The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley (LWVNV) will hold its annual meeting on Monday, June 4 at Samdan Restaurant, 174 Piermont Road, Cresskill, New Jersey.  The public is invited to attend. 

            Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner comprised of several appetizers, and a presentation.  The charge for the dinner is $30 per person with a cash bar.

            The LWVNV, covering over 20 towns in Bergen County, will present an overview of its work, events, and activities undertaken this year and plans for the future.  Guest speaker, Toni Zimmer, President, League of Women Voters of New Jersey, will present "State of the League" and discuss the work the organization is undertaking statewide in the areas of advocacy, voter education, enhanced outreach efforts to identify and recruit more supporters and members, and plans for the future.  A question and answer period will follow.

         "The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley had a busy year studying issues such as the role of the federal government in education and the privatization of government services, as well as providing voter services in various towns in Bergen County.  We are delighted that Toni Zimmer will speak at our annual meeting about the important work that the League of Women Voters is undertaking throughout the state.  This is a good opportunity for people to attend and learn more about the League’s work," said Joyce Luhrs, co vice-president, League of Women Voters of Northern Valley.

            For further information about the event or to RSVP, call (201) 568-0787.

About League of Women Voters

            The League was an outgrowth of the 19^th amendment passed in 1920 giving women the right to vote.  With over 1,000 local Leagues throughout the country, the organization gained prestige by maintaining its nonpartisanship; sponsoring candidates’ forums for local, state and national elections; holding registration drives; disseminating nonpartisan information on candidates; and holding public meetings to discuss current issues.  League membership is open to both men and women of voting age who support its mission. 

            The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley draws members from Alpine, Bergenfield, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Edgewater, Emerson, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Leonia, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, River Vale, Tenafly, Washington Township and Woodcliff Lake.

            For more information about the League, visit the organization’s website at www.lwvbergen.org or contact (201) 947-0756.

Leonia Arts, a nonprofit cultural arts alliance in the borough, announces the launch of the organization’s new web site and the 2012 board of directors and advisory board.  Artists in the borough and patrons are invited to join the organization.

New Artists Link 

            The web site features an Artist Link page open to Leonia artists in all disciplines.  Artists are invited to join the new page and link their web site to the Leonia Arts’ web site.  The Artists Links’ page is presented in subpages by discipline. Borough artists interested in linking their web site and/or contact information to be listed on the relevant subpage, should send the following to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it :  name and type of artist (photographer, actor, dancer, writer, etc.), one photo (optional), web site URL (optional), and a short bio or profile no more than two brief paragraphs in length.  

Announcement of Board of Directors and Advisory Board

            Leonia Arts announces its 2012 board of directors and advisory board.  Officers are Kathy Pecht, President; James Leynse, Vice President; Deborah Bigelow, Treasurer; and Nike Bach, Secretary.  Members of the board of directors are Douglas Chung, Mary Connor, Marsha Heller, Susannah Levy, Joyce Luhrs, Ryan Maxwell, and Sandra Pancrazi.  Dr. Frank Livelli and Paul Leibow are members of the organization’s new advisory board.

Membership

            Artists, patrons of the art, arts organizations, and arts groups in the borough are invited to join Leonia Arts.  Membership is free.  A Leonia Arts’ membership form may be completed on the group’s website, http://www.leoniaarts.org/membership-form/.   Leonia Arts membership entitles artists and patrons of the arts to connect with each other, arts organizations and groups, while also promoting networking opportunities.  Members can share their art or expertise with others in the community.  Artists and patrons of the arts can get involved in community art projects, volunteer in future arts events in the schools and other venue locations, or participate in Leonia Arts’ projects.  Members are also listed in the Leonia Arts’ town-wide database developed specifically for the arts.

            Artists from various fields, including writing, painting, photography, sculpting, crafts work, music, singing, acting, dance, filmmaking, mixed media, and others are invited to participate.  Patrons of the arts from any field are welcome to join.

            Leonia Arts has a mission to support, stimulate, enhance, promote and connect the arts within the borough and to outer communities.  The grassroots organization supports the arts by connecting the various diverse artists and creative groups in the town often called the “Athens of New Jersey.” 

            For more information about Leonia Arts, contact Leonia Arts President, Kathy Pecht, at 201-944-0510 or send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Go to www.leoniaarts.org for additional information about the organization, to join Leonia Arts, to view a calendar of upcoming arts events, and much more.

Photo:  Lisa Mateo of WPIX 11.  Courtesy of WPIX 11.

           Leonia Native Lisa Mateo of WPIX 11 will be honored at the Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc's. 21^st Annual Gala on May 3.  The 2012 scholarship and stipend award recipients will be announced.

            The Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc. (HBCSF) announces that Leonia native Lisa Mateo (nee Nieves) will be honored at the organization’s 21^st annual gala on May 3.  The HBCSF will recognize the awarding of $40,000 in scholarships and stipends for course-required materials to 19 current college and college-bound Hispanic students throughout New Jersey at the 21^st Annual Scholarship Gala. 

            The gala, Developing Future Leaders, will be held on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at The Estate at Florentine Gardens, 97 Rivervale Rd. in River Vale, New Jersey.  The event is the nonprofit organization’s major fund-raiser of the year for scholarship and stipend support.

            The HBCSF is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization with a mission to advance the educational aspirations of Hispanic students so that they may become professionals, leaders and valued citizens of the community.  The foundation accomplishes this by providing scholarships for a college education based on academic excellence and financial need.

Gala Honorees

            Lisa Mateo, Features Reporter PIX Morning News and Weekend Weather Anchor PIX 11 News, WPIX Tribune, will be honored for her leadership and contributions to the community.  Ms. Mateo attended the Leonia Public Schools from the fourth through twelfth grades, graduating from Leonia High School in 1992.  She was involved in numerous activities in the school, including the newspaper and playing on the volleyball, track and field and basketball teams.  In 1992, she received the Most Valuable Player award for basketball. 

            Ms. Mateo is a two-time Emmy nominated Features Reporter for the PIX 11 Morning News.  She graduated from Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey with a double major in Journalism and Communications and a minor in Spanish.  She began her career in print news as a staff writer for the Suburban Trends newspaper in New Jersey.

            The gala will also recognize these honorees for their leadership and contributions to the community: Jose Nido, Vice President, Global Supplier Diversity, Wyndham Worldwide; and Miguel Alexander Pozo, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler.

Program

            The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m. followed by a program, dinner, and dancing starting at 7:00 p.m.  Ms. Mateo, who returns for a fourth year to the gala, will also serve as mistress of ceremonies.  Trio Cristal and Dynamic Sound Entertainment will provide the entertainment.  A silent auction will also be held during the event, with 100% of the funds raised directed to scholarship awards and stipends for course-required materials. 

            A highlight of the gala will be the announcement of the 2012 scholarship recipients and stipend awardees drawn throughout the state.  From 1993 to the present, the foundation has awarded $365,500 to 139 students throughout the state.

2012 Sponsors

            To date, the 2012 sponsors instrumental in providing funding for this year’s awards by platinum, gold, silver and bronze levels are as follows.  Platinum sponsors are Quixote Dunes, Inc. and Wells Fargo Private Bank.  Gold sponsors are Berkeley College and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC followed by silver sponsor Unilever.  The bronze level sponsors are Booz | Allen | Hamilton, Luhrs & Associates, New Jersey Accounting Services, Inc., PSE&G, The Center for Better Smiles, LLC and U.S. Financial Services, LLC.

Tickets & Donations

            General admission tickets to the gala are $250 and may be purchased online at www.hbcsf.org or by sending checks payable to the HBCSF, 429C Cedar Lane #313, Teaneck, New Jersey 07666.  Sponsorship opportunities are available at the levels of platinum, $7,500; gold, $5,000; silver, $3,000; and bronze, $1,500.

            For more information about the annual gala, sponsorship opportunities, donations, or the HBCSF, contact Hector Banegas, president HBCSF, at 201-226-3033, send an inquiry to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or visit www.hbcsf.org. The HBCSF 2013 scholarship application may be downloaded at the organization’s web site.

Verismo Opera Meet the Artists Champagne Reception, 2011.  Photo: Marilyn Monsanto

         See the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera’s new production, Il Trovatore, on April 20 or April 22 and afterward, attend a special Meet the Artists Champagne Reception at the Bergen Performing Arts Cabaret Room located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey.  Talk one-on-one with the international cast of artists performing in this new production.

            The receptions will be held on April 20 from 11:00 p.m. to midnight and April 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Guests will have an opportunity to meet the artists and have their photo taken with a performer, obtain autographs and discuss the company’s work. 

            Champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be served.  The event is open to the public.  A suggested donation of $15 or more is requested.  For more information and to RSVP, call (201) 886-0561.

Lucine Amara, Artistic Director of the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera (Verismo Opera), announces that baritone Charles Schneider will appear as Count di Luna in the company’s upcoming production of Il Trovatore on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. and April 22 at 3:00 p.m. at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey.  Schneider replaces Gustavo Ahualli, who had to leave the production due to illness.

Schneider, a resident of Highland Park, New Jersey, returns to perform with Verismo Opera for a second time.  He will debut in the role of the treacherous Count di Luna.  Previously, he performed the role of Baron Scarpia in the company’s October, 2011 production of Tosca.

He has performed over 30 roles in more than 15 opera houses, such as the Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, the Princeton Festival, Opera New York, the OK Mozart Festival, Concert Operetta of Philadelphia, among others.  In 2009, he performed the role of Scarpia with the Lyric Orchestra in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Other notable roles include Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Michele (Il Tabarro), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), and Hal in the world premiere of Grammy award-winning composer Libby Larsen’s, Picnic.

In New Jersey, he currently serves as an adjunct professor of voice at Rider University’s Westminster School of the Arts and the Lawrenceville School.  He specializes in the vocal pedagogies of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

International Cast of Stars

An international cast of singers has been assembled starring Mexican tenor Roberto Esquivelzeta’s debut with the company in the lead as Manrico.  Canadian soprano Sharon Azrieli Perez returns to Verismo Opera to debut the role of Leonora, marking her second performance with the company after her triumphant appearance as Aida last year.  Other singers returning to Verismo Opera are mezzo-soprano Galina Ivannikova as Azucena, a role she previously performed in her native Ukraine. 

Bass-baritone Steven Fredericks from Tenafly, New Jersey plays Ferrando, a role he performed with Maestro Anton Coppola.  In 2010, Fredericks appeared as Sparafucile in Verismo Opera’s well received production of Rigoletto.  The company also welcomes back tenor Joel Cardona from Puerto Rico performing the role of Ruiz and New York soprano Jasmine Thomas in the role of Inez.  Cardona debuted with Verismo Opera as Spoletta in the 2011 production of Tosca and Thomas joined the company last year as the Priestess in Aida. 

Tenor Ivan Cardona, a native of Puerto Rico who grew up in Newark and currently resides in Haledon, New Jersey, will appear as the Messenger in his first opera performance.  Cardona has appeared in various stage productions, including Les Miserables, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, among others, as well as New York City cabaret concerts.  He has appeared in movies such as "El Cantante" with Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez and will be seen in the upcoming movie, "The Dictator", starring Ben Kingsley.

Baritone James Moy, a family doctor by day, will appear as the Gypsy on April 20.  Moy, a resident of Colts Neck, New Jersey and New York City, has sung with the Verismo Opera Chorus for the past six years in all of the company’s productions.  Baritone Robert Peter Jenkins of Midland Park premieres with the company in the role of the Gypsy on April 22.

The new production is directed once again by Evelyn la Quaif.  Principal Conductor/Music Director Anthony Morss conducts the full opera orchestra and chorus.  Mara Waldman, Chorus Director, returns to lead the Verismo Opera Chorus.  Costumes are designed by Catherine Mirabella and Barbara Konig.  Gerald Cassese designed the period sets.

Champagne Receptions

The public is invited to join Verismo Opera after each performance and talk one on one with the artists in two special Meet the Artists Champagne Receptions to be held at the bergenPAC Cabaret Room located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood.

The receptions will be held on April 20 from 11:00 p.m. to midnight and April 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Guests will have an opportunity to meet the international cast of stars and other members of Verismo Opera, have their photos taken with an artist, obtain autographs and discuss the company’s work. 

Champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be served.  The event is open to the public.  A suggested donation of $15 or more is requested.  For more information and to RSVP, call (201) 886-0561.

Tickets for Il Trovatore

Tickets may be purchased online at www.bergenpac.org, at the bergenPAC box office, and by calling (201) 227-1030 or toll-free at 1-888-PACSHOW.   Discount ticket rates for children, ages 12 and under, are available for $10.  For special rates for group sales of 10 or more people, call (201) 224-2809.

Funding

Il Trovatore is made possible, in part, with funds provided by the New Jersey Council on the Arts/Department of State, through grand funds administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.  Other supporters include Mary Casella Briggs Memorial Fund, The Gerda Lissner Foundation, Inc., Vanguard Charitable Endowment Fund, Children’s Aid Foundation, Paul Weiss Matching Fund, Robert J. Campbell, MD and Cesare L. Santeramo, KSJ.

For more information about the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, visit its web site, www.njavo.org, join its Facebook page at http://bit.ly/9JXTP8, or call (201) 886-0561.

 By day, one performer is a voice-over artist, and  the other is a medical doctor.  The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera announces that Ivan Cardona and Dr. James Moy will perform in the company’s upcoming production of Il Trovatore at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood on April 20 and April 22. 

Tenor Ivan Cardona, a native of Puerto Rico currently residing in Haledon, New Jersey, will appear as the Messenger in his first operatic solo performance.  Cardona is known as a versatile performer, appearing on stage and in movies and undertaking voice-overs.  He has appeared in various stage productions, including Les Miserables, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, Jekyll & Hyde, and Evita among others, as well as New York City cabaret concerts.  He has appeared in movies such as “El Cantante" with Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez and will be seen in the upcoming movie, "The Dictator", starring Ben Kingsley.

Baritone James Moy, a family doctor by day, will appear in his first solo operatic performance as the Gypsy on April 20.  Moy, a resident of Colts Neck, New Jersey and New York City, has sung with the Verismo Opera Chorus for the past six years in all of the company’s productions, including Tosca, Aida, Rigoletto among others.

Grand Opera Returns to the bergenPAC

Verismo Opera brings back one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most mysterious, melodramatic operas, Il Trovatore, on Friday, April 20, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m., to the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey. 

Verismo Opera, the only professional, grand opera company based in North Jersey, presents Antonio Garcia Gutierrez’ powerful tragedy, El Trovador, filled with mystery, suspense, vengeance, death, and even love to the stage with an international cast dressed in full period costumes.  Sung in Italian with English supertitles, Salvatore Cammarano’s libretto will be performed in four acts with beautiful New York City set designs and a full orchestra.

Set in Old Spain, Verdi’s impassioned thriller shows powerful emotions twist the hearts and minds of the lead characters Leonora, Manrico and Conte di Luna, as fate slowly deals each a lethal hand.  Evelyn La Quaif’s intense stage direction leads the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, emphasizing throughout traditional Verdian opera.

Meet the Artists

The public is invited to join Verismo Opera after each performance and talk one on one with the artists in two special Meet the Artists Champagne Receptions to be held at the bergenPAC Cabaret Room located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood.

The receptions will be held on April 20 from 11:00 p.m. to midnight and April 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Guests will have an opportunity to meet the international cast of stars and other members of Verismo Opera, have their photos taken with an artist, obtain autographs and discuss the company’s work. 

Champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be served.  The event is open to the public.  A suggested donation of $15 or more is requested.  For more information and to RSVP, call

(201) 886-0561.

Tickets for Il Trovatore

Tickets may be purchased online at www.bergenpac.org, at the bergenPAC box office, and by calling (201) 227-1030 or toll-free at 1-888-PACSHOW.   For special rates for group sales, call (201) 224-2809.

For further information about Verismo Opera, visit its web site at

http://www.njavo.org, join its Facebook page at http://bit.ly/9JXTP8, or call (201) 886-0561.

        The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera (Verismo Opera) announces that Robert Peter Jenkins of Midland Park in Bergen County, New Jersey will premiere in the company’s production of Il Trovatore in the April 22^nd performance.  Jenkins, a baritone, will perform the role of the Gypsy in Giuseppe Verdi’s suspenseful story of love and revenge.      

         Verismo Opera, a professional opera company based in Fort Lee, New Jersey, will perform this mysterious, melodramatic opera in two performances on Friday, April 20, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m., at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey.

         Jenkins, a 1997 graduate of Midland Park High School, holds an associate’s degree in music from Bergen Community College and has studied music at Caldwell College and New Jersey City University.  In the fall, he will pursue a bachelor’s degree in music performance at Ramapo College.

         Among Jenkins’ performing experiences, he sang in New Jersey City University’s Opera Workshop Il core vi dono from Casi fan tutte Act II, No. 23 by Amadeus Mozart.  He also performed in the university’s Concert Chorale singing Ave Verum by Mozart and Mass in G Major by Charles Schubert.  At Bergen Community College, he performed in the solo Madamina in Don Giovani by Mozart, and at Caldwell College, he sang excepts from different operas, including playing El Dancairo in Carmen and The Count in Marriage of Figaro, as well as an understudy as Rigoletto in Rigoletto.

         While a student at Middle Park Middle School and Midland Park High School, he sang in the chorus for six years performing numerous traditional Christmas music and songs from musicals.  He was also accepted to perform with the Bergen County Jr. Chorus.

Tickets for Il Trovatore

         Tickets may be purchased online at www.bergenpac.org, at the bergenPAC box office, and by calling (201) 227-1030 or toll-free at 1-888-PACSHOW.  A special $10 ticket rate for children, ages 12 and under, continues through April 22.   For special rates for group sales, call (201) 224-2809.

Meet the Artists After Each Performance

         The public is invited to join Verismo Opera after each performance and talk one on one with the artists in two special Meet the Artists Champagne Receptions to be held at the bergenPAC Cabaret Room located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood.

         The receptions will be held on April 20 from 11:00 p.m. to midnight and April 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Guests will have an opportunity to meet the international cast of stars and other members of Verismo Opera, have their photos taken with an artist, obtain autographs and discuss the company’s work. 

         Champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be served.  The event is open to the public.  A suggested donation of $15 or more is requested.  For more information and to RSVP, call  (201) 886-0561.

         For more information about the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, visit its web site, www.njavo.org, join its Facebook page at http://bit.ly/9JXTP8, or call (201) 886-0561.

The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera (Verismo Opera) is thanking its fan with three special discount ticket offers to see Giuseppe Verdi’s most mysterious, melodramatic operas, Il Trovatore, on Friday, April 20, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m., at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey.

Special 30% Discount Available Only on April 12, 13, 14

Lucine Amara, Artistic Director, announced Verismo Opera is offering a special 30% off sale on tickets priced at $55, $45, and $35 ONLY available for purchase on April 12, 13, and 14.  The code for this special offer is TROV3.  Discount tickets may be ordered only through the bergenPAC box office and are not available online.  Tickets may be purchased in person at the bergenPAC box office, located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey, from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays or by calling (201) 227-1030.

Children’s Ticket Rate of $10

“As our mission involves educating and introducing youth to the joy of fine music, Verismo Opera is delighted to offer for children, ages 12 and under, a special $10 ticket rate.  This ticket offer is only available through the bergenPAC box office,” explained Amara.

This rate is available through April 22, the last performance of Il Trovatore.  Tickets may be purchased in person at the bergenPAC box office, located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey, from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays or by calling (201) 227-1030.   They are not available online.

Group Ticket Rates

Group tickets are available off the list price for a minimum purchase of at least ten tickets.  This rate is only applicable to $45 and $55 tickets.  They may not be purchased online.  For special rates for group sales only, call (201) 224-2809.

Full-priced tickets may be purchased online at www.bergenpac.org, in-person at the bergenPAC box office, or by calling (201) 227-1030 or toll-free at 1-888-PACSHOW.  

Contact

For more information about the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, visit its web site, www.njavo.org, join it on Facebook at http://bit.ly/9JXTP8, or call (201) 886-0561.

            The League of Women Voters of Bergen County will hold a forum on privatizing government services on Tuesday, April 10 from 1-3 p.m. at the River Edge Borough Hall, 705 Kinderkamack Rd. (entrance on Tenney Avenue).  The public is invited to attend.  Admission is free.  Parking is available on side streets.

            The League seeks to identify strategies to ensure transparency and accountability when privatization of services is under consideration.   William “Pat” Schuber, former County Executive of Bergen County and currently assistant professor in the School of Administrative Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University, has been invited to discuss this topic.  He will suggest parameters and policy issues to consider upon the submission of a proposal to transfer governmental services, functions, or assets to the private sector.  All levels of government will be reviewed.

            “By examining some examples of privatization by federal, state, and local governments, we seek to identify strategies to ensure transparency, accountability, and protection of the common good,” said Lucy Heller, President, League of Women Voters of Bergen County.

About the League of Women Voters

            The League of Women Voters was an outgrowth of the 19^th amendment passed in 1920 giving women the right to vote.  With over 1,000 local Leagues throughout the country, the organization gained prestige by maintaining its nonpartisanship; sponsoring candidates’ forums for local, state and national elections; holding registration drives; disseminating nonpartisan information on candidates; and holding public meetings to discuss current issues.

            Membership is open to both men and women of voting age who support its mission.  For more information about the League, visit the League of Women Voters of Bergen County’s website at www.lwvbergen.org. 

            For further information about the forum, contact Lucy Heller, President of the League of Women Voters of Bergen County, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .