Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Preisser.
Hi Gabriel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Apopka, attending Dream Lake Elementary, Apopka Memorial Middle School, and West Orange High School (where my father was the principal). My family was a big sports family – 6 kids total, 5 boys and 1 girl. My Dad was a football coach for many local high schools in the area and I was pretty convinced that I was going to walk on at Florida State University and play football but thanks to my Mom who made us all take piano lessons and sing in the choir at school I discovered pretty early on that music and singing came rather easy to me and being the youngest of 6 kids, according to my Mom, I just wanted attention. So, I always found myself performing for my school, at church, for the red hat ladies you name it. My high school choir and drama teachers were really influential and instrumental in opening my eyes up to auditioning for Opera and Music Theater at the collegiate level and that I could actually get a scholarship and get paid to sing. Who knew? I still played football in High School and I was the kid who would sing the National Anthem in my football pads before the game. I did the High School Musical every year and really fell in love with being on the stage and performing. I’m proud to say that I’m in the Orange County Schools Hall of Fame which was a humbling recognition for sure.
I did end up going to FSU but not for football instead for a Vocal Performance degree with a full Bright Futures scholarship and a music and academic scholarship on top of that. I earned degrees in Vocal Performance and Business from Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Voice from the University of Houston. From there I started to sing at Opera companies across the US and landed my big break performing in the World Premiere of Silent Night with Minnesota Opera in 2012 which ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize and being broadcast nationally on PBS. I have sung over 40 roles in Opera in Music Theater from companies in San Fransisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, and more.
I married my high school sweetheart Christina, and she travelled on the road with me for the first few years of my career while doing travel nursing as a registered RN. We moved back to Orlando to be close to family (aka free babysitting) and she has worked at Orlando Health in their cancer center for the past 12 years. We now have 2 kids, Grayson and Cora and we live in Winter Garden.
When I moved back to Orlando, I quickly got involved with the local arts scene and was asked to join the board of Florida Opera Theater which was founded quickly after the demise of the old Orlando Opera Company which went bankrupt in 2008. I perhaps spoke up to much at board meetings and in a couple of years I was named the CEO of Opera Orlando which was rebranded from Florida Opera Theater. We quickly grew from a $250,000 annual budget to $2,5 million over 8 years. I was and am still able to get out and perform at other companies while running Opera Orlando and in 2019 I won a Grammy Award for Best New Opera recording for singing the role of Farmer Bean in Fantastic Mr. Fox with Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There will always be challenges but it really has been a fun adventure taking on running an Opera company. It was not something that I envisioned doing as a kid, that’s for sure. Perhaps our biggest challenge was CoVid but even then we found ways to be creative with digital content and socially distanced performances. It stretched us but we are the stronger and better for it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think what we are most know for at Opera Orlando are the three C’s;
Community
Collaboration
Creativity
We truly try to give back to our community, collaborate with other arts groups and organizations, and bring fresh, innovative , original productions to the area. A good example of this would be the Defiant Requiem performance that we just led in partnership with Dr. Phillips Center, Orlando Sings, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and Jewish Family Services which raised $100,000 for the local Holocaust Center with a sold-out performance at Steinmetz Hall.
How do you think about happiness?
My family for sure. My kids are a riot. We have so much fun. I have lots of family here in the area as well. I actually work with my brother who is our artistic director at Opera Orlando and I love getting to bounce crazy ideas off of him and even though he usually says no, we still have fun. I still love performing and I’m so grateful that Orlando has such a vibrant arts scene.
Pricing:
- Tickets for our productions at Dr. Phillips Center start at $49
- We do have several free events throughout the season including a tour of Cinderella in the school and community venues
Contact Info:
- Website: https://operaorlando.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/operaorlando/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OperaOrlando
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/operaorlando/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OperaOrlando
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@operaorlando2286
- Other: https://www.gabrielpreisser.com/
Image Credits
First Photo Courtesy of Opera Orlando Second Photo Courtesy of Javier Vladimir
