Ted Rozolis and Maria Dominique Lopez recently became engaged in a very public setting – onstage at the Cultural Center at Christ Cathedral, and in front of an audience of 180 guests attending the “Love Songs” event held earlier this month.
The couple met last year at the same venue, while attending the Cultural Center’s Cinco de Mayo Festival. Though they live in different states – Rozolis a chorus member at St. Anne’s in Seal Beach and Lopez is an opera singer with the Arizona Opera and a canter at St. Bernard’s in Scottsdale – the two managed to arrange several rendezvous throughout the year. They came together again most recently to sing in the “Love Songs” concert.
Chad Berlinghieri, Rozolis’s Godson, recounted how the proposal unfolded:
“On the night of ‘Love Songs,’ Maria had just finished her last solo piece of the night, ‘At Last,’ when Ted came up to the stage, took the microphone, introduced himself and explain to the audience that he was my Godfather, which was a full-time job in itself. He then thanked Father Christopher Smith who was in attendance and Bishop Kevin Vann for allowing us to have these types of events on campus. Finally he thanked God for allowing him to meet Maria ‘in this very room’ almost a year prior. All the while the pianist (Henri Venanzi) softly played Debussy’s ‘Claire De Lune’ in the background.
After his thank yous, he dropped to a knee, pulled the perfect ring from his pocket and asked for her hand in marriage. You could have heard a pin drop in the room filled with 180 guests. As Maria said ‘Yes,’ the entire room stood in applause. As the room began to quiet, I took the microphone and sang ‘Because,’ which ends with ‘Because God made you mine!’ Again there was a standing ovation and the evening ended with a successful proposal.”
Upcoming is Verdi’s Requiem on May 8th in the Arboretum. Tickets are now available at www.CathedralRequiem.EventBrite.com