St. Nicholas of Tolentine Italian Festival
Sunday, October 11, 2026
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Performance Location:
900 Moore Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148
What's an Italian Festival without opera?
ePOP is bringing the best of opera (and some of Philly's best opera singers) to St. Nick's!
The Annual St. Nicholas of Tolentine Authentic Italian Festival is the first Sunday of October each year, but was delayed to October 11th this year due to inclement weather. The festival is held on the 1700 Block of South 9th Street, and ePOP will be performing at 2pm on the stage located at 900 Moore Street.
Presented annually since 1987, St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish has been dedicated to keeping alive the spirit and faith of the early Italian immigrants.
Learn more about the fesitval here.
Artist Biographies
Samual Keeler, tenor
Samual Tyler Keeler, a dedicated and versatile opera singer, is known for his captivating performances on stage and his proficiency in arts administration. With a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland, College Park, and extensive training, including a Masters of Music in Opera Performance, Samual has graced numerous stages with his compelling voice.
Samual recently appeared on stage in concert alongside Michael Spyres as part of the Guild Hall/Bel Canto Boot Camp Resident Artist Series, in concert as a soloist with Maryland Opera, and as Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera D’Oro. Other recent appearances include Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Sam Kaplan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene.
In addition to his regular performance schedule as a soloist in the greater Philadelphia region he is the Founder and Executive Director for Liberty City Arts, a non-profit, performing arts initiative that works to support artists and the community in creating high quality artistic experiences for all.
Rachael Long, soprano
Rachael Long is a soprano recognized for her “sparkling upper register and clear vocal tone.”
This past season, Long performed in Opera Fulminante’s inaugural concert “The Gathering Storm”, took part in a masterclass with soprano Jennifer Rowley, performed various works at composer Andrea Clearfield’s Szalon, and violist David Yang’s Poor Richard’s Chamber Music Society salon series. Upcoming roles include Nedda (Pagliacci) and Donna Anna (cover-Don Giovanni) in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Other roles include Georgia O’Keeffe (The Brightness of Light), Della (The Gift of the Magi), Micaëla (Carmen), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Susanna (Il segreto di Susanna) Serafina (cover-Il campanello), Lucia/Lucia II/Leonora (covers-The Long Christmas Dinner), Corinna and Delia (Il Viaggio a Reims) and La dame in Poulenc’s La dame de Monte Carlo.
Ramsey Reyes, pianist
Ramsey Reyes, a University of Pennsylvania alum, has experience as an educator in a variety of settings. Ramsey was a full-time faculty member of The Philadelphia School, where he taught music, Spanish, and physical education, and a coach for Soccer Shots in Philadelphia. In the opera world, Ramsey has worked at the Academy of Vocal Arts, the Vienna Summer Music Festival, Opera Orlando, and Opera North. Currently, Ramsey is a professional associate in piano at the University of Pennsylvania, the music director of his Catholic Parish, a college counselor for Berton College, and an assistant conductor for the University of Pennsylvania Orchestra. In addition, Ramsey has worked at summer programs such as the The Csehy Summer School of Music, the Philadelphia International Music Festival, and the University of Central Florida Piano Camp. He spent a summer to help lead a camp at an international school in Guatemala, where he taught math, music, and English. Ramsey has also attended a number of summer programs as a student -- Duke TIP, University of Florida Science Quest, LEAD Engineering at University of Michigan, and LEAD Business at Wharton in high school. He graduated from Temple University with degrees in piano performance and opera coaching. Ramsey is an avid athlete and fluent in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian.