Miguel F Pinto

MIGUEL FRANZ PINTO, 66, died Saturday, September 30, 2006, at his home in Cedar Falls. He was born August 25, 1940 in Sagua La Grande, Cuba. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Science from the Juilliard School of Music in New York, where he was taught by pianist Adele Marcus. Miguel was the Coach/Assistant Conductor to Maestro Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic 1975-77. He was the Head Coach of the Opera Festival de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Espana from 1980-1982. Miguel was also the Head Coach for the Opera Festival di Roma in 1999. He was an accompanist in numerous recitals including Gilda Crz-Romo, Florence Quivar and Michael Cousins, American Institute for Musical Studies 1995-96, Australian Opera, and the Canadian Opera 1985-86. Miguel was a juror for the Enrico Caruso International Vocal Competition at Carnegie Hall, New York. He was also an accompanist and coach to tenor Eric Cutler of Decorah, Iowa, Alfedo Kraus, Dame Joan Sutherland, Anna Moffo, Carlos Montané, Licia Albanese and Florence Quivar. Miguel completed numerous Master Classes in Rome, Italy, Bloomington, Indiana and Graz, Austria. He was a Tenured Associate Professor with Doctoral Equivalency at the University of Northern Iowa and has been a Vocal Coach there since 1991.

He was a devoted musician, friend, animal lover, confidante and had a vibrant personality. His favorite things in life were fierce devotion to family, friends and his Siberian Husky Max and Golden Retriever Travis. He always stressed the vital importance of making music beyond the sheet music and had a particular love for Giuseppi Verdi and Franz Schubert. He traveled extensively and while he loved his years in Australia, he always considered Hawaii his spiritual home. He was obsessed with Major League Baseball's New York Mets and, of course loved Cuban cuisine.

Miguel is survived by his close friend, Dr. Edward Shuherk, of Cedar Falls. He was preceded in death by his parents, Miguel René Pinto Silva and Guillermina Carneado Rodriguez, his grandmother, Dona Carmen Maria Silva and his grandfather, Don Miguel Apolonio Pinto Bruffau.

Memorial services will be 2:00 pm Saturday at Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home in Cedar Falls. Memorials may be directed to the Cedar Bend Humane Society, 1166 W. Airline Hwy, Waterloo, IA 50703, Ph. 232-6887.