Gerri Piscitelli called Oscar Feliu a couple of days ago to talk about The Villages Opera Club and Feliu’s upcoming 67th birthday on Thursday.
“I asked him if he was going to come to our Opera Club meeting on Thursday,” said Piscitelli president of the club. “He was in New York on a hunting and fishing trip and said he was freezing.
“‘I can’t make it, Gerri, It’s really cold up here – 29 degrees,’” Feliu told her.
“Stay warm, Oscar, and when you get back, we’ll share a glass of wine for your birthday,” Piscitelli replied.
Oscar Feliu never made it back. He died of a massive heart attack, Piscitelli said.
“There is a hole in my heart and I am devastated,” Piscitelli said Tuesday morning. “This is a tremendous loss for music and the arts in The Villages.
“Oscar was everything; he is a beloved legend in The Villages. He influenced all forms of music here. He founded the Opera Club, The Villages Philharmonic and raised money for (the Harold S. Schwartz Music Scholarship Program) for young performers.” The Opera Club now has 335 members.
“Oscar was the father of music in The Villages,” said Maestro Bill Doherty, president of the Central Florida Lyric Opera, Inc. and world-renowned pianist and conductor.
“The only reason I’m in The Villages today and doing what I’m doing is because of Oscar,” Doherty said. “He is like a brother to me and he had a profound impact on me and music in The Villages.”
Feliu was dedicated to helping young performers and tirelessly worked to raise money for scholarships.
“We were talking recently and Oscar told me that his goal in life right now was about leaving a legacy about helping young singers,” Doherty said. “He was so involved with young people. Everywhere you look in The Villages, you will find a young singer influenced by Oscar.”
Feliu’s dedication was obvious in Februrary when he raised money for the Schwartz Scholarship fund during its annual “Three Tenors…” concert at St. Timothy’s Church. Over the years, he helped raise more than $200,000 for the fund.
“I want you to know that I’m the only tenor to have been here for every ‘Three Tenors,’” Feliu said from the stage. “I want to thank you for your support for opera in the Villages and helping with the scholarships. Because of your support, we can help send, young talented people to school.”
Doherty met Feliu in 1992 when both were working at a hotel in Disney. Soon after, both of them combined to put on this first opera here at the Paradise Recreation Center. Later, when the Church on the Square was built, the late Gary Morse, developer of The Villages, and Feliu asked Doherty to bring music there.
Most people thought of Feliu as an opera singer, but Doherty said he could sing any style of music.
“Oscar came to America from Chile in 1969 with a guitar on his back. He came from a humble family. He wanted to be a singer and he came to America for the opportunity.
“In the early days, he would work at a hotel, going table to table serenading people with songs as he played his guitar. Oscar could sing anything. He would sing Elvis, Johnny Mathis or Tom Jones – you name it. And it sounded great.”
This was to be a momentous year for Feliu. He was going to retire from active performing, Piscitelli said. Feliu was going to be part of the annual “Three Tenors Plus One” fund-raiser on Feb. 5, 2016 at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center. Feliu, who came to The Villages in the late 1980s, was facilities manager and administrator of The Sharon.
“Oscar was able to get us into The Sharon to help raise more money for scholarships,” Piscitelli said. She added that Feliu had also started an international studies program, giving local opera singers a chance to perform and study in Italy.
Then, on Feb. 26 at The Sharon, Oscar Feliu was going to give his farewell concert at a star-studded event. Among the list of performers included Fernando Varela – internationally known singing star whom Feliu helped mentor – Bill Doherty, Hector Garrido and Pasquale Valerio of The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra.
“We all wanted to do something special for Oscar because he has done so much for us,” Piscitelli said. “Everyone wanted to be a part of his last concert. We were all going to chip in and get something special for Oscar and his wife, Bobbye. They are such a great couple and they do so much for so many.”
Deacon Angelo Pierro first met Feliu back in 1989, Pierro would help Feliu form The Villages Opera club and is a past president of that organization.
“Oscar was one of a kind; you can’t explain a guy like him,” said Pierro, 85, deacon at St. Paul Parish in Belleview. “I’m just happy I was part of his life.
“Oscar was a powerful and talented man, but he was very humble,” Pierro said. “He had a way with people; everybody liked him. And he gave the gift of music to everyone in The Villages.”
Feliu was a world-class fisherman and loved the outdoors. Every year he would take the trip up to New York to fish and hunt, Doherty said.
“I saw Oscar a couple of weeks ago and he was very excited about his upcoming vacation,” Doherty said. “He told me, ‘I can’t wait to get there, it’s a lot of fun. I need it.’”
Despite the tragedy of his death, Doherty said he was glad that Oscar was “doing something he loved. He was such a remarkable man with so many talents.”
Back in mid-October, Feliu gave a kind of unplugged performance for The Villages Opera Club meeting, Piscitelli said. The event was billed as, “Oscar, The Man and his Music.”
“He sat in the middle of the stage with an acoustic guitar,” Piscitelli said. She added he sang some of his personal favorites such as, “The Twelfth of Never” and “Nessun Dorma” and other opera works.
“Now, I’m going to ask what you want to hear,” Feliu told the crowd, Piscitelli said. Somebody yelled out, “Banana Boat Song (Day-O).” Without missing a beat, Feliu started singing: “Day-O, Day-O, Day-O/Daylight come and me wanna go home.”
Then someone asked for Tom Jones’ “Delilah.” Feliu started strumming his guitar and eventually worked his way to the song’s climax: “My, my, my, Delilah/Why why why Delilah/I could see that girl was no good for me…She stood there laughing/I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.”
“The people loved it,” Piscitelli said. “They asked for Elvis and Johnny Mathis and Oscar kept singing. He must have been up there for an hour and 15 minutes.
“Oscar was in a nostalgic mood. He reminisced about his life and his music. It was wonderful.”
No one knew it then, but that truly was Oscar Feliu’s farewell performance.
Memorials are being planned. Doherty said St. Timothy’s Catholic Church will eventually do a Mass and a memorial. The “Three Tenors Plus One” concert on Feb. 5 in The Sharon is expected to go on, Piscitelli said. Arrangements may be made for the farewell concert on Feb. 26.
Also, on Nov. 19, The Villages Opera Club will present a performance of Mozart’s “The Impresario” at 7 p.m. in the Eisenhower Recreation Center.
Piscitelli expects something to be done to honor Oscar Feliu at the event. A few remaining videos of his performance at last year’s “Three Tenors Plus One” event will be available. For information contact The Villages Opera Club at http://www.operaclubofthevillages.com/index.html
“Maestro Bill Doherty has informed me that at the Harold Schwartz Music Scholarship Awards, The Central Florida Lyric Opera would like to present, in memory of Oscar Feliu, a special prize in his memory,” Piscitelli said.
“Bill would personally like to award the presentation to someone who models not only the extreme musical talent, but also the moral integrity and strong work ethic of Oscar Feliu.”
