Coconut Grove Music: (A Valentines Show) He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Join us for an evening of timeless romance and soaring melodies in He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. Featuring some of the most iconic love songs from the Golden Age like selections from She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, and more, this vocal recital explores the charm, wit, and emotional depth of Broadway’s Golden Age. Returning for the fifth year in a row, Rachel Wresh brings this recital to audiences just in time for the season of love—an invitation to enjoy unforgettable music, storytelling, and matters of the heart—right at your fingertips, for free!

Please note that this performance is during the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, so parking will not be available on campus but paid parking is available nearby at Cocowalk and any number of surface lots.

Rachel Wresh is an American soprano from Melissa, Texas, specializing in
Golden Age and light opera repertoire that connects the traditions of opera
and musical theater. Rachel is a freelance opera, musical theater, and choral
performer. She is also a dedicated educator and currently serves as an Adjunct
Professor of Voice in Musical Theater at Florida Atlantic University, a
Teaching Artist with Florida Grand Opera, and maintains a private studio of
students.
This past summer, she was a Resident Young Artist with Ohio Light Opera,
America’s premier lyric theater since 1979. There she debuted in five
productions including Brigadoon as Fiona and Patience as Patience (cover),
among others. It was there that the inspiration for this Golden Age–centered
recital was born.

In 2025, she made her local professional musical theater debut with
Broadway Series at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center in Rodgers
and Hammerstein’s South Pacific and her professional operatic debut with
Opera Arlington as La Fée in Cendrillon. Other notable stage roles include
Rose in Street Scene with Frost Opera Theater, Adele in Die Fledermaus with Music on Site Inc., Clara in The Light in
the Piazza with Red River Lyric Opera, and Sally in Stone Soup as part of Florida Grand Opera’s Education
Outreach program.

Rachel received her B.A. in Vocal Performance from Texas Woman’s University and her M.M.
in Vocal Performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. She is based in Miami, FL. You can
stay up-to-date on her current events via social media @rachelwresh_soprano and her website rachelwresh.com.

A highly versatile pianist from Shandong, China, Shuguang Gong is active
internationally as both a soloist and collaborative pianist, with performances
across China, the United States, and Europe. His work has appeared in major
venues including the National Center for the Performing Arts in China,
Beijing Concert Hall, Gusman Hall in Miami, and Neidorff-Karpati Hall at
the Manhattan School of Music.

In 2025, he advanced to the main stage of the
19th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, widely regarded as
one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world.
Gong is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Frost School of
Music, University of Miami, where he serves as a teaching assistant with Frost
Opera Theater. He is regularly engaged as a rehearsal and performance pianist
for operatic and vocal projects.
In addition to his vocal collaborations, Gong maintains an active solo career.

In
May 2024, he appeared as a soloist in Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie at the
Manhattan School of Music under the baton of Alison Norris. He is a fellow
artist of the 2025 Bowdoin International Music Festival, a performing artist at
the Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival, and was featured as a soloist at the 2024 Frost Chopin Academy.

Gong holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Beijing Normal University and a Master of Music degree in Piano
Performance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was a full scholarship recipient. He also
participated in exchange programs at the New England Conservatory, Boston University, and the Birmingham
School of Music. His principal teachers include Kevin Kenner, Christopher Taylor, and Lanlan Guo.

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