Jorge Ocasio - Bass

With his "deep, warm bass voice and an informed musicality" Jorge Ocasio is quickly becoming a favorite of audiences and music critics. In a glowing review of his recent Dulcamara one New York critic wrote: "Jorge Ocasio steals the show in 'Elixir.' The role of Dr. Dulcamara was vividly brought to life by Jorge Ocasio who, like the great singing actor Tito Gobbi, could instantly grip the audience's attention. Ocasio, with his lustrous dark basso and perfect operatic stagecraft charmed us all with his 'Udite, udite, o rustici.' Ocasio's Act 2 duet with Adina was great fun! Ocasio recalled the memory of the great Baccaloni, who was an unforgettable Dulcamara. (Of course Ocasio is much slimmer.)"

Recently, he scored triumphs as Dulcamara in his début with Houston's Opera in the Heights, Leporello and Il Commendatore with El Dorado Opera in Los Angeles, Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) in New York and LA; Il Commendatore at Teatro del Barrio, and Dulcamara, Dr. Bartolo and the Sacristan in New York City. He returns to Opera in the Heights to reprise his appealing Leporello in March.

Other performance highlights include principal roles in Puerto Rico's acclaimed Puccini Gala and in New York's hugely popular Verdi Marathon, appearances with the X Festival of Music where he performed as soloist in JS Bach's humorous "Coffee Cantata" in Costa Rica and Guatemala, with the Baroque Ensemble of New York, a dizzy Sacristan, with Aprile Millo as Tosca, at Connecticut Grand Opera, television broadcasts of Tosca with Opera de Puerto Rico and the title role in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro in Rome, Italy.

As a member of the Teatro de la Opera and Opera de Puerto Rico he performed Monterone in Rigoletto, The Sacristan in Tosca, Mathieu in Giordano's Andrea Chénier, Benoit and Alcindoro in La Bohème, Fiorello in Marta Domingo's production of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Cecilia Bartoli, and Abimelech in Camille Saint-Saëns Samson et Dalila with Placido Domingo.

Mr. Ocasio débuted as Osmin in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio and as Dr. Bartolo in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia in New York City, and was enthusiastically lauded for his appearances as guest soloist in APTEL's Annual Concert Tour in Puerto Rico singing selections from the rich traditions of Zarzuela and Latin-American Art Song.

Jorge Ocasio has performed as concert soloist with the Camerata Choral of Puerto Rico in Haydn's Missa Santi-Nicolai and Michael Haydn's Requiem, with the Coro Sinfónico of Puerto Rico, Händel's beloved Messiah, the Mozart Requiem and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem throughout the New York area. While working with the International Vocal Arts Institute he portrayed Don Geronimo in Enzo Dara's production of Cimarosa's Il Matrimonio Segreto in Tel-Aviv, Israel conducted by Maestro Martin Issep.

CURRENT & UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS

SOLOIST

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

The Virginia Consort

Mar 1, 2009

PRESS ACCLAIM

As Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'Amore: (with Teatro de la Opéra - San Juan, PR)

"La hilaridad del personaje de Dulcamara, magníficamente bien interpretado por Jorge Ocasio." ["The hilarity of the role of Dulcamara was magnificently portrayed by Jorge Ocasio."]

Luis Hernández Mergal - El Nuevo Día - April 5, 2008

"Jorge Ocasio demostró seguridad en 'Udite, udite, o rustici.'" ["Jorge Ocasio demonstrated security in his 'Udite, udite, o rustici.'"]

Víctor R. Castro - El Vocero - April 7, 2008

In Gianni Schicchi:

"Jorge Ocasio as Talpa is up to the task of the henpecked husband of La Frugola. He reappears in excellent characterization as Simone in Gianni Schicchi adding to the excellent ensemble work of that operatic farce."

Peggy Ann Bliss - San Juan Star - October 27, 2007

As Dr. Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia:

"The excellent basso buffo Jorge Ocasio filled the shoes of the old grumpy and cagey Dr. Bartolo with taste and ease. He ably displayed the mastery of his capabilities as a singer and actor, and the agility of his instrument."

Ileana Cidoncha - Especial para El Vocero - August 2007

As Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni:

"Jorge Ocasio performed Doctor Bartolo in excellent buffo tradition, singing with incredible speed."

Antonio Salgado - Especial para en Rojo - Claridad Newspaper - August 23, 2007

As Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni:

Don Giovanni - The best production to date from OIH "Jorge Ocasio (toadying servant Leporello) has rich vaudevillian comic timing with voice to match -"

Lee Williams and D. L. Groover - Houston Press - March 29, 2007

"Jorge Ocasio brings a solid voice, down-to-earth air and sardonic touch to his asides as Giovanni's long-suffering servant Leporello."

Everett Evans - Houston Chronicle - March 24, 2007

Jorge Ocasio as Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni El Museo del Barrio, New York City:

"Jorge Ocasio's imposing and well sung Commendatore."

Vivien Schweitzer - New York Times - July 24, 2006

Dr. Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore: (New York City - April '06)

"The role of Dr. Dulcamara was vividly brought to life by Jorge Ocasio who, like the great singing actor Tito Gobbi, could instantly grip the audience's attention. Ocasio, with his lustrous dark basso and perfect operatic stagecraft charmed us all with his 'Udite, udite, o rustici' in which he gets the attention of the country folk to sell his magical elixir, with cures for everything from warts to infertility. The sight of Dulcamara with his open black cloak with row upon row of bottles of all sorts was a sight to behold! His shenanigans with the gullible townspeople, including some amusing interplay with chorus members, was most amusing. Ocasio's Act 2 duet with Adina was great fun! Ocasio recalled the memory of the great Baccaloni, who was an unforgettable Dulcamarra. (Of course Ocasio is much slimmer.)"

Nino Pantano - The Italian Review - April 2006

"Jorge Ocasio, who sang Dulcamara in all four performances of this challenging role, proved himself a master of rhythm as well as precise diction. His Dulcamara was hilarious in his effort to dupe the villagers into buying the phony elixir."

Susan Carlson - Boro Park News - April 2006

Mr. Ocasio as Il Commendatore in Act I of Don Giovanni

Mr. Ocasio as Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'amore (Jan 2007)

Mr. Ocasio as Dulcamara in L'Eisir d'amore

OPERATIC REPERTOIRE

Beethoven	Fidelio	Rocco	2
Cimarosa	II Matrimonio Segreto	Geronimo	1
Donizetti	Don Pasquale	Don Pasquale	3
		Il Notario	1
	L'Elisir d'Amore	Dulcamara	1
	Linda di Chamonix	Prefetto	1
Giordano	Andrea Chenier	Mathieu	1
Gounod	Romeo et Juliette	Le Due	1
		Frére Laurant	2
		Capulet	2
Menotti	Amahl and the Night Visitors	Balthazar	1
Mozart	Le Nozze di Figaro	Figaro	1
	Die Zauberflote	Sarastro	1
	Die Entfiihrung aus dem Serail	Osmin	1
	Don Giovanni	Il Commendatore	1
		Leporello	1
Offenbach	Tales of Hoffmann	Coppelius	2
Puccini	Madama Butterfly	Imperial Commissioner	1
		Bonzo	2
	Manon Lescaut	Innkeeper	1
		Sergeant	1
	La Boheme	Benoit	1
		Alcindoro	1
		Colline	1
	Tosca	Sacristan	1
		Jailer	1
	Turnadot	Timor	2
Rossini	II Barbiere di Siviglia	Fiorello	1
		Dr. Bartolo	1
		Don Basilio	2
	La Cenerentola	Don Magnifico	2
		Alidoro	3
	Il Viaggio a Reims	Lord Sidney	2
Saint-Saens	Samson et Dalila	Abimelech	1
Verdi	Falstaff	Falstaff	2
	La Forza del Destino	Fra Melitone	1
		Padre Guardiano	2
	Un Giorno di Regno	Baron Kelbar	2
	Macbeth	Banquo	1
	I Masnadieri	Massimiliano	1
	Rigoletto	Monterone	1
	Il Trovatore	Ferrando	2

1	performed
2	completely prepared
3	in preparation

Mr. Ocasio as Il Commendatore in Act IV of Don Giovanni

AUDIO SAMPLES

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Additional audio samples are available on CD. Contact Novo Artists for more information.

Mr. Ocasio as Bathazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors

CONCERT & ORATORIO REPERTOIRE

Bach, J.S.	various cantatas
	Christmas Oratorio
	Easter Oratorio
	Magnificat
	Mass in b minor
	St. John Passion
	St. Matthew Passion
Beethoven	Missa Solemnis
	Symphony No. 9
Brahms	Deutsches Requiem
Dubois	Seven Last Words of Christ
Fauré	Requiem
Händel	Messiah
Haydn, F. J.	The Creation
	Lord Nelson Mass
	Mass Santi-Nicolai
Haydn, M.	Requiem
Mendelssohn	Elijah
	Paulus
Mozart	Coronation Mass
	Mass in c minor
	Requiem
	Vesperae Solennes di Confessore
Rossini	Messa di Gloria
	Petite Messe Solennelle
	Stabat Mater

Mr. Ocasio as Leporello in Don Giovanni - March 2007

RECENT OPERA EXPERIENCE

Dulcamara	L'Elisir d'amore	Teatro de la Opera - Puerto Rico
Dulcamara	L'Elisir d'amore	Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra
Talpa Simone Schicchi (cover)	Il Tabarro Gianni Schicchi Gianni Schicchi	Opera de Puerto Rico
GUEST SOLOIST	Opera Gala	Blessed Sacrament Church, NYC
Ferrando (cover)	Il Trovatore	Bel Canto at Caramoor
Prefetto (cover)	Linda di Chamounix	Bel Canto at Caramoor
Dr. Bartolo	Il Barbiere di Siviglia	Compañia Lirico de Puerto Rico
Leporello	Don Giovanni	Opera in the Heights (Houston, TX)
Dr. Bartolo	Il Barbiere di Siviglia	The Little Opera Company
Dulcamara	L'Elisir d'Amore	Opera in the Heights (Houston, TX)
Balthazar	Amahl and the Night Visitors	New York and Los Angeles
Leporello/Commendatore	Don Giovanni	El Dorado Opera (LA)
Il Commendatore	Don Giovanni	Teatro del Barrio (NYC)
Dulcamara	L'Elisir d'Amore	Regina Opera Company
Dr. Bartolo	The Marriage of Figaro	Modus Opera Company, NY
Sacristan	Tosca	New Rochelle Opera
Dulcamara	L'Elisir d'Amore	Opera Brooklyn
Leporello	Don Giovanni	Touring Opera Company
Balthazar	Amahl and the Night Visitors	Chelsea Opera (NY and LA)
Principle Roles	Puccini Gala	Puerto Rico
Principle Roles	Verdi Marathon	New York City
Osmin	The Abduction from the Seraglio	New York City
Dr. Bartolo	II Barbiere di Siviglia	New York City
Sacristan	Tosca	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Sacristan/Jailer	Tosca	Connecticut Grand Opera
Le Due	Romeo et Juliette	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Geronimo	II Matrimonio Segreto	Israel Vocal Arts Institute
Benoit/Alcindoro	La Bohème	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Figaro	Le Nozze di Figaro	Rome Festival, Italy
Notario	Don Pasquale	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Monterone	Rigoletto	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Innkeeper/Sergeant	Manon Lescaut	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Sarastro	Die Zauberflöte	Opera Workshop, CMPR
Mathieu	Andrea Chenier	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Fiorello	II Barbiere di Siviglia	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Balthazar	Amahl and the Night Visitors	Opera Workshop, CMPR
CoIline	La Bohème	Opera Workshop, CMPR
Benoit/Alcindoro	La Bohème	Opera Workshop, CMPR
Imperial Commissioner	Madama Butterfly	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico
Abimelech	Samson et Dalila	Teatro de la Opera, Puerto Rico

Photo: Erin McIntyre

Mr. Ocasio as Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors

SOLOIST EXPERIENCE IN ORATORIO

Mozart	Mass in C	Carnegie Hall
Haydn	Missa Sancti Nicolai	Carnegie Hall
Händel	Messiah	Coro Sinfonico di Puerto Rico
Brahms	Requiem	Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church, NYC
Mozart	Requiem	Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church, NYC
Bach	Coffee Cantata	X Music Festival, Costa Rica and Guatemala
Bach	Coffee Cantata	New York Baroque Ensemble, NYC
Mozart	Requiem	Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
Haydn	Requiem	The Union Church of Puerto Rico
Bach	Magnificat	Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
Haydn	Mass Santi-Nicolai	Camerata Chorale of Puerto Rico

AWARDS

Finalist	Metropolitan Opera Auditions, National Council, District of Puerto Rico
Zarzuela and Operetta Award	Connie Serralles Competition (Puerto Rico)
Second Prize	Connie Serralles Competition (Puerto Rico)

Mr. Ocasio as Leporello in Don Giovanni - March 2007

EDUCATION

Voice Studies at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico

BA Phil in Modern Languages at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Main Campus, 1986-94

Master Classes: Justino Diaz, Eva Marton and Enzo Dara

Voice Teacher: Jan Opalach (NYC)

Click to visit Mr. Ocasio's page at MySpace.com.

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