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Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea

It is with great sadness that the musicians of The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea observe the passing of two of our beloved colleagues, oboist Peggy Wiltrout and bassist Bliss Michelson.

Married in 2013, Peggy and Bliss first met at one of our rehearsals. Their shared love of music and for each other was always so evident; they died sixteen days apart from complications due to COVID 19.

A concert dedicated to their memory will be planned for the future when performers and audiences will once again be permitted to reunite. May their souls rest in peace, and their memories be a blessing.

Festival of the Atlantic

Opera Atlantic - March 1, 2021

Dear OperAiders,

One of the most frequently used words in Italian opera is CORAGGIO, COURAGE! I write today congratulating each of you for the courage you have shown in facing the world’s worst pandemic in 100 years, while urging you to have courage and patience in the weeks ahead as we move forward to the gradual restoration of the lives with which we’ve been blessed.

While hopeful news is on the horizon daily, I’m afraid LA TRAVIATA has been cancelled. Under the present circumstances, the weeks of preparation needed to mount such an ambitious production are simply not available to us. Practically speaking, the social distancing of sixty plus artists on the Algonquin Theater stage is impossible.

With optimism, I look towards 2022 to restart our opera endeavor. It took time to engender enthusiasm for opera; 2019 saw two sold-out performances of LA BOHEME, but that took years to accomplish. Together, we can build again. While a full-scale, multi-performance production is our goal, please join me in taking one step at a time to reach a new and spectacular way to do Grand Opera here at the Jersey Shore in the years ahead. Please be assured I will keep you informed each step of the way!

With gratitude for your support in the past, and enthusiasm for the future, I assure of my very best wishes for each of you. May we remain safe and trustful.

Sincerely yours,

The Reverend Alphonse J. Stephenson

Enjoy the Orchestra of St. Peter from Home

So much has happened around the world in the last few weeks. The members of our orchestra have been sheltering in place and working from home and we regret the prolonged absence of our concerts. We are sure that this is in the best interest of both our audience and musicians.

Our musicians would like to share their support with a musical greeting.