Desire (A Fundraising Concert)

Desire… strange what it makes you do.

It was ‘desire’ that drove singing actor Raguel Gabriel to follow his dreams all the way to New York City. There, in 2015, he auditioned for and was accepted by the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Against many odds he successfully completed his first year of studies last May, and is determined to return for a second year of studies. However, Gabriel is in need of financial aid to resume studies this September. ‘Desire’ was
conceived as a fundraising event to assist with his study related expenses.

ABOUT DESIRE:
Music, song and recitation come together to tell a compelling story based on the universal theme. The eclectic set list includes numerous genres from the classical of
Schubert and Rachmaninoff, the crossover of Il Divo and Josh Groban, the Broadway of Sondheim and Alan Menken, to the contemporary of Adele and Celine Dion and much more!

Also features an excerpt from “Letting Go”, Gabriel’s one-man piece performed at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s Poetry Projects in New York City last March.

Special guests include award winning sopranos Danielle Williams and Diahann White with accompaniement by pianist Jerome Dinchong

CLL Auditorium, UWI

Contribution $200

For tickets and information call 765-9456, 702-0947 or 683-3738
Save the date…and thank you for your support!

ABOUT RAGUEL GABRIEL:

Singing actor Raguel Gabriel continues to forge a unique and personal path as a performer. A classically trained tenor, he is anything but conventional. He has the versatility to sing everything from opera and Broadway to alternative, rock or the most tender of ballads. Critics have described his tenor as “strong and pleasing” and “flexible and fluid”. An actor with arresting stage presence, his character portrayals
were hailed as “intense”, “passionate” and “committed”.

Gabriel has performed over a dozen singing roles, all in just five years. Last July, he added “Hoffmann” in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann (Picoplat Music Development Foundation) to the list, garnering positive reviews for his interpretation of the demanding role. Other credits include: Tony in West Side Story (Caribbean Theatre Productions), Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid (Carvalho Productions) and Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen (Marionettes Chorale). As part of the Young Artist
Collective of the Classical Music Development Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago, he has sang the roles of Black Teapot in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Frank in Mozart’s The Impresario (also performed in Barbados at the 100 Voices project), and Alfred in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus.

It was the affecting role of Marius in Les Miserables (Marionettes Chorale) that Raguel affirms as the inspiration to pursue further dramatic training. So greatly inspired he was, that upon completion of the 2014 run of Les Miserables at Queen’s Hall, he
flew to New York City. There he successfully auditioned for, and from over 800 actors, was accepted by the prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting, beginning his training in the fall of 2015.

Previously, Raguel had studied acting with Penelope Spencer at the Necessary Arts
School, Trinidad and with acclaimed UK actors Scott Handy and Vincent Manna at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He studies Voice with June Nathaniel at the Key Academy of Music, Trinidad, has studied music with Dr. Charles Brunner and is a past winner of the Trinidad and Tobago Music Festival in the Broadway and Operatic Aria categories. Recently, Raguel was awarded a certificate of recognition by the Ministry of Arts, as an Artist with the National Registry of Artists & Cultural Workers, in the fields of Acting and Vocal Performance.