Donna Angel
Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus
ccityopera@aol.com
Donna Angel founded Capitol City Opera in in 1983 to provide Atlanta area classically trained singers the opportunity to learn and perform complete opera roles and to continue to develop their post-graduate vocal and acting skills on a professional level. An accomplished singer, Donna has performed with The New Orleans Summer Pops Orchestra, The New Orleans Philharmonic, The Colombian Nacional Orchestra, The Boston Symphony, The Atlanta Symphony, Goldovsky Opera, Northwestern Opera Theatre, Kennesaw Opera Theatre, New Orleans Opera, and the Atlanta Chamber Opera Society. In June 2014 she was presented an international lifetime achievement award by Opera Volunteers International. The award, which recognizes outstanding individuals who have given extraordinary volunteer service to opera in their communities, cited Donna’s 30 plus years of unwavering support of opera in the metro Atlanta area as well as her focus on developing local talent. A graduate of Newcomb College in New Orleans, Donna received her Masters degree in voice from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She has also studied at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and the Tanglewood Institute, The Berkshires Festival, Lenox, Massachusetts.
Donna has studied under vocal coaches Marjorie Lawrence, Robert Bernauer, Irene Jordan, Janice Harsanyi, Phyllis Curtin, Norman Treigle, Dalton Baldwin, Ryan Edwards, Gerard Souzay, Robert Gay, and Fletcher Wolfe.
Over the course of her career, Donna’s passion for opera education has led her to become founder and director of Kennesaw State College Opera Theatre, director of Clark College Atlanta Opera Workshop, leader of Advanced Teen Voice and Adult Master classes at the Galloway Center for the Arts, Founder and Artistic Director of Friends of Opera, and of course Founder and Artistic Director of Capitol City Opera Company, Inc.
Donna has also taught in private studios in Lexington, Va., Greenville, S.C., and in metro Atlanta. Donna also served as Artist In Residence at Clark Atlanta College, Kennesaw State College, The Cathedral of St Philip, The Atlanta Boy Choir School of Music, The Galloway Center for the Arts, and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
Donna’s awards and honors include Pi Kappa Lambda National Honorary – Music, Who’s Who in American Musicians (S.C.), Coordinator and Adjudicator Mobile Opera Guild Auditions, and her students have consistently placed tops in NATS, GMTA, Brevard Opera, Westminster Choir College, Goldovsky Competition, and McAlister Awards.
Daniel Weisman
Artistic Director
daniel.weisman@ccityopera.org
American tenor and director Daniel Weisman has earned recognition for his stage versatility, expressive lyricism, and unique imagination.
Career singing highlights include Sancho Panza in Capitol City Opera Company’s Man of La Mancha, Daniel Buchanan in Dean Anthony’s production of Street Scene with Janiec Opera Company, Little Bat McLean in Susannah with Red River Lyric Opera and as a guest artist for Harrower Summer Opera, world premieres of Moon in Moon, Bride, Dogs by Ryan Suleiman and Toadie in Amy Leventhal’s Our Sacred World, and as a tenor soloist for The Atlanta Boy’s Choir, The Masterworks Chorale of Newnan, Georgia, the Georgia Tech Symphony and Chorus, and The Art Song Collective
Directing and production career highlights include Stage Director for Rising Stars with Capitol City Opera Company, Stage Director for small opera company in Così fan tutte, and resident producer and artistic director for Atlanta Concert Opera.
Michael Giel
Conductor
mgiel@ccityopera.org
Michael Giel received his Bachelor of Music Performance in Viola and Bachelor of Music Education from Valdosta State University where he was a student of Karin Addis and Matson Topper. In 2008 he completed a Masters of Music Education from the University of Georgia. He currently serves as the orchestra director at Lassiter Highschool.
Previously, Michael has served as the Orchestra Director for the Georgia Governors Honors Program at Valdosta State University for seven years and has also been a clinician for the DeKalb, Fulton, and Cherokee county orchestra festivals. Most recently, he was a guest conductor at the California Concerto Weekend in San Jose, CA.
As a violist and violinist, Michael has performed with several orchestras in Georgia and Florida including Macon Pops, the Gwinnett Philharmonic, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Ocmulgee Symphony, Gainesville (GA) Symphony, Albany (GA) Symphony, Coastal Symphony of Georgia, Rome (GA) Symphony, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, Da Salo Solisti Chamber Orchestra, LaGrange Symphony, and the Central Florida Symphony. He is also a member of the Atlanta string trio Clairemont Strings.
On electric violin as a member of several local rock bands, Michael has performed as an opening act for such national bands as Third Day and Sister Hazel. He has also been featured in the Atlantis Music Conference and the Atlanta concert series On The Bricks, which showcases and supports local artists. Michael has also had the honor of performing with such artists and personalities including the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Evanescence, Debbie Reynolds, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Trampled by Turtles, and Oprah Winfrey.