Andrew Kurtz has opera roots. He attended his first opera at the age of 10. His first job was for a professional opera company.
“I even ran an opera company in Philadelphia for 16 years,” said Kurtz.
His long-range plan is to include fully staged opera performances in Gulf Coast Symphony’s repertoire as early as next season.
“We've had challenges with hurricanes and pandemics and state grant cuts and, honestly opera is super expensive. It's on par with doing the musicals,” Kurtz noted. “But we will be bringing back opera in future seasons.”
For now, the symphony will stage “A Night at the Opera," so the community can experience the drama, passion, and soaring beauty of the world’s greatest operatic music—no costumes, no subtitles, just the music in all its symphonic glory with two special guest vocalists, soprano Ashley Fabian and bass-baritone Neil Nelson. They’ll be performing arias and love duets by Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, and other iconic composers whose melodies have defined the art form for centuries.
There are two shows on Jan. 17 in the Music & Arts Community Center in Fort Myers.
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Whether you’re a devoted opera lover or discovering the power of the music for the first time, this is a spectacular journey through the emotional highs, breathtaking lyricism, and dramatic storytelling that only opera can deliver—no staging required.
Acclaimed by the New York Classical Review as “a vision of sunshine and joy,” possessing a “lovely lyric soprano,” Ashley Fabian is quickly garnering recognition for her artistry in both comedic and dramatic roles. She is celebrated for her “voice of immense warmth and scintillating spin” (Parterre Box), and her command of the stage has been praised by critics and audiences across the nation.
She was a three-time regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and has been the recipient of awards from the Orpheus Vocal Competition, the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition, Central City Opera, and the Grand Concours Franco-American Competition. In addition, she was a finalist in the Tenor Viñas Competition, Mildred Miller Competition, Cooper-Bing Competition, and Piccola Opera Competition.
She holds an M.M. from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a B.A. and artist diploma from The College of Charleston.
Neil Nelson is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music. With a commanding bass-baritone sound, Nelson's voice has captivated audiences both nationally and internationally. From the grand stages of the Tatarstan Opera Theatre in Russia to revered American companies such as Florida Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and Palm Beach Opera, his powerful performances leave a lasting impression.
His versatility shines not only in his operatic roles but also in oratorio and concert singing. He made a stunning debut as Porgy in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” with the South Florida Symphony, and has performed with ensembles like Orchestra Miami, the Lynn Conservatory Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His recent performances include portraying The Emperor Claudio in Handel’s “Agrippina” and appearing as the bass soloist in Handel’s “Messiah” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Nelson captivated the audience as the Sacristan in Puccini’s “Tosca” with Florida Grand Opera, the Dark Angel in Kurt Weill’s “Road of Promise” with Orchestra Miami, and as the bass soloist in Bruckner’s “Te Deum” with the South Florida Symphony.
Gulf Coast Symphony founder Dr. Andrew M. Kurtz has led the orchestra as the symphony’s music director, and its president & CEO since 1995. His deep-rooted commitment to new work, community and education, combined with a vibrant artistic vision, has led to creating and nurturing one of the most dynamic arts organizations in the region.
He was named the 2007 Performing Artist of the Year at Lee County’s Angel of the Arts Awards. Kurtz’s repertoire encompasses a wide range of music styles from baroque to contemporary, and multiple genres including symphonic, opera, ballet, musical theater, jazz, cantorial, and symphonic pops.
Kurtz served as general director of Center City Opera Theater, a professional opera company in Philadelphia dedicated to new work, new audiences, and new artists from 1999 to 2015. During his 16-year tenure, he led over four dozen productions including numerous world or regional premieres. Notable productions that received international praise and recognition include the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (chamber version), the East Coast premiere of Daniel Catan’s “Il Postino,” the world premiere of Paul Morovec’s “Danse Russe,” and the world premiere of Michael Ching’s “Slaying the Dragon.”
Kurtz is a past president of the board of the Lee County Alliance for the Arts. An avid arts educator, he was resident music director at the Luzerne Music Center. In 2001, he won first prize in the Dell’Arte di Firenze International Conducting Competition and made his European conducting debut in Florence. In 1995, Kurtz made his international operatic debut in Tel Aviv while working as a staff conductor at the Israel Vocal Arts Institute. In 1997, he conducted the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s educational tour production of The Best of Puccini. He was a scholarship conducting student at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival, and boasts numerous other conducting credits, including the Pennsylvania Opera Theater, the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Charlotte Symphony, Gonzaga Symphony, and the Ocean City Pops.
Kurtz completed his doctoral studies in conducting at the Peabody Conservatory and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia where he received his master’s degree in music history and a Bachelor of Arts in music and drama.
A native of Philadelphia, Kurtz has called Southwest Florida home since 1992, where he currently resides with his wife, Julie, and their son, Benjamin.
Visit https://gulfcoastsymphony.org/concert/masterworks-a-night-at-the-opera/ for tickets and to view the program for “A Night at the Opera.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
