Greenwich Opera – Vocalizing their Vision

Redefining the Performing Arts Experience

Last December, Marcelo Guzzo and his wife Anelle De Beer, founders of Greenwich Opera, transformed a sumptuous private estate into something altogether rarer: a sanctuary of sound, stillness, and shared emotion. The Holiday Backcountry Estate Performance—part of the Greenwich Opera’s celebrated Manor Series—invited guests into an intimate world where world-class opera unfolded just feet away, accompanied by exceptional musicianship and the luminous resonance of rare Stradivarius violins.

Stradivarius Violins

It was not merely a concert. It was an arrival.

Founded on the belief that opera flourishes far beyond traditional performance stages, Greenwich Opera has become known for presenting immersive performances in architecturally significant and unexpected spaces—castles, manors, airport hangars, and private residences among them. Each production is designed to seamlessly merge the separation between artist and audience, creating a personal dialogue that is felt as much as it is heard.

The evening’s repertoire reflected both breadth and boldness, featuring masterworks by Georges Bizet, Léo Delibes, Giacomo Puccini, Antonín Dvořák, Umberto Giordano, Astor Piazzolla, George Gershwin, and Stephen Sondheim. These works were brought to life by internationally acclaimed artists whose careers span the world’s most prestigious stages—yet here, in this candlelit home, their voices felt personal, immediate, and profoundly human.

An extraordinary assembly of artists and musicians traveled from across the globe to participate in the evening. Greenwich Opera was honored to welcome Barnes Fine Violins / The Guarneri Society, internationally respected stewards of rare instruments and champions of classical music preservation. Representing Barnes International, Corentin Dugast addressed guests on the cultural legacy and enduring artistry of historic instruments, offering insight into the craftsmanship, rarity, and investment significance of Stradivarius violins. Working alongside Barnes president Thibault de Saint Vincent and co-founder Heidi Barnes, Dugast plays a vital role in cultivating relationships between musicians, collectors, and patrons worldwide.

Corentin Dugast, Laurent Lopez

Also featured was French violin maker Laurent López, whose exceptional instruments—crafted following his training at the Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume School and under René Morizot before joining Maison Vatelot in Paris—are admired for their tonal brilliance and refined aesthetic. His work has served leading orchestras and soloists throughout Europe.

The musical performances themselves were equally distinguished. Hungarian violinist Katalin Westermann delivered a compelling performance informed by her extensive international career. Romanian violinist Robert Dumitrescu captivated the audience performing on a rare 1716 Antonio Stradivari violin, bringing decades of experience from major opera houses and concert halls across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Katalin Westermann ©Bob Capazzo

Violinist Robert Dumitrescu playing a Stradivarius violin circa 1716. ©Bob Capazzo

The vocal performances were led by an exceptional roster of artists. American tenor Ryan Capozzo sang selections ahead of upcoming major debuts with Seattle Opera and Irish National Opera, alongside anticipated returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera. Soprano Jillian Tate, a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition district winner and recent Yale University graduate, offered luminous performances marked by poise and promise. Mezzo-soprano Tess Klibanoff, celebrated for her versatility as a singing actress, director, choreographer, and burlesque artist, brought dramatic depth shaped by roles ranging from Zerlina at Carnegie Hall to Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.

Ryan Capozzo ©Bob Capazzo

Jillian Tate & Tess Klibanoff ©Bob Capazzo

Internationally acclaimed baritone Marcelo Guzzo delivered a commanding performance informed by a global career that includes concerts with Andrea Bocelli under Plácido Domingo and a starring role in South Pacific on U.S. tour. The evening was masterfully accompanied by Alejandro Roca, whose vast repertoire and international conducting career—alongside his role as Lecturer at Yale School of Music—anchored the program with precision and sensitivity.

Reflecting on the company’s journey, Co-Founders Marcelo Guzzo and Anelle De Beer expressed deep gratitude for how far Greenwich Opera has traveled—both literally and philosophically.

Marcelo Guzzo ©Bob Capazzo

“From castles and manors to airport hangars and private residences, our work has always centered on introducing exceptional music to spaces where audiences may never have encountered it before,” they shared.

That philosophy—of access, intimacy, and inclusion—has allowed opera to shed formality without sacrificing excellence, inviting new audiences into the art form through experience rather than expectation.

As President and Co-Founder, Anelle De Beer welcomed guests by acknowledging a year of remarkable growth. Each Greenwich Opera production, she emphasized, is shaped with intention: to engage community, nurture emerging artists, and foster meaningful connections through the arts.

“Greenwich Opera was founded on the belief that art has the power to unite, uplift, and inspire,” De Beer said. “Every performance we present is guided by purpose—creating meaningful experiences, expanding educational opportunities, and celebrating the enduring power of music.”

© Bob Capazzo

Looking ahead, De Beer previewed an ambitious slate of 2026 initiatives. These include an expanded Manor Series, the launch of the Opera Supper Club, and the foundational development of new educational and residency programs designed to support artists at every stage of their careers—from students to emerging professionals navigating the transition into the field.

The Greenwich Opera Supper Club, in particular, signals a bold evolution of the company’s immersive ethos. Planned across Greenwich, Westchester, and beyond, the series will weave together music, gastronomy, and place—partnering with galleries, chefs, wineries, and select luxury brands to create evenings where opera belongs naturally at the table. These gatherings are envisioned not only as social experiences, but as cultural ecosystems—connecting artists, patrons, sponsors, and communities through shared values.

Complementing these evenings will be more intimate formats: morning and afternoon “tea concerts,” breakfast salons, and private club performances. These settings will allow young artists in residence to perform, teach master classes, and build meaningful exposure—creating what De Beer describes as a “trampoline” rather than a single spotlight moment. It is a continuum of support, designed to sustain artistic longevity rather than fleeting success.

Education remains central to this vision. Greenwich Opera is actively cultivating partnerships to support programs for children, university students, and professional singers alike—ensuring that access to artistry, mentorship, and inspiration remains fluid and interconnected.

At the pinnacle of the season stands the annual gala—an anchor event that fuels the company’s broader mission. While the 2026 location is still under consideration, accessibility, safety, and inclusivity remain paramount. The gala will be a seated dinner, table-driven, with performances by international stars—an evening where generosity directly enables the many initiatives that unfold throughout the year.

Yet for all its strategic planning and ambitious growth, the heart of Greenwich Opera remains beautifully simple.

What became clear to Marcelo and Anelle wasn’t that they were doing something extraordinary. Rather, it was that something had been waiting to happen. They explained that there is a hunger for this kind of experience, a quiet but persistent longing that people may not even know how to name.

“When you really look at it,” said Anelle, “we’re talking about opera—one of the oldest forms of entertainment, one of the most organic and emotionally pure art forms we have. And somehow, in this modern moment, it becomes newly attractive not because it’s been reinvented, but because it answers a need that already exists: the need for connection, for beauty, for shared wonder.”

She went on.

“These events don’t come together because someone believes they are brilliant enough to manufacture magic. They happen because the call is already out there. The need establishes itself, and people are drawn toward it—toward something different, something that quietly restores a sense of value and meaning. We want to be part of something that reminds us who we are when we’re not rushing, scrolling, or complaining. Something that says: this matters.”

“And then there’s that feeling—of importance, of anticipation. No matter who we are, we all want to feel something deeply, at least once in a while. To bring a bit of the esoteric back into everyday life. To bring magic back. Because magic is where people shine their brightest—when they stop resisting, stop analyzing, and simply surrender to the moment. You can see it in the excitement: We’re going to the opera tonight. What are you wearing? Suddenly the city responds—shops, streets, conversations, energy. Other avenues open. People feel alive again. They feel part of something.”

For one night, Marcelo and Anelle want people to step away from the noise—from the news, the complaints, the heaviness—and walk into a breathtaking environment where awe is allowed. Where children, adults, everyone can be carried by beauty without explanation. That’s when it becomes more than an event; it becomes a movement of magic. And maybe that’s what people have been missing all along.

“We call ourselves pioneers of the art experience,” De Beer reflects. “Because what we create is not simply opera—it is immersion of all the senses.”

Artisan craftsmanship. The ritual of food. The memory of perfume. The resonance of a voice that bypasses intellect and speaks directly to the heart. Listening that goes beyond hearing. And then—the rarest invitation of all—stillness.

In that quiet space, something extraordinary happens. Emotion rises. Barriers dissolve. The audience becomes one living, breathing entity, united by vibration and breath. You can see it on faces—tears held gently, awe unguarded. Children sit transfixed. And on Monday morning, when asked where they were that weekend, they don’t talk about screens or sports.

They say, I was at an opera experience.

That is how change begins.

Not with grandeur alone, but with presence. With stillness. With the courage to dream again—and the reminder that dreaming does not require permission. Only the willingness to listen.

And in that listening, beauty returns. ☐

Greenwich Opera founders, Anelle De Beer, Marcelo Guzzo and their son, Alexander Guzzo