Teacher

Roger is a coach/accompanist and conductor. From 2001 to 2015 he was an Assistant Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. During this time he was also an Assistant Professor at the Mannes College of Music. After receiving his undergraduate degree in piano with Aube Tzerko at UCLA, his love of German art song and opera took him to Vienna. He spent many evenings at the Wiener Staatsoper hearing the great singers of the 1970s. He also participated in the student program at the Bayreuth Festival. Later, at USC in Los Angeles, he completed a graduate degree in accompanying with Gwendolyn Koldofsky and Brooks Smith. Arriving in NYC in 1993, he was soon conducting complete operas in the workshop he started, West Side Opera. As rehearsal pianist for New York Grand Opera, he played a large number of Verdi and Puccini operas in the company’s survey of the complete operas of these composers. For a number of summers he was on the coaching faculty of the Bel Canto Institute in Florence. These annual trips to Europe gave him the opportunity to pursue language studies in both Italy and France. Today he is a coach with Respiro Opera NYC, and continues to pursue his passion for opera, art song, and languages.