free opera preview performances for students, and other education and outreach events in Orange and Osceola County Public Schools thanks to a generous grant through United Arts of Central Florida, which offers Arts and Culture Access funding to help provide valuable arts programs and experiences to students. "As we were planning our in-school programs for this season, it was an obvious choice to include Freedom High School on our list of schools to visit," shares education director Sarah Purser. "Carlos is such a fantastic example of what is possible when students are supported and encouraged to explore their talents and interests at a young age. I hope that the Freedom students will be inspired by their interaction with Carlos to pursue their own aspirations, no matter what they may be."

Carlos Enrique Santelli is a recent graduate of Los Angeles Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, where he covered Nadir in The Pearl Fishers. In the 2021-22 season, Santelli reprised the role of Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Finger Lakes Opera. He also sang the role of Lorenzo in William Bolcom and Mark Campbell's Lucrezia with Opera Louisiane, as well as the role of Valcour in the rarely performed The Anonymous Lover with Minnesota Opera before joining Houston Grand Opera for their productions of Turandot as Pong and Romeo et Juliette as Tybalt.