István Kertész (conductor) "Fidelio" and "La bohème". In March 1960, Kertész was invited to become General Music Director of the Augsburg Opera—a post especially created for him. There he conducted performances of Mozart's "The Magic Flute", "The Abduction from the Seraglio", "Così fan tutte", and "The Marriage of Figaro", earning himself a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of Mozart's work. With exhilarating performances of Verdi's "Rigoletto", "Don Carlos", "Otello" and "Falstaff", and Richard Strauss's "Salome", "Arabella", and "Der Rosenkavalier", Kertész also proved himself a master of the finest of Italian Romantic operas. Invited to the Salzburg Festival, he conducted "The Abduction
Celena Shafer 2004–05 season, she debuted with the New York Philharmonic in a performance of Handel's "Messiah". In April 2005, she sang the title role of "Esclarmonde" at the Washington Concert Opera. Other roles include Tytania in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Nanetta in "Falstaff", Hero in Berlioz's "Beatrice and Benedict", Zerbinetta in a concert performance of "Ariadne auf Naxos", Blonde in "The Abduction from the Seraglio", Adele in "Die Fledermaus", and "Show Boat" for a gala benefit for Carnegie Hall. Celena Shafer Celena Shafer is an American soprano, born c. 1975 in Centerville, Utah. At age 17, Shafer won a vocal competition