2024
FACULTY
Jennifer Rowley
Founder, General Director, and Voice Teacher
American soprano, Jennifer Rowley, is acclaimed worldwide for her unforgettable voice and remarkable stage presence in a richly varied repertoire that spans many of opera’s greatest heroines. During the past several seasons she has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera as Roxanne in Cyrano de Bergerac, the title roles of Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur, Leonora in Il Trovatore, and Musetta in La Boheme; at Opernhaus Zurich and Opera Philadelphia as Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra, Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona in the title role of Aida, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Staatsoper Berlin, Opera National de Paris, and Opera de Rouen in her signature role of Leonora in Il Trovatore, the Semperoper Dresden as both Tosca and Valentine in Les Huguenots, at the Teatro Verdi Salerno in the title role of Manon Lescaut, the National Theatre Prague as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Musetta, among many others.
During the 2023/24 season, makes her highly anticipated debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Germany in a concert performance of Italian and Zarzuela operatic favourites. She will make her debut at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova, Italy in the title role of Madama Butterfly, under the baton of maestro Fabio Luisi. She makes her role debut as Minnie in La Fanciulla del West at the Teatro Regio Torino in Torino, Italy and will reprise the role later in the season at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China. She also sings Tosca at the Staatsoper Berlin. On the concert stage, she will perform at the Arena Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Shanghai International Arts Festival, the Weifang Concert Hall in Shandong, China, the Coex Center in Seoul, as well as in a Puccini concert marking the centennial celebrations in 2024 with Opera de Tours in France. She will sing the soprano solos in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Richmond Symphony.
On the concert stage, Ms. Rowley has performed concert performances of Tosca with the Israel Philharmonic led by maestro Zubin Mehta. She was the soprano soloist in Beethoven's colossal Missa Solemnis with the Philadelphia Orchestra both in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center, and New York City’s Carnegie Hall, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She was the soprano soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand with maestro Fabio Luisi at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, was the soprano soloist with St. Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem at Carnegie Hall, and Tove in Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado São Paulo.
An avid mentor to young artists, Ms. Rowley holds an annual Artist in Residence position at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory and is sought after for her seminars and masterclasses across the globe. A winner of many international competitions, she was awarded the Richard Tucker Career Grant, was a top prize winner of the Lucia Albanese Puccini Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Opera Index Awards, and was a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Consul Awards.
Jason Ferrante
Voice Teacher
Recognized as one of the most sought-after American voice teachers active today, Jason Ferrante has been teaching singing and performing internationally for two decades. His students appear on the greatest operatic and concert stages of the world including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Glyndebourne. They have been winners and participants in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, The George London Awards and most of the major singing competitions in the USA. He is regularly sought-out by professional singers for technical advice and by schools, opera companies and training programs for masterclasses and lessons. In 2021, Ferrante served as voice teacher and Director of the Studio for Wolf Trap Opera and continues as voice teacher on the voice faculties of the training programs at Minnesota Opera, Pensacola Opera, Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, Florentine Opera, Brevard Music Center and Banff. In previous seasons, he taught for Arizona Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Virginia Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Kentucky Opera and Opera Omaha. He is a judge for the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, the Schmidt Vocal Competition, and the National Opera Association Production Competition. Ferrante holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School where his primary studies were with Beverley Peck Johnson and Cynthia Hoffmann. While at Juilliard, Ferrante was nurtured by many of the finest language coaches in the singing world including Nico Castel, Thomas Grubb, Corradina Caporello, Richard Cross, and Kathryn LaBouff. His primary acting studies were with Edward Berkeley and Frank Corsaro. His further studies were at Wolf Trap, Tanglewood and Aspen as well as the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan and the University of Miami School of Music in Salzburg.
For further information on his performance career visit www.jasonferrante.com/teaching
Anthony V. Manoli
Musical Coach
Pianist and Coach Anthony V. Manoli has worked with some of the leading opera companies throughout the world including the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Theatre Des Champs-Elysees, Opera Lausanne and L’Opera du Rhin as assistant conductor and coach/pianist. In addition, The Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera have engaged him as an assistant conductor. Mr. Manoli has collaborated with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Seiji Ozawa, Claudio Abbado, Robert Shaw, Sir Andrew Davis, Richard Bonygne and Sir Colin Davis. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni, Jose Carreras, Rockwell Blake, Edita Gruberova and Barbara Frittoli are just some of the singers with whom he has worked.
Mr. Manoli has coached at the Academie Bastille, Domingo-Cafritz Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. In addition, he has worked with the Canadian Opera Company’s Young Artist Ensemble as well as the Young Artist Program for Palm Beach Opera. He is a faculty member of the Mannes College of Music in New York City where he also maintains an active private coaching studio. He appears frequently with Sondra Radvanovsky in recital and has collaborated with tenors Stephen Costello and Matthew Polenzani in concerts within the United States.
Ksenia Leletkina
Russian Diction
Russian born pianist Ksenia Leletkina enjoys a vigorous career as a sought-after vocal coach, pianist, and Russian diction specialist. She is currently on faculty at the Juilliard School of Music and on staff at the Metropolitan Opera. As an author and editor, her recent publications include Anthology of Russian Songs and the second volume of Libretti of Russian Operas for Leyerle Publications.
Dr. Leletkina taught courses and workshops on Russian diction at Eastman School of Music, NATS, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Naples, and Lindemann Young Artists Development Program for the Metropolitan Opera. Her other engagements include five seasons with Palm Beach Opera where she served as Principal Coach; Eastman Opera Theatre as a coach and music director; as well as musical coach at Opera Naples and the Renata Scotto Opera Program among others.
Dr. Leletkina earned her Doctoral degree from Eastman School of Music in Accompanying and Chamber Music, and her Masters degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, double majoring in Piano Performance and Collaborative Piano
Jessé Martins
Musical Coach/Conductor
Jessé Martins is a conductor, pianist, and voice coach who has extensive experience working with all types of singers from children to seasoned professionals. In Sarasota Opera’s 2024 Winter Festival Maestro Martins conducted Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.
For Sarasota Opera’s 2022-2023 Season, Maestro Martins was the Director of the Studio Artists Program, conductor for the Youth Opera production of Dean Burry’s The Secret World of Og, and understudy conductor for Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Massenet’s Thérèse. Since joining the music staff of Sarasota Opera in 2011, he has been integrally involved in all aspects of the company’s music making. He conducted Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2019), Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (2021), and Donizetti’s La fille du régiment (2022). Maestro Martins was the Chorus Master & Head of the Apprentice Program during the 2020 Winter Festival and has performed as pianist in many concerts for the company and throughout the area.
As Youth Opera Music Director for Sarasota Opera since 2011, Maestro Martins conducted the world premiere of Rachel J. Peters’ Rootabaga Country, the U.S. premiere of Dean Burry’s The Secret World of OG, Britten’s The Little Sweep, Dean Burry’s The Hobbit, Krása’s Brundibár and was the associate conductor for the world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Little Nemo in Slumberland. As part of the music staff Martins was the understudy conductor for Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, and L’italiana in Algeri, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, Eugene D’Albert’s Tiefland, Catalani’s La Wally, Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto, Massenet’s Thérèse, and Haydn’s Deceit Outwitted.
He has worked extensively as a coach in his native Brazil, New Zealand, and now the Sarasota Opera and area. He is also a member of the Sarasota Piano Trio.
Scott Skiba
Acting
Award-winning Stage Director Scott Skiba has led 80+ new productions with companies including Indianapolis Opera, Mobile Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Pensacola Opera, Opera Tampa, and Toledo Opera earning recognition for his imaginative stage direction and dynamic physical approach to storytelling that is “masterful…ingenious…first-rate...vivid and emotionally charged" . Scott serves as Executive Artistic Director, Cleveland Opera Theater; Production Director, Opera Western Reserve; Acting and Movement Instructor, Music Across the Pond, and Assistant Artistic Director, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Scott is a pioneer in producing interdisciplinary collaborations in alternative and site-specific venues. Scott devised and directed multiple projects to continue artistic collaboration throughout the pandemic including Opera ON DEMAND for the Curtis Institute of Music, A Taste of Traviata, a cinematic adaptation of La Traviata and Romeo + Juliet, a reimagined telling of Shakespeare’s play and Gounod’s opera for Opera Western Reserve; and Operas in Place, nine new short operas by World-renowned composers and librettists in collaboration with Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Cleveland Opera Theater, and On Site Opera in NYC. A proponent of new opera, Scott launched {NOW} Fest, Cleveland Opera Theater's annual festival to create, develop, and produce new opera, serves on the Chamber Opera Composition Committee for the National Opera Association (NOA), and collaborates to develop and premiere 18 new operas and counting. An advocate of arts education, Scott serves as Director of Opera Studies for Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, where under his direction the program has been the recipient of The American Prize for Opera Performance, and The Charles Nelson Reilly Prize in Stage Direction, and 1st Place in the NOA Collegiate Opera Production Competition. Other academic directing credits include University of Tennessee Opera Theater, University of Texas at Rio Grand Valley, Oberlin Opera Theater, Martina Arroyo's Role Preparation Program at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and Interlochen Opera Theater. Previous appointments include Executive Director of the Oberlin in Italy opera training program, Instructor of Voice and Opera Theater, Interlochen Arts Academy; and Associate Instructor of Voice, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
More info: www.ScottSkiba.com
Lucy Tucker Yates
Italian Diction
In November 2022 Miss Yates made her Lincoln Center debut as maestro al cembalo for Rossini's Maometto II with Teatro Nuovo. In 2020 she joined LA's The Industry on keyboards for Sweet Land (Du Yun/Raven Chacon) and was made a company member. In 2018 she made her conducting debut as maestro al cembalo at Seattle Opera with the "extremely inventive" O+E (Gluck/Calzabigi 1762 Orfeo ed Euridice), in an "elegantly poetic" English version she created. In 2014 she made her Rossini Opera Festival debut as onstage continuo fortepianist and assistant conductor to Will Crutchfield in Mario Martone's staging of Aureliano in Palmira.
Miss Yates first drew international attention as Violetta in a 2002 Franco Zeffirelli production of La traviata (Teatro Verdi di Busseto) and as Monica in The Medium at Spoleto under Gian Carlo Menotti's direction. Critics called her Gilda “perfect” (Piedmont), her Beatrice di Tenda “dazzling” (Fletcher), and her Fiordiligi “deliciously feminine” (Aldeburgh). She appeared as Nedda in Pagliacci at Sarasota Opera and as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Opera Company of North Carolina.
Through twenty years of playing, coaching, and writing alongside Will Crutchfield for Bel Canto at Caramoor and Teatro Nuovo (where she is now Director of Language Studies), Miss Yates has emerged as a cogent and lyrical translator and teacher of Italian grammar and poetry. She has served as dramaturg, titlist, and coach for the New York City Opera. She has taught and coached for over a decade for dell'Arte Opera Ensemble under Christopher Fecteau. She has given master class series on the history of the Italian poetic tradition for Portland Opera and on the mechanics of Italian verse for Fort Worth Opera. She is a Lecturer in Opera in the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA.
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Teresa Ancaya
Musical Coach
Pianist
Teresa Ancaya is a piano accompanist, vocal coach, teacher, and soloist in the Tampa Bay area. She holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of South Florida, Tampa. Ancaya continued post-graduate piano accompaniment study at Salzburg University, Austria. Ancaya has accompanied faculty and students at several universities and colleges. She was a soloist with The Florida Orchestra, Imperial Symphony Orchestra and performed at Carnegie Hall with the University of South Florida Chamber Singers. Ancaya served as staff accompanist at the University of South Florida for more than two decades, where she accompanied instrumentalists, vocalists, and choruses. She worked closely with Opera Tampa, South Florida Lyric Opera, Opera Orlando, Gulf Coast Youth Choirs and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. Ancaya also performed various duties, including music director and pianist for Spanish Lyric Theatre.
In addition to playing piano, Ancaya sang in the choruses of St. Pete Opera’s Holiday Sparkle and Opera Tampa’s productions of “Cavalleria Rusticana”, “Pagliacci”, and “Aida” under the baton of Maestro Anton Coppola. For several summers, she was an accompanist for The VOICExperience Foundation, a program founded by baritone Sherrill Milnes and his wife, Maria Zouves.
Currently, Ancaya works full-time for St. Pete Opera as Company Pianist and Music Specialist. She frequently accompanies the Florida Boy Choirs, along with the Florida All-State Chorus, and is a freelancer for The Florida Orchestra, various schools, competitions, churches, fundraisers, and special events. Since 1990, Ancaya has prepared for and performed in countless musicals and operas, over 40 of which were with St. Pete Opera.
François Germain
French and German Diction
Musical Coach
Originally from Aix-en-Provence, France, Pianist and vocal coach François Germain has performed extensively in Europe, the United States and Canada as soloist and accompanist. A native French and German speaker, he specializes in French and German vocal repertoire and diction.
Currently on the Faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music as vocal coach and Managing Director of Opera, he is also on the music staff of the Semperoper in Dresden, Germany, where he coaches new French language productions. As a lyric diction specialist, he is a founder and editor of The Diction Police, a leading multimedia language resource for classical singers.
For the past fifteen years, Dr. Germain has also been on the Faculty of the University of Miami Frost School of Music Summer Program in Salzburg, Austria, one of Europe's longest running and most respected programs of its kind for singers and vocal pianists.
In addition to his performance and teaching activities, Dr. Germain holds a master's degree in political science from the Institut d’Études Politiques (Sciences-Po).
Annie Calvaneso
Body Work/Movement
Annie Calvaneso is a serial entrepreneur and opera singer. She is passionate about working with singers to better their lifestyles through both fitness and business. Her work includes founding the Strength for Singers program (presented at the University of Michigan, New York Dramatic Voices, JazzVoice.com, and now - Aria Bootcamp), helping 70+ fellow singers start businesses, and helping larger mission-based businesses such as Manhattan Grant Writers scale.
Through her Strength for Singers online course and workshops (developed in 2016), she has worked with hundreds of singers around the world to gain body awareness, strength, and confidence. As a singer, she regularly performs with Detroit Opera and Toledo Opera.
Hear more about Annie's story and the Strength for Singer's program here: https://the-glam-fit-diva.mykajabi.com/strength-for-singers
Code ARIABOOTCAMP for 20% off
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Martha Collins
Dramatic Coach
Martha Collins, the Director of Education at Sarasota Opera, has a long association with the company, having first joined in 2004 as a stage director for the Apprentice Artists program. She has since directed over 20 mainstage productions, including Dialogues of the Carmelites (2017), Nabucco (2019), Romeo and Juliet (2020), and most recently was stage director of Ernani for the 2023 Opera Festival. She has directed the annual Sarasota Youth Opera production every year since 2005, including Rootabaga Country (2017) and Brundibar (2019) and next season will direct The Little Sweep by Benjamin Britten. She has also directed at numerous other organizations including Tri-Cities Opera, Opera Southwest, New York University, and New England Conservatory. She has extensive teaching credits, including New York University, Swarthmore College, Brevard Music Center, and the Florence Voice Seminar in Italy.
Born in Ottawa, Ms. Collins gained much acclaim in Canada as both a concert and operatic performer. She has appeared with the Canadian Opera Company, Festival Ottawa, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Opera Lyra and Toronto’s Opera in Concert. In 1985 she was a finalist in the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and in 1986 she was chosen to perform for Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the opening gala of the World’s Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia. On the silver screen, Ms. Collins appeared in the 1987 Norman Jewison film “Moonstruck,” in the role of Mimi.
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SimplySing Studios
Hannah and Drew Bullock
Recording Team
Hannah Bullock of SimplySing Studios is an audio engineer turned opera singer growing her expertise in navigating all sides of the classical music industry. As a graduate of Capital University’s Music Technology program, Ms. Bullock is trained in studio engineering, audio for video, film score, and other production skills. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she decided to further her passion for singing by pursuing a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Ohio University. Since then, Ms. Bullock has made professional debuts in a variety of operatic and concert works, most recently including Second Lady (The Magic Flute) with Opera Columbus, Fauré’s Requiem with Peace Choir Chamber Orchestra, and Micäela (Carmen) with Camerata Bardi/Teatro Grattacielo. With the creation of SimplySing Studios, Ms. Bullock hopes to give back to the operatic community and educate singers about classical recording.
Drew Bullock of SimplySing Studios has worked as a professional audio engineer for the past 20+ years. Mr. Bullock has had the pleasure of working with thousands of artists and musicians on a variety of creative projects. While music production has been his core passion, over the years Mr. Bullock expanded his skill set to include audio for video, video production, and photography. In 2011, he started a content creation company that primarily serves both large and small brands spanning multiple sectors. From eBay, Neutrogena, and GNC to Victoria's Secret, American Eagle, and Blue Origin, companies have relied on his studio to create compelling content to grow their brand.
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Matthew Holler
Photographer
Matthew Holler is a New York City and Florida based fashion and portrait photographer with subjects ranging from fashion and lifestyle models to singers, dancers and musicians. His work has been featured in numerous publications within the US and internationally, including Vogue, Pointe Magazine and Forbes.
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Melissa Brown
Hair and Makeup
Melissa Brown is a celebrity makeup artist and hair stylist (trained by the one and only Raja from RuPaul's Drag Race) with credits ranging from lifestyle to television. She has had the immense pleasure of lending her artistry to prominent brands including Harley Davidson, LoveShackFancy, Nike, Dillards, SyFy Channel, HSN and FOX among numerous others. Notable celebrity clients include: Octavia Spencer, Mariah Carey, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy and Snookie.
GUEST ARTISTS
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Raymond Diaz
Baritone, Speech Pathologist
Raymond Diaz is a realtor, pedagogue, speech pathologist, and American baritone. He earned his MM from SUNY Purchase College and sang with New York City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Virginia Opera, Utah Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and most recently has performed with Opera Naples. He has performed roles that span from buffo, such as Don Magnifico through the dramatic roles of Rigoletto and Don Giovanni, to Tonio in Pagliacci and most recently, Sharpless.
He earned his MA in music education from CUNY Lehman College and has taught at SUNY Purchase College and Florida Gulf Coast University, in addition to a private voice studio. As part of his studies at Bowling Green State University, he did a study with Dr. Ronald Scherer and Jennifer Rowley and has presented that research at the International Conference on Voice Physiology and Biomechanics, as well as the Annual Voice Symposium. He is thrilled to join the guest artist faculty of Aria Boot Camp again this year
Jeanette Vecchione Donati
Coloratura Soprano
Jeanette Vecchione-Donatti, an Italian American soprano from New York and now a South Florida resident, has graced the stages of the Vienna State Opera, Theatres des Champs Elysées, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Massimo Bellini among others throughout the world in leading roles from the title roles of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellini’s La Sonnambula to Constanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail to most notably, the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
Ms. Donatti has appeared as a soloist in concert including prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Philarmoniker Hamburg, NDR radiophilarmonie and Malta Symphony alongside others throughout the U.S, Europe, South America, Japan and Israel. After taking time to start a family, Ms. Donatti re-entered the operatic stage in concerts with Placido Domingo and tenors Joseph Calleja and Ramon Vargas, made her comeback operatic stage debut as Juliette in Romeo et Juliette and Micaela in Carmen. This year, Ms. Donatti will sing a concert version of La Traviata in Firenze and concerts with the Opera Naples Festival and Symphony of the Americas.
Ms. Donatti had the privilege of studying with notable superstars such as Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanewa, Renata Scotto and Natalie Dessay and received a full scholarship to attend The Juilliard School where she graduated with both a Bachelors and Masters in Music
Richard Ollarsaba
Bass-Baritone
Mexican-American bass-baritone, Richard Ollarsaba, praised by The Washington Post for his“meltingly smooth bass-baritone” and for “evoking a young Ruggero Raimondi in looks and manner”, represented the USA in the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, was a member of the Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago and a grand finalist in the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. This season he will reprise the roles of Escamillo in Carmen with Opera Columbus, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Portland Opera and Piedmont Opera, and the title role in Don Giovanni with Inland Northwestern Opera and Arizona Opera. He will also make his role debut as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Pensacola Opera.
Previous credits include the title role in Don Giovanni with Opera Hong Kong, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera Carolina, and Lyric Opera of Chicago stepping-in to the role on hours’ notice, Escamillo in Carmen with the Glimmerglass Festival, Portland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kentucky Opera, Minnesota Opera, North Carolina Opera, and Tulsa Opera, in Le nozze di Figaro in the role of Figaro with New Zealand Opera and Minnesota Opera and in the role of Count Almaviva with Virginia Opera and Knoxville Opera.
In addition to performances on the operatic stage, Mr. Ollarsaba appears regularly in concert and recital. Fall ’22 he premiered the self-curated recital “Neighbors Abroad, Family At Home” highlighting composers from Mexico and the USA. Concert credits include Bernstein’s Songfest with the Ravinia Festival, bass soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Master Chorale of South
Florida and the Salisbury Symphony, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Macon Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale of South Florida, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. That concert was a gala celebration of the venerable festival’s 75th birthday and was telecast nationally on PBS.