Romanian-American soprano Esther Tonea has performed in concert and recital across the United States, Canada, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, and Portugal. She has appeared in numerous opera productions including Rigoletto, The Rape of Lucretia, and Suor Angelica. Recent performances include Bernstein at 100: Pops Extravaganza with the National Orchestral Institute and Mozart’s Requiem in D minor with California Symphony.

 

Tonea is a two-time recipient of the Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council and a Presser Scholar. She was a finalist for the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center finalist and the First Place Winner of multiple competitions, including the New York Lyric Opera National Vocal Competition, Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Competition, and Dorothy Van Waynen Competition. She is the vocal division winner of concerto competitions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the University of Georgia, both of which resulted in performances with members of orchestras from the respective schools.

 

Tonea holds a Master of Music in Voice from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in both Vocal Performance and Cello Performance from the University of Georgia. Tonea has performed under the batons of many esteemed maestri such as John Morris Russell, Grant Gershon, Donato Cabrera, Cristian Reif, and Curt Pajer. She has also participated in masterclasses and training programs with Richard Bonynge, Patricia Racette, Martin Katz, and Aprile Millo, to list a few.

 

Her previous training includes Wolf Trap Opera, Operavision Academy, American Institute of Musical Studies, and International Vocal Arts Institute. Upcoming performances include East Bay Opera League’s Competition Winners’ recital in December and the Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Competition Winners’ performance in Burbank Philharmonic’s concert series Fashion Meets the Phil in February. www.esthertonea.com