About
Mostly Classical Performing Arts
Founded by mezzo-soprano Caterina Rossini and baritone William Agliata, MCPA promotes the classical arts (music, opera, ballet and drama) and brings master artists to the places that need them to perform and to teach.
Co-founder
Caterina Rossini
Born and raised in Rome, Caterina Rossini is an international mezzo-soprano, vocal pedagogue and adjudicator. For many years a Staff Performer at the Metropolitan Opera, she is now based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
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Co-founder
William Agliata
A Roman-born baritone with more than 30 years on stages including Rome Opera, New York City Opera, Teatro Olimpico and Regina Opera, and a teacher rooted in the bel canto tradition.
Full biography →Who we are
An international home for the classical arts
Mostly Classical Performing Arts is an international performing arts organization with offices in New York, Dallas and the UAE. We offer training in music, voice, opera, dance and drama, and present internationally acclaimed artists in classic operas and other world-class performances.
We serve as a vital bridge between world-class classical performers, master teachers, their students, and the audiences who value live artistic excellence. Through an extensive international network of conductors, directors, singers, dancers, choreographers, musicians, artistic leaders, coaches and festival organizers, we secure distinguished performance opportunities for our artists while ensuring their work is thoughtfully presented to classical audiences worldwide.
Our mission
Artistic integrity, musical excellence
Our mission is to model artistic integrity, musical excellence, community involvement and the enrichment of the soul. We aspire to be a cultural touchstone for our community, to foster collaborations, and to contribute to the civic and cultural life of the places we serve.
We believe in live performance as a people's art form, and we celebrate the great classical styles, from Baroque to Bel Canto and Verismo, and above all the beauty of the human voice. We are committed to cultivating the next generation of classical artists by connecting them with the great masters of our time through performance, mentorship and professional engagement.
Our founders
From Rome to New York
Founders William and Caterina Agliata were raised in Rome in artistic households, where they trained in music, ballet and drama from an early age. They went on to spend almost two decades in New York City, performing and continuing their studies.
Throughout their careers they have researched vocal and physical techniques that allow performers to work effortlessly while protecting their health, knowledge they now share with the artists, students and institutions they serve.
Our crest
The Agliata Family
The Agliata family, known in its Sicilian branch as Alliata, is among the oldest noble families of Italy. Tradition has it that the family descends from the ancient Roman Allia, or Ellia, people, and from early Milan, where Dacius Agliati is remembered as archbishop in the sixth century. An ancient and very noble family of the Kingdom of Sicily, with branches spread through Tuscany, it has been adorned over the centuries with countless noble titles.
By the twelfth century the family was established in Pisa. Its founder, Betto di Alliata, was a merchant trading with Sardinia, and the family rose through maritime commerce, sat on the city's Council of Elders, and built its palazzo on the Lungarno, which still stands today. The original arms of the Pisan house were simple and striking: gold, with three black pales.
As the Republic of Pisa declined in the fourteenth century, Filippo Alliata moved to Sicily and founded the Sicilian line in Palermo, first as bankers and merchants. Allied with the Spanish crown, the family acquired the barony of Villafranca in the late fifteenth century; in 1530 its nobility was recognized by the Order of Malta, and over the following centuries it became Princes of Villafranca (1609), Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, Grandees of Spain, Peers of the Kingdom and Dukes of Salaparuta, holding in all nine principalities, two duchies, a marquisate, six baronies and many lordships.
The Sicilian arms add the black double-headed eagle beneath the golden imperial crown, with the motto Duriora decoxi, "I have endured harder things." The MCPA crest is a modern rendition of these arms.