B i o g r a p h y
“Fluent and graceful… a Gilda to watch for.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
Recognized for her warm beautiful lyric voice, Ms. Tavera is versatile in concert performance as well as opera and Broadway. She performed as the soloist for the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as well as with the Pacific Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Las Vegas Symphony and the Palm Springs Desert Chorale. She has also performed and recorded Their Thought & Back Again, a chamber opera for two singers and string quartet, as well as Ivory Joe Cole, a musical written by Michael Tavera and Kelly Ward. Other Broadway credits include West Side Story with the Michigan Opera Theater and Marsinah in Kismet. In 2004 Celeste had the opportunity to perform in the world premiere of a new musical review, Cole & Will (together again).
“Tavera proved a pleasant surprise, declaiming the songs with graceful confidence. Her clear lyric soprano exhibited just the right amount of dramatic edge for the larger-than-life text.”
— Los Angeles Times
“Celeste Tavera’s Susanna was really the star of the show. Her voice was clear, focused and well inflected: her acting lively but natural. The star quality was recognized in the final bows… who entered last and pulled down the deserved ovation.”
— New York Times
Celeste has also performed throughout the United States and Italy. She performed at the Millazzo Festival dell'Opera Lirica Siciliana with Vincenzo La Scola. She also sang in concert with Jose Carreras, in an open-air performance in Vincenza, Italy, and again at the Villa Albergati in Bologna, Italy. Ms. Tavera is a winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Awards in New York. Other awards include the Golden Eagle awards for the most promising performer in the field of classical music and the Victor Fuchs award as well as the People’s Choice award.
“Celeste Tavera gave a first-rate impression, aroused by the singer, who is endowed with a beautiful timbre that is polished and full, secured in the intonation and the fioritura.”
— Gazzetta del Sud, Milazzo, Italy
In the field of opera, Celeste has performed the role of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the New York City Opera National tour. She also toured with the Western Opera Theater in a production of Carmen in the roles of Frasquita and Michaela. She also has performed roles with the Santa Barbara Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, and Michigan Opera Theater. In the summer of 2000, she joined the Newport Music Festival, where she performed numerous concerts of French, German, and Italian music. She is excited to be a part of the Yamaha Corporation of America Pianosoft Plus Audio Library where she recorded a collection of arias and a collection of art songs.