WHASINGTON, DC (www.omti.org) - Opera
Music Theater International, a nonprofit arts organization, announces today the election of
National Endowment for the Arts director of the former Opera-Musical Program, Dr. Tomas C. Hernandez, as its new President.
On Friday the 13th, at 1313 hours, the 13th annual Opera Music Theater International Board of Trustees meeting was held at the House of the Temple, the Washington DC headquarters of the International Supreme Council, 33?, which has donated over $33 million to charity.
The House of the Temple, a neoclassical structure, was modeled after one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; it stands 13 blocks due north of The White House; it counts 13 U.S. Presidents among its members; and is perfectly aligned with The Washington Monument.
Dr. Tomas C. Hernandez, director of the former Opera-Musical Theater Program at the National Endowment for the Arts has been active in the arts field for over 33 years as teacher, actor-singer, stage director and producer, arts administrator, and presenter.
He came to Washington DC after serving as the first performing arts director at the Arizona Commission on the Arts, located in the Phoenix historic Roosevelt district, where he managed grants and fellowships, developed guidelines and evaluation criteria, and liaised with music, dance, and theatre companies statewide.
Concurrently, he was an onsite evaluator for opera and musical theater at the Arts Endowment and was the manager for the Arizona affiliate of Meet the Composer. With a National Opera Institute grant, he taught and directed in the opera program of the Eastman School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival.
Notable among the operas he has directed, produce, or performed in, are the original verisions of Cavalli's L'Ormindo and Mozart's Der Schauspeil Direktor in English translations he co-authored. He has spoken at annual and regional conventions of Opera America, National Opera Association, Opera Guilds International, and has served on juries for the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions and the Rosa Ponselle Competition.
He has authored several text books in drama, art appreciation, and public speaking, and articles published in the Opera Quarterly, Opera Journal, Asian Theatre Journal, and Pilipinas: A Journal of Philippine Studies.
An alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas (Manila, Philippines), University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of Hawaii, Dr. Hernandez has taught and directed at Kansas State University, Indiana University, and Eastman School.
'We are pleased to have the National Endowment for the Arts director of the former Opera-Musical Theater Program joining the Opera Music Theater International leadership team as President of the Board of Trustees.' said general director James K. McCully, Jr.
'Dr. Tomas C. Hernandez has a strong national perspective of the challenges facing the opera-musical theater world today. His expertise and ability to understand the intricacies and problems of nonprofit arts organizations are a tremendous asset to the Opera Music Theater International leadership team."
"Dr. Hernandez clearly exhibits strong national leadership and the proper international vision, which together are essential to the success of the Opera Music Theater International worldwide commitment to artistic excellence."
Dr. Hernandez states, "Since I left the Endowment, Mr. McCully and I have kept in touch as he successfully created various projects as the general director of the Opera Music Theater International. Among the many accomplishments, I am personally impressed with his success in creating international forums for singers and conductors; his ability to enlist the participation of such major figures as Placido Domingo and Dame Joan Sutherland; his commitment to American works; and his support of young talent."
"In honor of his mentor and friend, Metropolitan Opera soprano Marjorie Lawrence, Mr. McCully has established scholarships for young, talented singers, some of whom have sung for the President at The White House."
McCully's An American President was performed for the President at The White House at the State Governors Reception; and at the Theatre of the Presidents at the National Theatre. He was a recipient of the Governor's Awards in the Arts nomination, and a former National Endowment for the Arts Opera-Musical Theater Fellow. He is listed in: International Who's Who in Music and Who's Who in American Music: Classical.
Opera Music Theater International (OMTI) was the host of the 43rd National Opera Association Convention sponsored by Musical America; and the 2001 Marjorie Lawrence International Vocal Competition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.
Opera Music Theater International, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, was established on the 13th of August in 1991.
For further information, go to: www.OMTI.org
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