Two rare operas performed by Teatro Nuovo in Jazz at Lincoln Center

Teatro Nuovo is back again, this time with two Italian rarities, one more so than the other. The more familiar one is Donizetti’s Poliuto, which premiered at Teatro San Carlo in Naples in November of 1848, ten years after its completion and months after Donizetti’s death. The libretto is by Salvatore Cammarano. It is a powerful piece of work!*

Please consult the Teatro Nuovo website (http://www.teatronuovo.org) for complete information about tickets, singers, photos, synopses, etc. Poliuto is performed by an all-star cast tonight, as in July 19 at 7:30 in the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center. Don’t miss it!

Why? Because it is rarely performed. In our time, Maria Callas and Franco Corelli revived it at La Scala in 1960, she as Paolina, Poliuto’s wife. Her voice fit the music well at the time. Corelli was Poliuto. The opening night was recorded (and is available on CDs…remember these?); there were a total of five performances. It followed a pattern: Callas took suggestions about operas to learn from supporters, she learned a role quickly, the theater gathered a suitable cast, director and conductor, she did a few performances, then moved on. Enjoy!

But the other offering by Teatro Nuovo is brand new territory for most of us. It is Crispino e la Comare (Crispino and the Fairy), a comedy composed by brothers Ricci: Federico (1805 to 1859) and Luigi (1809 to 1877). Opera lovers often think that the last traditional Italian comedy died with Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, only to be picked up briefly by Verdi (Falstaff) and others later in the form of operetta and the rebirth of the commedia dell’arte style of story and treatment. The Ricci brothers were very popular in their time, each working individually, but sometimes, as in Crispino, collaborating. These are not operettas, in the shape of Offenbach or Gilbert and Sullivan, but more of a continuation of a well-established tradition of Italian comedy.

The plot? Crispino is a poor man, long overdue on his rent. His wife Annetta sings in the streets, but, truth is, neither is doing well. The greedy landlord has his eyes on Annetta as an alternative to cash. All seems lost, Crispino wants to end it all by jumping in a well…but he is stopped at the last minute by the Fairy Godmother. Here’s the deal: she will give him power and support to judge and condemn the evil rich. In return, she’ll take care of the rent.

Crispino does so, his convictions alternating between pardon and condemnation. The greedy landlord is one of his victims. So far so good. But his “successes” distort his view of himself. He becomes arrogant, he drinks too much, he argues with Annetta, and worse, the Fairy Godmother takes Crispino down to the underworld to get an idea of what his endgame will look like.

Crispino repents, and all the good folks win and live happily ever after.

Crispino e la Comare is performed tomorrow night, June 20 at 7:30 in the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center. Please consult the Teatro Nuovo website (http://www.teatronuovo.org) for complete information about tickets, singers, photos, synopses, etc. Don’t miss it!

*Donizetti met resistance originally by the censors in Naples. He had Paris in mind, and eveutally the story was revised and the libretto translated into French. As Les Martyrs it opened in Paris in April, 1840. The version performed here is the original composition.  

Enjoy! Happy to do this, even if last minute!! OM

Interview with Andrew Garland in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Princeton 2023

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege to interview Andrew Garland (AG), who sings Figaro, the famous Barber of Seville in Rossini’s comic opera by the same name. In fact, tonight!

OM: Hello Andrew! Thank you for saying yes to this!

AG: My pleasure!

OM: OK, Rossini…have you performed the role of Figaro before?

AG: Let’s see, the first time I sang Barber of Seville was the summer of 2003. If I remember correctly, I got the score in January and had many coachings, at least a dozen. I was in school and could just coach the role with my teachers. So, I’d say I spent just under 6 months preparing Figaro for the first time. In general, I’d say I take about six months to prepare a full-length new role, slowly and steadily. If I had to condense that preparation down, I could do it in two weeks, but that would be stressful, and my memory isn’t what it used to be.

OM: Are there other Rossini comedies (or Donizetti comedies) you’ve performed in?

AG: Actually, Dandini is my favorite role. He is the Prince’s valet in Rossini’s Cenerentola (Cinderella). Yes, Figaro is the leading man in Barber, yes, he is the Factotum of the city, yes, he is maybe the most recognizable name in all of opera…but Dandini has more notes and he also has more fun. How? He gets to pretend to be Prince for a day and can do whatever he wants, be as over-the-top as he can be but has no consequences. To depict Dandini’s over-the-topness, Rossini gave him so many opportunities. So many notes! My voice can move fast, and I love to have fun with these notes and even ornament them with more notes, which is standard practice.

Andrew Garland sings Figaro in Rossini’s Il Barbieri di Siviglia at the Princeton Festival.

OM: I love Cenerentola. And yes, Dandini is a real character! Generalizing: is this genre (bel canto comedies) a favorite performing choice for you (and why) or are there other genres (Mozart operas? Verdi (which ones)? French operas (dito)? verismo operas? 20th century operas? Operetta? Etc.) that are more to your liking? Why, for each?

AG: I don’t have a favorite anything, but I do love to sing bel canto. I teach at a program called Bel Canto Boot Camp where you learn all the fundamentals of singing this music: legato – which means connecting the notes, not chopping them up. I do love Mozart – The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni. Beautiful writing! Sublime! I also love some of the later standards: La Bohème and Turandot, I Pagliacci, Romeo et Juliette, Faust, to name a few. I really, as in really, liked singing Florencia en el Amazonas by Daniel Catán.

OM: (interrupting) Wow! There’s a coincidence! I and my wife are seeing Florencia en el Amazonas at the Met in the fall! Looking forward to it!

AG: You’ll enjoy it. It’s wonderful! Anyway, quite simply, these are/were all good vehicles for my voice and my way of singing.

OM: Looking back at my career, when we’re young we all have big career dreams, but as we mature the list of “this works, wow! I can do this!” narrows as the list of “nope, not working, not going there” lengthens and fades. At what age, through what experiences, did you have the dream of singing on stage in a difficult and exacting musical repertoire?

AG: I did have stars in my eyes about singing big roles on big stages. But my voice is medium-sized. I get the most resonance out of it, the most bang for my buck, but large opera houses don’t tend to cast me. At first, I thought I needed to be bigger…and taller, for some reason…but I learned what I was really good at. That’s concerts and recitals but also roles that don’t require the biggest voice and/or stay high a lot so you can sound over the orchestra. That’s Figaro. He sings high a lot and that makes it easier to sound over the orchestra. Another thing: you gotta be in shape to sing this role – at least the way James Marvel directs it. We are running and jumping.

But back to the point: I dreamed of singing a “difficult and exacting” role, but didn’t know what it was. Then it kind of fell in my lap: Angels in America. Not the 7-hour, 2-part play, but the 2 ½ hour opera. It’s difficult and exacting and so rewarding.

OM: Who are your vocal role models?

AG: I like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau’s singing of German Lieder. Thomas Hampson’s work is exemplary. My peers Joshua Hopkins and Lucas Meacham do great work. Simon Keenlyside and Roderick Williams are always great to listen to. Of course, there’s Will Liverman. I’m going to see him Monday night.

OM: What advice can you give for young artists looking up to a career?

AG: It boils down to knowing who you are and sticking to your values. If you have those things, you can’t go wrong. You’ll hit plenty of snags, but you can’t go wrong.

OM: When you’re not singing opera, briefly, what are your other musical preferences: Performances on stage? Favorite artists? Favorite shows? Favorite plays?

AG: Song recitals and concerts. I love programming recitals by new American composers. There are so many great ones out there. And new and classic concert works. This season I sang the Bach B minor mass, St. Matthew Passion, Brahms Requiem, Carmina Burana.

OM: When you’re not singing at all, what do you do to relax, take a break from it all?

AG: I cycle, mostly road bike. It’s great meditation, exercise, stress relief. 

OM: Thank you, Andrew, for your wisdom, words and observations. I’m wishing you and your colleagues the best in tonight’s performance.

The final performance of Princeton Festival’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, performed by a stellar cast, is tonight at 7 p.m. The performance is in the Performance Pavilion.

Complete information, including tickets, can be found at Princetonsymphony.org/festival.

Support your local opera!!! All the best, OM

Interview with Steven Condy in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Princeton Festival

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of interviewing Steven Condy (SC), who stars as Dr. Bartolo in Rossini’s ever popular Il Barbiere di Siviglia. It was a pleasure strolling on the Princeton University campus, chatting with him about his upcoming performances later this month.

OM: Thank you, Steven, for your time!

SC: My pleasure!

OM: OK, Rossini…Il barbieri di Siviglia…have you performed the role of Bartolo before? If not, what are the challenges in learning the role and performing it? If so, what would you say was the most difficult challenge in mastering the role? What is his personality?

SC: This is my 32nd production and opens with my 115th career performance of the role.  The challenges are balancing the vocal requirements with the comic physicality.  It’s important to remember that Rossini was a “bel canto” composer so the beauty of the voice needs to be paramount even though it’s a farcical comedy. 

OM: Are there other Rossini comedies (or Donizetti comedies) that you have performed in?

SC: I’ve performed a lot of Rossini in my career including Don Magnifico in La cenerentola, Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri, and Don Profondo in Il viaggio a Reims. Donizetti roles include Don Pasquale, Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore), and Sulpice (La fille du regiment).

OM: Generalizing: is this genre (bel canto comedies) a favorite performing choice for you (and why) or are there other genres: Mozart operas? Verdi (which ones)? French operas? Verismo operas? 20th century operas? Operetta?) that are more to your liking? Why, for each?

SC: Most of my work has been in all the comic repertoire.  Mostly Italian, some English and a little French. After Bartolo, the next role I’ve performed the most is Verdi’s Falstaff.  Falstaff is the role I enjoy the most and I’m honored to have performed it as much as I have.  Why comic roles? I’ve always had a good sense of humor and they are the roles I’ve been offered the most.  The old adage goes, “Dying is easy; comedy is hard.”

Steven Condy as Dr. Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia

OM: Aside here: Falstaff is one of my all time favorite operas! Steven, I’ve always wanted to ask these things: briefly, how long, from start to performance, does it take to learn a role like Bartolo?

SC: I’ve been doing this role for over 30 years and I’m still finding new things to try.  It’s hard to say how long it takes.  Learning and memorizing a role like Bartolo depends on the person; some can do it in a year, others in few days.  Thirty years ago, the tempo of my patter singing (singing lots of words very fast) was much slower than it is now.  The real process of learning the role – really getting to know the character – begins AFTER your first performance. The challenge is to not do it the same way twice.

OM: When we’re young we all have big career dreams, but as we mature the list of “this works, wow! I can do this!” narrows as the list of “nope, not working, not going there” lengthens and fades. At what age, through what experiences, did you have the dream of singing on stage in a difficult and exacting musical repertoire? But the work that goes into the profession…has snags, right! Looking back, what advice would you give a young dreamer about on-stage performances and the profession, in general? Agents? Coaches? Voice teachers?

SC: I tell my students: if you can be happy doing something else, go do it. Starting and maintaining a performance career is very difficult. You need to really love what you’re doing because opera is a lousy lover. The learning process should never end; there is always something you should be working on to do better. If you ever think to yourself, “I have arrived,” that’s the day you should quit.

OM: When you’re not singing opera, briefly, what are your other musical preferences: performances on stage? Favorite artists? Favorite shows? Favorite plays?

SC: When not singing opera, I work as the Music Recruitment and Events Coordinator at Cairn University in Langhorne, PA, where I also teach and run the Opera Theater program with my wife.  And when I’m not working there, the American Songbook is playing in my car.  Jazz standards, big band, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Rosemary Clooney, Jo Stafford – this is my guilty pleasure.

OM: I have the same guilty pleasure. My soundtrack growing up. When you’re not singing at all, what do you do to relax, take a break from it all?

SC: I enjoy spending time with my wife, building things and working on small house projects, which usually involves trying to be MacGyver.

OM: I know what you mean. Thank you, Steven, in advance, for your wisdom, words and observations.

The Princeton Festival’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, performed by a stellar cast, is on Friday, June 16 at 7 pm, Sunday, June 18 at 4 pm, and Tuesday, June 20 at 7 pm. The performances are in the Performance Pavilion. Complete information, including tickets, can be found at Princetonsymphony.org/festival.

Support your local opera!!! All the best, OM

Troupers perform The Yeomen of the Guard in Norwalk

The Troupers tackled The Yeomen of the Guard with gusto on two Saturdays in mid-April at the Norwalk Concert Hall. The Troupers have been our local operetta company since 1946(!). They performed Yeomen seven seasons before this. 

The creators, William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, were blessed with a quick rise to stardom both in the British Isles and the USA. But this stalled (relatively speaking) with Princess Ida. In the meantime, Sullivan was growing more attracted to serious forms of music, less to Gilbert’s proposed plots. Happily, The Mikado caught his attention; it was their biggest success. Ruddigore, which followed, was praised by many, especially for Sullivan’s music, but not enough to keep it running long. Again, Gilbert proposed and Sullivan rejected his proposals. It looked like the end of the road.

So the story goes, one day Gilbert saw a poster at a train station advertising the Tower Furnishing Company, with the Tower of London in the background and a Beefeater in the foreground. Bingo! Sullivan was immediately taken with the humanity of it. The rest is history. The Yeomen of the Guard is their most serious collaboration. Some, taking it a step further, have called it England’s finest opera.

This season the Troupers bring new creative forces to the table. Nancy Meyer, with a long list of experiences in all manners of musical theater, made her company debut as Stage Director. Conspicuous are the energy changes afforded by the plot and the interactions/reactions of the players: they came to life effectively; they interact in natural ways, consistent with their personalities. Even the characters and chorus surrounding the principals reacted to the story as it progressed. Welcome!

New, too, is Zachary Kampler, Music Director. Fine moments musically were everywhere. Interesting that in this production the Orchestra was behind the sets, not in sight in the “pit” before us.* The artists were carried by waves of music, not struggling to sing through them. Cues were delivered via a screen center stage. Kampler was constantly sensitive to the flow of the music and the singers. Neil Flores, who starred in major roles in the past for the Troupers, is here Stage Manager.

Christina Kampler is Elsie Maynard, the young woman who is wandering from gig to gig with Jack Point, a poor street entertainer. I liked the intensity and passion she brought to the role. Gregory Suss brought new life to Point through gesture and expression. A quasi-serious character, Point strives to be entertaining, but underneath it all he is a sincere fellow...and sad. At the end one felt his sadness over losing Elsie to another. His daughter Katie made her debut in the Chorus.

Christina Kampler as Elsie Maynard and Gregory Suss as Jack Point

Colonel Fairfax, nicely sung by James Ring-Howell, is at the center of the action. He’s about to be beheaded for sorcery, a false charge by a greedy kinsman who wants his money and estate. Phoebe Meryll, daughter of Sgt. Meryll (a Yeoman of the Guard at the Tower) has taken a liking to Fairfax. She is, of course, saddened that he is to be executed later that day.

John Hoover as one of the Townsfolk (also Technical Director) and Rhianna Ring-Howell as Kate

The truth that Fairfax saved the life of Phoebe’s father in battle motivates the rescue team. Sgt. Meryll’s son has returned from battle, but no one has seen or would recognize him. Meryll, sung by David Schanncupp, and Phoebe, sung by a feisty Ria Ipa, conspire to free Fairfax, pass him off as Meryll’s son and save his life. Tyler Panek is Leonard Meryll.

To make this work, they need to spring Fairfax, which involves stealing the keys to the jail cell from William Shadboldt, comically performed by Mark Callahan. It also turns out he has a thing for Phoebe, which further complicates the plot.

In the meantime, with only a short time to live, Fairfax, through Lt. Cholmondeley, here forcefully played by Alan Briones, fulfills his request to be married before he is executed so that the relative scum don’t inherit his estate. Coincidentally, Elsie Maynard and Jack Point enter; she consents to marry Fairfax. Briones has performed with Troupers in the past.

Marian Shulman sang Dame Carruthers, a stern guardian of Tower tradition; she also was the show’s Co-Producer, one of the Costumers! Her list of performances and her dedication to Troupers, both on stage and behind the scenes is long and legendary. Rhianna Ring-Howell, daughter of James Ring-Howell, makes her company debut as Kate. Noteworthy is her attention to the emotions of the moment and her ability to translate these into song and expression.

Ria Ipa as Phoebe, Rhianna Ring-Howell as Kate, Christina Kampler as Elsie, and Marian Shulman as Dame Carruthers

The men of the Chorus, many familiar to us, are Rob Strom, Jim Cooper, William Abbott, Paul Cernysh, Ben Dussault, Sam Harris, John Hoover, Bill Kenyon, Kenneth Skjeveland, Mathew Young, and Jeff Rossman; the women of the Chorus are Melinda Bauers, Vicki Cooper, Laura Ann Heckman, Maribeth Johnson, Rachel Lese, Miki Nakahata, Marisa Schafer, Lea Kessler Shaw, and the aforementioned Katie Suss and Rhianna Ring-Howell.

The Troupers’ production was big in sets…after all, it is the Tower of London! Carl Mezoff, a legend in our time, designed the sets to relay the sheer size and color of the Tower, but with easy exits and entrances for the singers and chorus. Bravo!!!

All in all, it was an entertaining afternoon (April 22).

An aside: the Troupers are one of the reasons I knew I had settled in the right place many years ago.

Look for the Troupers next spring! Happy Mother’s Day!  

Best wishes, OM.

*The Troupers tried this before with H.M.S Pinafore/Trial by Jury, either in March, 2002, at the Saxe Middle School or in April, 2009, at New Canaan High, but I don’t remember which one. I was at both with my family and in-laws. What I do remember was that the orchestra sound did not come across reliably. This season was far better. Hope to hear it this way again!

Interview with Marian Shulman as Dame Carruthers in The Yeomen of the Guard

OperaMetro had the privilege of interviewing Marian Shulman, who stars as Dame Carruthers in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Yeomen of the Guard, performed by The Troupers Light Opera in the Norwalk Concert Hall this Saturday and next.

OperaMetro (OM): Hello Marian! You bring to this Troupers performance a wealth of experience on stage and off. Before getting into your character of Dame Carruthers, tell me about the various capacities through which you contribute to the success of each season.

Marian (MS): Thank you for this. Last year, the character I played, Ruth, was described as "a pirate maid of all work," which I use to describe myself most of the time! But offstage, my principal (no pun intended) areas of responsibility have been planning and recruiting, costuming, scheduling, and all-round problem solving.  I am a worrier, so I am one of the people who asks "Has anyone arranged for...has anyone reminded them...do we have any volunteers for...what are we going to do about..." because the whole boat floats on a sea of details! Also, I have been working in the theater for more than 50 years, so I have ended up with a working knowledge of a lot of different areas, so keep a watchful (worried!) eye on most things!  Our president, Bill Abbott is the show's producer, but he pays me the compliment, as vice-president of naming me co-producer.  We are actually a pretty good team!

OM: Part of the success of Troupers year after year is your ability to attract devoted performers and also young singers. Do you have any favorite sources of young talent? 
MS: As you can imagine, this is a huge challenge for us! Honestly, word of mouth is our most valuable recruiting method. We also list our auditions on every site we can think of, let voice teachers know, ask current former singers for recommendations, and somehow manage to assemble casts every year. Saying this, I am thinking "maybe someone reading this might be tempted to join us!"

This year, we have a new stage director (Nancy L Meyer) and conductor (Zachary Kampler) who are incredibly busy doing shows all over Fairfield County and beyond, so several very talented new cast members are people they have worked with previously and encouraged to audition. We are very glad to have them!  And as an amusing side note, the silent role of the executioner is being played by Mat Young, who Nancy and Zach worked with as their leading man in Joyful Noise at the Town Players of New Canaan.  He is an extremely accomplished actor, but doesn't sing at all, so he is making his "musical" debut without ever opening his mouth!

OM: What, in your experience with the company, are some of the standout seasons by the Troupers?

MS: I think our Italian Renaissance Mikado was a true stand-out. Doing a comic show set in another show leads some people to assume that we are making fun of that culture, and in this case moving the story from a mythical Japan to a mythical 15th century Milan works pretty well to allay those concerns. The cast was particularly strong as well. Loads of fun to costume too, say I in my capacity as costume designer! I also remember the Die Fledermaus that we did about a decade ago with particular fondness. It is a show that fits the same effect as Gilbert and Sullivan, and has spectacular music!

OM: I remember all of these! I thought The Red Mill was wonderful too. Over the years, who are your favorite characters, the ones you’ve sung? Who are your favorite characters, the ones you admire but never get a chance to sing, male or female?

MS: Mad Margaret stands head and shoulders above all of the mezzo characters that I have sung, followed closely by Phoebe from this show, which I played when I was a lot younger than I am now! They are both character roles, which for me is more interesting than the straight romantic roles. In some future lifetime, I want to come back as a bass and sing Pooh-Bah, Dick Deadeye, and Sir Despard!

OM: Dame Carruthers is an interesting character. Early on in the drama she seems to convey bloodthirstiness with pride, the more the merrier. And in the opening of Act Two she chastises the Yeomen for losing Fairfax. Are there any role models we’d recognize to shape your characterization?

MS: Dame Caruthers is the ultimate matriarch. As the Housekeeper of the Tower of London, she runs everything. The Lord Lieutenant may think he is in charge, but woe betide any man who tries to get in her way! She identifies with the Tower, which is a fortress of strong immovable stone, and you hear it in her song. Sometimes the "I" is the Dame and sometimes it is the Tower itself.

OM: Yet she caves in at the advances of Sergeant Meryll. What pulls her off her high pedestal? What is her motivation to yield to his advances?

MS: This is just an example of Gilbert making fun of older, and particularly unmarried women. Modern singers just have to manage as best they can with stereotypes which are anathema to modern sensibilities. There is always an implicit assumption that the maiden lady is looking for a mate, and it is pretty well spelled out in Yeomen. Dame Caruthers has been lusting after Sgt. Meryll for years, so she isn't "yielding" to him - she is finally achieving her heart’s desire!

OM: Bless her! What are your favorite shows, outside of G & S?
MS: From G&S, we slide right over to Mozart! Don Giovanni is my favorite of all time, with Le Nozze di Figaro as a close second!

OM: Mozart! Certainly!

When you are not performing or thinking about the season, what do you do for fun and relaxation?

MS: We function all year 'round! Last November we did a highly successful concert of Gilbert and Sullivan favorites at St. Paul's Episcopal, and hope to do something similar this fall, so the planning has to start immediately. Board members are already mumbling to each other about what show we might schedule for next year, so it never really stops.

When I am really not thinking about the company, I love to travel with my husband, which we are starting up this summer after a three year pandemic hiatus!  I read a lot, garden a little, and try to get a little rest in!

OM: Same here. My wife and I are looking forward to getting out of Dodge this summer or fall. Thank you so much, Marian for your words and thoughts. We’re looking forward to The Yeomen of the Guard!

Troupers presents The Yeomen of the Guard this Saturday (April 15) at 2:30 and 7:30 at the Norwalk Concert Hall, 304 Main Avenue #456, Norwark, CT 06851 and repeats this (April 22), same times and same place. For ticket information visit trouperslightopera.org.

 Great to be back again!! OM

Support local theater!!!!

Interview with Rihanna Ring-Howell, Kate in The Yeomen of the Guard

OperaMetro has the honor of interviewing Rihanna Ring-Howell, who stars in the role of Kate in Gilbert and Sullivan’s wonderful The Yeomen of the Guard, which will be performed in the Norwark Concert Hall this Saturday and next. Details below.

OperaMetro (OM): Thank you so much for consenting to this interview, Rihanna! A pleasure to chat with you!

Rihanna (RRH): My pleasure!

OM: OK, let’s dive in: Have you performed the role of Kate, who is the niece of Dame Carruthers, before?

RRH: I haven't performed the role of Kate before, and this is my first time doing the Yeomen of the Guard.

OM: I’ll bet you’ve performed other roles in G & S: what are other roles in the G & S operas you’ve performed?

RRH: Overall, I am fairly new to G & S. However, last year, I performed Mabel and Edith in the Pirates of Penzance.

OM: Mabel is a major role, for sure!

Like many of us, our introduction to the G & S repertory is from an influential adult(s), in my case my parents. Who was the person(s) who introduced you to G & S?

RRH: I was introduced to G & S through a few different sources. Both of my parents are opera singers, and so I had heard of them at some point during my young life. But my parents don't perform much light opera, so I knew of G & S more as a composer and had less first-hand experience with them. My first experience actually seeing a performance of G & S was when Crystal Theatre put on a High School production of the Pirates of Penzance. And then, of course, I was able to actually perform in that show when they put it on again in 2022.

OM: Interesting. G & S enters our lives through any number of doors: I was maybe twelve or so, a telecast of H.M.S Pinafore performed by a Canadian company was on TV, my father said ‘We have to watch this,’ which we did, but then he told the story of playing Ko-Ko in a high school musical. Once bitten, you can’t go back!   

RRH: Really! I have not performed in other light operas, but I have seen one or two, like Die Fledermaus, that my parents happened to be in. From what I have observed, they seem very similar, with farce, and satirical comedy featuring heavily. However, since I don't have much experience with them, it's hard for me to really say for certain.

OM: Though Kate is a small part, you support Dame Carruthers’ account that you overheard Elsie’s “moans and groans” in her sleep about her marriage to a man who, she thinks, will be beheaded in an hour. Carruthers senses that something is up…and then follows a Quartet…do her aunt’s suspicions color the Quartet?

RRH: I think that yes, Dame Carruthers' suspicions color the Quartet. Everyone in the Quartet has their own take on the information provided by Kate and Dame Carruthers, and they each bring a different color because they have different levels of knowledge in terms of what is really going on.

OM: Then you’re heading the Chorus after the Lieutenant announces that, “good or ill” Fairfax has been cleared of his crimes and is free. Kate (and the others) don’t know of Fairfax’s disguise, that he has already won Elsie’s heart. Why, in Kate’s mind, is it a “day of terror”? Is Kate siding with Elsie in favor of her “Leonard?”

HHR: Absolutely!! Kate, like the rest of the Townspeople, is siding with Elsie in favor of her "Leonard". Why, you may ask? It can be implied by the fact that Kate was the one tending to Elsie that she formed a bond with this girl (who was likely similar in age). So, naturally, Kate wants to see her new friend happy. With Fairfax alive, it means that Elsie cannot marry the man that she loves. Of course she is upset.

OM: When you’re not singing light opera, what are your other musical preferences for stage performances? Favorite artists? Favorite shows? Operas?

HHR: For stage performances, I really enjoy singing in full operas. I have performed in The Magic Flute as the First Spirit and in Carmen and Eugene Onegin as the children's chorus (which was comprised of my sister and myself). I love operas by all of the great composers like Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, Puccini, etc.

OM: Excellent start! But not surprising given your performing parents.

HHR: At my age, I have yet to perform in many of them, but I hope to do so in the future. However, while I do lean more towards opera nowadays, I do love older musical theatre with more legit styles of singing. Some of my favorite shows are The Music Man, The Phantom of the Opera, Anything Goes, and The Sound of Music. I definitely enjoy modern musicals as well, but there are fewer parts that fit with my preferred range and style of singing.

OM: Anything Goes is one of my favorites! Familiar with Troupers, I’ll bet you’re also involved in backstage stuff…

HHR: Absolutely! I have been helping with social media and publicity.

OM: When you’re not singing, what do you do to relax and take a break from it all?

HHR: I am a fantasy novelist, which takes up a good chunk of my time. Currently I am studying with the Author Conservatory, which is an online conservatory for young authors that teaches writing and business. I also spend a good amount of time practicing and competing in Taekwondo, as well as teaching students. Other things I enjoy include playing the piano, listening to Taylor Swift, hanging out with my dog, and watching some of my favorite TV shows like Gilmore Girls and Shadow and Bone. 

OM: Brava! It’s been a pleasure talking to you, Rhianna! I and I’m sure my readers are wishing you the best!

 Troupers presents The Yeomen of the Guard this Saturday (April 15) at 2:30 and 7:30 at the Norwalk Concert Hall, 304 Main Avenue #456, Norwark, CT 06851 and repeats this (April 22), same times and same place. For ticket information visit trouperslightopera.org.
Nice to be back on deck! OM.

Support local theater!!!!

OperaMetro interviews Teresa Castillo, who stars in Teatro Nuovo’s La Sonnambula.

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of interviewing Teresa Castillo (TC), star of Teatro Nuovo’s upcoming performances of Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula. We’re strolling up Columbus Avenue, shady side, looking for a cool bistro, trying to avoid the intense heat.

OM: Thank you, Teresa, for agreeing to chat about La Sonnambula and related things. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

TC: Likewise!

OM: You’re performing the role of Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula. Tell us about the vocal demands of this role, its special challenges, compared to those of other roles in your voice type. What is the most deeply felt part of the score?

TC: This role has many challenges! Not just including the vocal part, which is demanding in its own way, but my character goes through a big challenge in the opera, where her faithfulness to her husband-to-be is questioned and she has no clue why. La Sonnambula literally means The Sleepwalker, so a few of my scenes are challenging acting wise because I have to walk around and pretend to be sleep walking and unaware of the people and circumstances around me. I think the most deeply felt part of the score is when Amina is sleepwalking at the end and laments her lost love. It’s her deepest thoughts and she happens to share them in front of the entire town.

OM: It is the first part of La Sonnambula to deeply touch me, though at the time I didn’t know the whole opera. Ah! non credea mirarti…on a disc of arias sung by Claudia Muzio. Very touching.

How do you describe Sonnambula? In what aspects was it ahead of its time? In what aspects was it in synch with its time?

Teresa Castillo sings Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula with Teatro Nuovo

TC: The score itself has recit that is through-composed and many moments of deep, beautiful and lush orchestration. Luckily, at Teatro Nuovo, we have such a capable and amazing orchestra of musicians that love this music and play it beautifully. I think the best way for me to describe this opera is that even though it obviously has all the classic aspects of a bel canto opera, there are so many moments where my character in particular is very exposed, meaning there isn’t a lot under me in the orchestra. I think Bellini did a very good job of keeping the music engaging as well. He really wrote all the drama into the music.

OM: What are the personality characteristics of Amina, from most prominent to occasionally surfacing, and how does Bellini support these characteristics musically?

TC: Amina is a very pure and innocent character with the best intentions for those around her and has a tremendous capacity for love. This is very evident in her vocal lines and the way she interacts with other characters. There are so many moments of just pure beauty. One of my favorite moments is when she and Elvino are professing their love for each other in front of the whole town and she is unable to find the words to express her love, so instead the vocal line does that profession for her.

OM: A very tender scene, for sure.

In a few words, what voice type are you? Was this always so or has your voice changed over time?

TC: I’m a coloratura soprano and I’ve always been this voice type.

OM: What role in the standard repertory is the perfect role for your voice? List a few roles you find absolutely heavenly to sing/perform.

TC: Well, I love Amina in La Sonnambula for starters. I also really enjoyed singing Madame Mao in John Adams’ Nixon in China…

OM: Wait, wait, you were in Nixon in China?

TC: Princeton Festival in 2019.

OM: OMG! I previewed and reviewed that production for OperaMetro! It was totally professional and very good! And Madame Mao was a force of nature as I recall. I’ll have to go back and see what I wrote...small world!

TC: It was a real experience! I also find Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor a real joy, I really loved singing Frasquita in Carmen also and Maria in West Side Story. Just to name a few.

Teresa Castillo in performance

OM: Life is a journey…In my profession (which is not in music) I tell my students who look to  follow a career path what get an idea of what to expect, of course what are the rewards, but also what are the risks and what are the costs…What was your path from a young person who liked to listen to music to an adult who is applauded for his/her performance of music, and not just any music, but that of dramatic bel canto opera? What, along the way, are the big decisions (and also the little decisions), essentially the variables that needed affirmative answers? Mentors along the way who gave you guidance?

TC: I always loved singing but I was incredibly shy as a child. So it took a while for me to grow into someone who is ok with sharing their voice in front of an audience. I actually think, as I mentioned earlier, that the vocal line and text does all the speaking for me. There have been many times in my life where I had no idea how to express how I was feeling, but music always did that for me. Yes, I have had many mentors in my life who did their best helping me and pushing me to get out of my shell while on the stage, but ultimately for me it was time and experience. Getting over almost debilitating stage fright was a journey unto itself, which has most definitely improved over time, but knowing that I was more than capable and being empowered by teachers, coaches and directors definitely helped quite a bit!

OM: Are there other decisions facing singers, related to the profession, but not related to the voice or the performance? Looking back from this stage of your career, what variables are most important for newcomers to consider.

TC: There are MANY factors to consider when it comes to a career in music. Specifically in opera, one of the biggest barriers is financial: It is incredibly expensive to fund a career in classical music. There are so many parts to it: we have to pay for schools, teachers, coaches, pianists, scores, audition tours, hotels, and then there is always just the cost of living, rent, food, materials, clothing…the list keeps going. The journey is much longer and more expensive in a lot of ways if you are someone who does not come from wealth or were not catapulted directly into the highest YAPs and gigs. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had people tell me I should go to Europe to audition. I’m flattered of course but I have never in my life had the money to fund a trip like that. I’m someone who has a second job because I need to pay my bills. It’s a big obstacle facing a lot of young singers today.

OM: In a sense now you are a mentor for young artists. What advice do you have for young artists who dream of following the path you’ve taken? Is there some “advice” you received from a mentor or colleague that turned out to be misguided or irrelevant?

TC: Make sure you really know you want to do this. Many people say that, but it takes someone with a very thick skin and the ability to do whatever it takes to get what they want. For me, I love this line of work and I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. Have I had my moments of doubt? Yes, absolutely, almost yearly in different ways, but I always go back to how much I deeply love what I do. Music is the thing that brightens my day, fills my spirit and in my darkest moments, has put me back on my feet.

The harsh fact, though, is that everyone you sing for will have an opinion about the sound you produce and everyone will tell you how you are supposed to do it. A lot of this career is trial and error. You just have to either be willing to stick with it for years without faltering. Alternatively, find something else to do that doesn’t make you consistently uproot your life and drive you insane at times.

OM: Dreaming is a good thing. What three roles do you see in your immediate future, meaning that they are already in your to-do list, and what roles, looking more ahead, are your dream roles?

TC: The three roles I would love to perform would be Zerbinetta in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Rosalba in Florencia en el Amazonas because I LOVE this opera! And Lucia in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. As far as dream roles are concerned, I would love to someday sing Verdi’s Violetta in La Traviata and Lulu…

OM: Berg’s Lulu! That’s a big challenge!

TC: Also a role that I know I will never sing but is a dream of mine is Strauss’s Salome. It’s definitely not in my repertoire, I just love that opera.

OM: I, too. Lastly, Teresa, what do you do when you’re not preparing a role, getting fitted for a costume, negotiating contracts, studying scores, etc.? Like, what do you do to relax, reduce stress, have fun, be totally lost in a hobby, a streaming series, hugging a pet, your home…

TC: I love playing video games, watching movies/shows, working out, exploring the outdoors, knitting, listening to any other type of music, cooking, reading and I always love going to the spa to help reduce stress. It really just depends on how much time or money I have at that moment.

OM: I wish you the best, Teresa! Thank you again for this interview. I’m happy to have seen you in Nixon in China, and very sorry I’m missing La Sonnambula.

Teatro Nuovo’s production of La Sonnambula is at Kasser Theater at Montclair State University in New Jersey on Sunday, July 10 at 3:00, preceded by a 1:30 serenade and a 2:00 lecture.

On Thursday, July 14 La Sonnambula is performed at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a 6:30 lecture. Tickets are available through the Teatro Nuovo’s website. Don’t miss ‘em!

In the page Regional 2019 2020, midway down, find OperaMetro’s review of the 2019 Nixon in China at the Princeton Festival. I said this about Teresa Castillo’s Madame Mao: ‘Of the Chinese women, Chiang Ch’ing (Madame Mao) is sung with a sweet, high voice by Teresa Castillo. Dynamite! Her big scene at the end of Act II “I am the wife of Mao Tse-Tung” asserts the meaning of the ballet.”

At the bottom of Regional 2019 2020, Ms. Castillo’s photo is posted in the preview piece about Nixon in China. Excellent artist, she!

Best wishes for a great summer! OperaMetro

Interview with Teatro Nuovo’s star basso Hans Tashjian

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of interviewing basso Hans Tashjian (HT), who stars in the title role of Maometto II, in Rossini’s dramatic opera by the same name. We stroll in Central Park, attempting to dodge the joggers, bikers, squirrels, and the frequent patches of intense sunlight…early July, summer in the City, back o’my neck…you get the drift.

OM: Thank you for agreeing to this interview!

HT: My pleasure!

Hans Tashjian sings Maometto II with Teatro Nuovo

OM: You performed as il Podestà in Rossini’s La gazza ladra in Teatro Nuovo’s 2019 season in Purchase and last season you did Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. I was at the 2019 season to review Tancredi but, sadly, missed La gazza ladra. This season you’re performing the title role of Maometto Secondo, composed by Gioachino Rossini. Tell us about the vocal demands of this role, its special challenges, compared to those of other roles in your voice type. What is the most deeply felt emotion for Maometto in the score?

HT: Maometto II is a very demanding role vocally and dramatically. He has a large range that requires ease at the top of the voice and strength at the bottom, and he has a LOT of difficult coloratura. Having now performed seven Rossini operas, I can confidently say Maometto’s coloratura is the most intricate, with small chromatic figures that twist around each other. I feel like this intricacy applies to his dramatic character as well. Maometto is a surprisingly complex character whose strongest emotion is love. I think the conquering and the strength come very naturally to him, but love was a surprise that bowled him over. He is willing to sacrifice more than any other character in the opera in the name of love.

OM: The story of Rossini’s journey with Maometto II from contract to the stage in Naples in 1820 and beyond suggests that it was misunderstood by an audience expecting a score like the more familiar ones.

HT: But Rossini was looking forward. It’s a rewarding challenge.

OM: How do you describe Maometto II? In what aspects was it ahead of its time? In what aspects was it in synch with its time?

HT: Maometto II is a historical drama about Mehmed II which is definitely brimming with intense emotion. I’m impressed with the complexity of the characters and especially the portrayal of this Muslim Ottoman Sultan. As opposed to some of Rossini’s other operas like L’Italiana in Algeri and Il Turco in Italia, which really focus on and make a caricature of the culture clash between westerners and the middle east, Maometto II seems to be more about what unifies the clashing cultures: Loyalty, patriotism, valor, and love most predominantly. Maometto could have been portrayed as the cruel, villainous Sultan subjugating the Italians, but instead he is written as a fierce but magnanimous and passionate ruler inhabiting this gray area between villain and romantic protagonist.

OM: What are the personality characteristics of Maometto, from most prominent to occasionally surfacing, and how does Rossini support these characteristics musically?

HT: Maometto is first and foremost a leader. He is an accomplished military general and shows respect for those he conquers. The actual Mehmed II was known for forbidding his soldiers from destroying enemy cities once they were conquered, and he also was committed to allowing Christians to live side by side with Muslims thereby creating a more cosmopolitan empire. Rossini’s Maometto displays this magnanimity on several occasions, showing a willingness to compromise and change his own mind. He is used to being obeyed, which is why Anna’s hesitance to succumb to her own love and Maometto’s increasingly impressive offerings of love and power makes her seem even more special. This is also why conquering her hesitancy is so necessary to him.

OM: I’m looking forward to it! In a few words, what voice type are you? Was this always so or has your voice changed over time?

HT: I have always called myself a bass. My low range was always there, but I used to struggle with my top. Over the past decade, but especially in the last few years, my high range has really solidified and blossomed to the point where I’m not begrudgingly approaching high notes. Instead, I am adding extra high notes into vocal ornaments and looking at roles I never used to be interested in. Because of this, I plan to rebrand myself as a bass baritone.

OM: What role in the standard repertory is the perfect role for your voice? List a few roles you find absolutely heavenly to sing/perform.

HT: I’ve sung a lot of operas that are not standard repertoire! The first that comes to mind that suited me perfectly was il Podestà in Rossini’s La gazza ladra. Rachmaninoff’s Aleko was a joy to sing, as was King René in Tchiakovsky’s Iolanta…

OM: I love Iolanta!

HT: …and Enrico VIII in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena.

OM: Broader question: Life is a journey…In my profession (which is not in music) I tell my students to look into and assess what to expect in that journey, ask those already in the profession: what are the rewards, what are the costs, the sacrifices, etc. What was your path from a young person who liked to listen to music to an adult who is applauded for his/her performance of music, and not just any music, but that of dramatic bel canto opera? What, along the way, are the big decisions (and also the little decisions), essentially the variables that needed affirmative answers? How about mentors along the way who gave you guidance?

HT: I grew up with a lot of music. I took piano lessons starting when I was five. I was also singing in school choruses and shows and playing trombone in our band and orchestra for the entirety of my K-12 education. Public school is not always receiving a lot of praise, but I’m blown away when I look back at my access to the arts growing up. I had teachers who gave up enormous amounts of time after school and during the summertime to keep us engaged in music and theater. Thank you, Julie Noeson and Kate Cummings! I was a strong student in other subjects too, especially math, but music was always my favorite. When I started thinking about college, I initially thought I’d do music education, but over the course of auditioning and applying for schools, I started to realize I might have what it takes to make it as a performer. I pivoted away from musical theater (which was my only stage experience) because I didn’t see a welcoming home for my low voice with the pop and rock style of most modern musicals, and I jumped somewhat blindly into the world of opera for my undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon. I’m here to tell those who might not know this year that opera is addictive! The magic that happens when the acoustic voice, the rich orchestra, and the heightened emotion slam into you will keep you coming back for another taste. I fell in love with opera in undergrad and I have not looked back.

OM: I, who can’t sing a note, totally agree with the addiction part. I remember the moment when opera entered my soul…I never looked back either.

But are there other decisions facing singers, related to the profession, but not related to the voice or the performance? Looking back from this stage of your career, what variables are most important for newcomers to consider.

HT: I think student debt is the most obvious factor to consider, as the national conversation regarding student loans can tell you. If you can go to school and come out with little to no debt, it will grant you more freedom to hit the pavement and focus on building a career. I’d also say to find a teacher who not only teaches solid technique, but also independence! Learn how to learn music by yourself.

OM: In a sense now you are a mentor for young artists. What advice do you have for young artists who dream of following the path you’ve taken? Is there some “advice” you received from a mentor or colleague that turned out to be misguided or irrelevant?

HT: One of the early pieces of vocal advice I received was from a former teacher who told me, “You don’t have to do anything to your voice to make it sound great except get out of the way. You’re just the delivery man.” That advice has helped me keep my natural sound when I sing and helped me avoid the temptation to darken, round, and create an artificial sound. I still occasionally hear myself and think, “What are you doing, Hans? Get out of the way and just sing.” As a singer who has had a more slow and steady path when it comes to career growth, another piece of advice I used as a mantra in frustrating times was, “If you’re truly talented, they can only ignore you for so long.” As far as misguided advice goes, the thing that sticks out are the numerous people who told me not to bother studying the Russian language or learning Russian roles because “they’ll just hire native Russians to sing all that repertoire.” Well, I have so far sung in five Russian operas and performed heaps of Russian art songs. I am so glad that I did not cut myself off from singing all that gorgeous Russian music at the same level that I perform German, French, Italian, and English vocal music. Young musicians receive tons of advice as they gain experience, and my advice is to take the things that are helpful and productive, and for everything else just smile, say thank you, and let it go.

OM: Dreaming is a good thing. What three roles do you see in your immediate future, meaning that they are already in your to-do list, and what roles, looking more ahead, are your dream roles?

HT: I would love to sing Assur in Rossini’s Semiramide, the four villains in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, and I’d love a non-student crack at Méphistophélès in Gounod’s Faust.  Looking ahead, I have my sights set on Boris Godunov, Attila, Philippe II, and Scarpia, to name a few.

OM: These are tremendous roles! All favorites of mine! Lastly, what do you do when you’re not preparing a role, getting fitted for a costume, negotiating contracts, studying scores, etc.? Like, what do you do to relax, reduce stress, have fun, be totally lost in a hobby, a streaming series, a pet, your home…

HT: I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Cooking is a very meditative act for me, and it helps me calm my brain while also making delicious food. I also enjoy sewing, running, working out, and reading. My fiancé Jeff and I have a lot of plants in our apartment that we take care of, as well as our cuddly black cat, Boris.

OM: Thank you for this, Hans. All the best wishes to a great season for you!

Teatro Nuovo’s production of Maometto II is at Kasser Theater at Montclair State University in New Jersey on Saturday, July 9 at 7:30, preceded by a 6:00 serenade and a 6:30 lecture.

On Wednesday Maometto II is performed at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center at 7:30, preceded by a 6:30 lecture. Tickets are available through the Teatro Nuovo’s website.

Don’t miss Maometto II! And to all, have a lovely summer of great music.

OperaMetro, more to come, stay tuned!

Interview with Ann Toomey who stars in Britten’s Albert Herring at Princeton.

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of interviewing soprano Ann Toomey (AT), who will perform the role of Lady Billows in Benjamin Britten’s opera Albert Herring at the Princeton Festival in mid-June. We gathered together yesterday on the lush campus of Princeton University, pleasant day, sunshine, soft breeze…beautiful, just beautiful!

OM: Very nice of you to consent to this interview!

AT: My pleasure!

OM: Britten’s Albert Herring is a rarely performed opera. Had you performed in Albert Herring as Lady Billows before (or in any other role in the opera)?

AT: This is my first time performing Lady Billows. I had not seen the opera nor studied it before, but I am enjoying myself immensely. It is a wonderful piece!  

OM: How about any of the other Britten operas?

Ann Toomey as Lady Billows in Benjamin Brittens’ Albert Herring at Princeton Festival

AT: Well, parts of them, yes. When the pandemic hit and live opera houses shut down and, consequently, opportunities for live performances dwindled, I and many of my musical friends, other singers, conductors, composers, vocal coaches, etc. would get together via Zoom. It was a way to stay in touch, stay involved in our work, but also a way to stay sane!

OM: We all had to find our own way, for sure!

AT: We’d often go through a score, take it apart and discuss it. We started with Britten’s Peter Grimes. It’s such a powerful opera! I like the way Britten writes for his characters. Ellen Orford is dramatically more complex than Lady Billows, but then Peter Grimes the opera is more emotionally complex. I look forward to performing Ellen Orford some day.

OM: Peter Grimes is one of my favorites. The Princeton Festival staged it back in 2016. I reviewed it. Absolutely first rate! But back to Albert Herring and Lady Billows: what are her strengths or weaknesses?

AT: Lady Billows represents the powerful and rigid culture of the Victorian Era. Albert Herring tells of one manifestation of that culture, namely the celebration of May Day and the crowning of the Queen of the May. Virtue is a prized characteristic, strongly encouraged for young women. But Lady Billows has suspicions, which are made real when, at every suggestion for this year’s Queen by the assembled town committee, Florence Pike, Lady Billows’ housekeeper and ‘advisor,’ comes up with a good reason why the suggestion is a bad one, each time lamenting the fallen morals of the young women in the village.

OM: Florence Pike is a strong presence in Lady Billows’ household.

AT: Absolutely! Billows is of course disappointed, but not really surprised by the corruption. It justifies her righteousness. She’s about to cancel the whole Queen of the May celebration, but Superintendent Budd interrupts to suggest that a King of the May might do…he goes on to name Albert Herring, a virtuous young adult, as the perfect candidate. The Vicar strongly supports this in a little solo about virtue. To her credit, Lady Billows acquiesces. At least someone in the village is virtuous! The show must go on!

OM: Albert’s crowning as King of the May takes place, all well and good, but toward the end of the opera Albert escapes the crushing control of Mum, his mother, drinks a little too much, and just disappears. All are searching for the lad, Lady Billows get hysterical, call in the police! call in the detectives! etc. But all are sad, fearing the worst…until Albert reappears. What is Lady Billows’ reaction?

AT: She is most concerned about her legacy, probably it’s what fueled her efforts all along. But now she finds a drunken King of the May flirting with the girls…scandalous! She is furious! She storms out after hurling a curse at Albert and all the others of his sex; she is followed by the town committee members and Albert’s vicious mother.

OM: I think we’ve given a sufficient introduction to Albert Herring from Lady Billows’ perspective. Tell me, Ann, about your voice, about other recent roles, about your path for the next few years…

AT: Happy to! I’m a soprano. I’m building a resume of roles and performances. Lately I’ve tackled two of Puccini’s roles, Tosca and Suor Angelica, the latter is a big plus in that it was in Berlin and an exciting European debut. The more I study Puccini I very much love how he uses music to communicate both the drama and the emotions of the character. In this way he’s a lot like Benjamin Britten. But I also am attracted to American composers like Carlisle Floyd, specifically Susannah, and Tobias Picker’s Emmeline. Both roles are coming up for me. Susannah this August with Wolf Trap Opera and Emmeline at Tulsa Opera next season in May!

OM: I saw Susanna at the Met years ago; Picker I know from the Met’s premiere staging of An American Tragedy in 2005 but I’m not familiar with Emmeline.

AT: It is a spectacular work! Tobias has an incredible way of orchestrating. His music really stays with you. You must try to see it if you can!

OM: Last question, I promise. You have rehearsal later today. When you are not singing or rehearsing, what do you do to wind down, take a break, chill?

AT: Oh, lots of things. Working in opera means that I’m traveling a lot, which is fine because I get to know exciting new cities and colleagues. Eye-opening, really. I love exploring the outdoors, hiking, camping…together with my family I did this all through my growing up. I really enjoy cooking and baking, trying out new cuisines with friends and family.

OM: Thank you, Ann, for your time, your insights into Lady Billows! I’m wishing you and the other members of the cast a successful set of performances.

Britten’s Albert Herring is performed at the Princeton Festival on Friday, June 17th and Sunday, June 19th. Please go to the Princeton Festival’s website for ticket availability and for information about the many other events at the Festival this season.  

All the best to you, gentle readers. Enjoy Albert Herring…not often one gets the chance to see it! OM

Interview with Joshua Stewart, title role in Albert Herring with Princeton Festival.

Good Tuesday afternoon! OperaMetro (OM) has the privilege of interviewing Joshua Stewart (JS), who sings the title role in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring, which will be performed on Friday, June 17 and Sunday, June 19 at the Princeton Festival in Princeton, NJ. He and I meet in one of the wonderful small luncheonettes off Nassau Street. Cloudy today, might rain…oh well.

OM: Thank you for consenting to this, Joshua.

JS: You’re welcome, a pleasure to chat with you.

OM: I’m eager to introduce you to my readers. Albert Herring is a rarely performed opera, I mean, I heard a radio broadcast of it years ago, but I’ve not seen it staged. Describe your relationship with this work. Had you performed in Albert Herring as Albert before (or in any other role in the opera)?

Joshua Stewart sings the title role of Albert Herring in Britten’s opera.

JS: Actually, Albert Herring is the first opera I ever performed in!

OM: Wow! Now that’s a low probability answer if I ever heard one! Tell me more!

JS: I was a young tenor at a summer program and I was asked to step into the role of the Vicar which is a baritone. I was so nervous about the low notes, but it ended up being just the kind of stretch that would define my career. I later went on the sing the role of the Mayor while I was studying at the Curtis Institute of music. Albert, like many other pieces for tenor, was created for Britten’s life partner Peter Pears.

OM: Yes, certainly. Peter Grimes, Captain Vere, Quint in The Turn of the Screw, Aschenbach…I saw Peter Pears perform on stage twice years ago: Aschenbach in Death in Venice in 1974 and Captain Vere in Billy Budd in 1978, both Metropolitan Opera premieres. His BBC film of Peter Grimes in 1969 is a classic.

JS: Exactly! Let’s just say Britten is an expert of the tenor voice and knows exactly where to place every note.

OM: Are there any unique challenges to Albert?

JS: Albert is a very shy, timid, young guy who is incredibly devoted to his mother and her good wishes for his life. But let’s just say she’s a helicopter mom. Albert is maturing, though, and just wants to live his life and make new experiences. Bam…there’s some conflict brewing. For example, when it’s announced that Albert will become the first King of the May, his Mum is overjoyed, but when he expresses his reservations, he’s shy after all, it pushes Mum to threaten him. She sends him to his room, which starts to push Albert over the edge.

OM: Before this we get a glimpse of the range of his fear of Mum: as Albert is cleaning up in their grocery store, he overhears Sid and Nancy, delightful young persons around his age, who are free to be happy, flirt, kiss, laugh, smile…“courting a girl is the King of all sports” Sid sings…but poor Albert trembles with fear that his Mum will catch him listening to their songs.

JS: Exactly!

OM: But then comes the coronation of the King of the May!

JS: Yes, and Albert is totally overwhelmed by the entire ceremony. Just imagine the entire city celebrating you, making speeches in his honor, singing songs to him, giving gifts. It’s like going viral and suddenly being thrown into the public. It’s a tough day for poor Albert…little does he know that his drink is spiked…

OM: As I recall, Sid provides the rum…

JS: Yes, and that drink primes him to go out to take charge of his life. Albert “pinches” a bike and goes to a pub. The crowd fears the worst, everyone lamenting, until he shows up with a big smile. Lady Billows and the town officials and Mum storm away disgusted…

OM: It’s a coming of age tale!

All right, two more questions: first, what are your current go-to roles (opera), two or three current favorites and maybe a goal, a work in progress?

JS: Hmm…let me think, a lot going on…I’m really enjoying singing different styles from dramatic Rossini roles like Antenore in Zelmira or Otello. Also, I recently sang my first Rodolfo, which fits like a glove. I’m learning that an artist should have a collection of “gloves” of expression.

OM: Interesting.

JS: Also, it’s wonderful to be able to keep my versatility from my jazz background and bring it to the classical world. I think the voice is a remarkably limitless instrument. The boundaries are only in our minds, so I actively remind myself of this and push the limits. As artists it is our duty to continue to push the limits of the genre and not become slaves to tradition. This production will be a beautiful mix of the old and the new.

OM: When you are not singing or rehearsing, what do you do to wind down, take a break, chill?

JS: When I’m not singing or rehearsing, I’m out in nature or working on non-classical musical projects. Some amazing things cooking up.

OM: Wonderful. Always open to the new! Thank you, Joshua, for your answers.

JS: Thank you for including me, it’s truly a pleasure to make my role debut here with the Princeton Festival and marvelous Maestro Milanov.

OM: The Princeton Festival is one of my favorites! Best wishes for the performances! I’m a big fan of English opera, particularly Britten.

Best to you all! OM.

Interview with Richard Gammon, director of Britten’s Albert Herring at Princeton

Opera lovers of Benjamin Britten’s operas, indeed all opera lovers will have a chance to see his chamber comedy Albert Herring at the Princeton Festival in mid-June. OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of talking to Richard Gammon (RG), the director of the production. I caught him on the lovely campus of Princeton University, dashing to a rehearsal; time is of the essence!

OM: Hello Richard! Got a minute?

RG: Hello! Sure!

OM: We can walk and talk if that works.

RG: Sure. Can we press on?

OM: Ok, sure…So you’re directing Britten’s Albert Herring. It’s a rarely performed opera.

RG: Indeed, but a delightful one.

OM: I heard a radio broadcast of the opera years ago and have a recording, which is not to say that I know it well. Had you directed Albert Herring before?

Richard Gammon directs the Princton Festival’s staging of Britten’s Albert Herring

RG: This is my first time directing a full production of Albert Herring, although I have directed scenes from this piece in the past.

OM: Other Britten operas?

RG: It’s also the first time for me to direct a Britten opera.

OM: Outside of Britten, what are your favorite operas to direct?

RG: My favorite operas to direct are typically English language modern and contemporary pieces such as Floyd's Susannah, Laura Kaminsky's As One, and Jack Perla's An American Dream. I'm excited to be working on Philip Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher with Opera Maine later this summer and to premiere a new opera I'm collaborating on with composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Melisa Tien in early 2023.

OM: Exciting list! I’m a fan of Philip Glass and intrigued by The Fall of the House of Usher. From a director’s point of view, what aspects of Albert Herring make it a challenge?

RG: Albert Herring is so challenging but so rewarding! Most important is that each character must possess a clear and definitive backstory. Once those narratives are established the next task is to build the relationships between the characters. And there are so many characters!

OM: Ten plus the three children. And sometimes the back and forth dialog is rapid. I’m interviewing Ann Toomey, who plays Lady Billows in this production. Billows shares the domination of the first scene with Florence Pike. Pike and Billows are interesting characters…almost a team.

RG: Lady Billows and Florence Pike are a team...There is definitely a shared history between them!

OM: I get that. Billows is positively obsessed with choosing a May Queen for the annual festivities, but at each suggestion by the assembled committee, Pike reveals a good reason why each young lady in the village is not suitable for the honor.

RG:  And I must ask, where is Lord Billows?

OM: Right! And then Albert Herring himself. Without a young lady as the May Queen, Superintendent Budd suggests Albert, who’s moral slate has not a scar on it. Interesting that Albert’s behavior is markedly different when he’s alone with his overbearing mother, compared to his behavior in public with Sid and Nancy, same age as he or alone or, more interesting, alone and stewed to the gills by too much drink. I’m interviewing Joshua Stewart, who plays Albert.

RG: Well, Albert is embarking on what will be the biggest adventure of his life. His journey began a while ago- but today is the day when he takes his first step.

OM: For sure. I like the way Eric Crozier and Britten pace Albert’s progress.

Richard, I know you have to run. But I always ask in my interviews: when you are not directing or rehearsing, what do you do to wind down, like, take a break, chill?

RG: Tea. I started my tea journey a few years ago and look forward to furthering my education about historically famous and historic Chinese tea. I am currently diving into the very nuanced world of Wu Yi yan cha.

OM: Thank you Richard for sharing your thoughts. Best wishes on Albert Herring!

RG: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure chatting!

Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring is performed at the Princeton Festival on Friday, June 17 and Sunday, June 19. Tickets for all Princeton Festival performances including Seven Deadly Sins starring Storm Large and the opera double bill range from $10 - $130; ticket packages are $18 and up. Call 609-497-0020 or visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.

For the record, I’m really sorry I’m missing this one. Love Britten’s operas; excellent piece!

All the best, happy spring and summer to all. OM

Troupers Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance in Norwalk

We fans welcome the return to the stage of Troupers Light Opera Company!! It was their 74th year of performing the light operas of William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan (plus one or two notable others). The Gondoliers, scheduled for performance in the spring of 2020 was a victim of the pandemic, I remember setting up the first interviews of the cast already in late January that year…Last year never happened either. But happily, this season they regrouped and were back on stage with the rollicking Pirates of Penzance! Each Troupers production is a labor of love, from sets and costumes, to orchestra, music director and stage director, to board and staff, and of course to the artists, 2022 being no different.

Rachael Anacker as Mabel and Elias Levy as Frederic declare their love for each other in Act I of Pirates of Penzance

As in performances past, this Pirates is a merging of the veteran Troupers with new artists. Making her debut with Troupers, Rachael Anacker as Mabel was both thrilling vocally and sincere dramatically. Mabel is Major General Stanley’s daughter who takes Frederic, a pirate, under her loving wing. Equally so was Elias Levy as Frederic. His youth and pleasing tenor voice made him a perfect match. Bravi! Welcome!

The Major General’s other daughters were wonderfully portrayed: Jennifer Wallace returned to the Troupers to perform Edith, Ayla Shively sang the role of Kate, Mira Singer was Isabel. Other daughters form the Chorus: Maribeth Johnson, Miki Nakahata, Marisa Schafer, and Lea Kessler Shaw.

Veteran Trouper Marian Shulman took on the role of Ruth, commanding the stage with each appearance. Ruth was Frederic’s nursery maid, as we learn in her first song, who apprentices him to a pirate, not a pilot. She is the Pirate Maid of all Work when we meet her.

Jordan Fenster, in his Troupers’ debut, was a sharp Major General Stanley: articulate, humorous, creative and responsive to each situation.

The challenge in staging The Pirates of Penzance is that it calls for two men’s choruses: the Pirates, of course…can’t run a pirate ship without a crew…and the Police, who, by Frederic’s initiative, are summoned to arrest the pirates, who are, let’s face it, criminals. Each group has its leader, but the men in the cast divide themselves in half to fill the two ranks!

Veteran Trouper John Matilaine sang the Pirate King with swagger and panache; Robert Santoli, in his Troupers debut, was an active and resourceful Samual, a key member of the crew. The Sergeant of Police was Bob Scrofani, who spent much of the time fainting, being revived, and recovering. Whether Pirates or Police, the Trouper’s Men’s Chorus consisted of William Abbot, Jim Cooper, Mark Callahan, Aron Hedberg, John Hoover, Bill Kenyon, Jeff Rossman, and Rob Strom.

A creative touch: Aniyah Atwater and London Dazlyn Diaz were dancers during the Major General’s dreamy revery in Act II.     

 Wendy Morgan Hunter direction of the cast emphasized movement among her players, often coordinated, but sometimes creatively at odds. The choruses always moved well with the principals. The tender relationship between Mabel and Frederich was well drawn; the comic characters were indeed humorous. Neil Flores was the Stage Manager.

Eric Kramer, Music Director, led the Troupers’ Orchestra; the Orchestra Manager was Kate Altman.

The sets were designed by Carl Mezoff, Lighting designed by Arnold Feintuck, Costumes are by Lea Kessler Shaw and Marian Shulman. Total team effort.

All in all, it was a welcome return to the stage of the Norwalk Concert Hall. Welcome newcomers to Troupers! Welcome all returning Troupers! On to 2023!!!

Performance date and time: April 9, 2022, matinee at 2:30.

Like H.M.S. Pinafore or The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance is one of the operas that unlocks the door of the Gilbert and Sullivan repertory. At least it was so in my case: Pinafore on TV, Mikado on stage at the City Center, and Pirates on LP, strongly recommended by my dear mother’s boss. It’s a slippery slope! But a happy one!

OM

OperaMetro interviews Jordan Fenster of Troupers’ Pirates of Penzance

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege to chat with Jordan Fenster (JF), who sings the central role of Major-General Stanley in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. The opera will be performed at the Norwalk Concert Hall tomorrow (April 2) at 2:30 and 7:00, to be repeated the following weekend on Saturday, April 9. We’re strolling along the shore, in part to get into a proper pirate mood, but also to welcome the spring weather, such as it’s been these past few days.

OM: Thank you for agreeing to this!

JF: You’re quite welcome!

OM: You’re a newcomer to Gilbert and Sullivan and Troupers

JF: Yes, I am new to operatic performance. I was trained in classical theater years ago but I have not until this point had the opportunity to perform Gilbert and Sullivan for anyone but my dog and daughters.

OM: They count.

JF: I was first introduced to Pirates as a child by my mother and, honestly, it remains one of my favorite pieces of music. It's not only hilarious but the music is stunning.

OM: Interesting! I, too, followed that path as a youngster, my father recorded on our reel-to-reel a TV production of Pinafore, which we watched many times, then my mother, at the urging of her boss, brought a D’Oyly Carte LP set of Pirates home. The Major-General was Peter Pratt, as I recall. Anyway, I was hooked.

Jordan Fenster stars as Major-General Stanley in Troupers The Pirates of Penzance

But now you’re onstage. you’re taking the big leap here starting with the role of Major-General Stanley. As do most of the comic baritone parts in G & S, the Major-General has a patter song, in this case "I am the very model of a modern Major-General." Tell me about the journey from your first introduction to the song (maybe at first hearing...) to your mastery of it, highlights in between.

JF: Everyone knows the speed of the words of this particular patter. It’s what I was amazed by when I first heard the song as a child. But, as I've learned, the song is intricately written

OM: Meaning?

JF: I've had to start at one-10th tempo, just to make sure that I'm getting the tune correct (and for some reason I'm still having trouble getting the A flat on the second line of the first verse).

OM: And the lyrics?

JF: Oh my, from a lyrical perspective it's literally dripping with irony. The whole song is a condemnation of the Major-General's class, and sets up the subtle social commentary that is the basis for the whole show. It's a challenge, and I hope I am up to it. 

OM: I asked this question when I talked to Wendy:* As members of the audience we have the freedom to laugh at Gilbert's absolutely absurd lines or dialogue, but you on the stage must deliver these as if they are dead serious. As a performer, what secrets do you have to avoid breaking character and laughing at your lines or the lines of another character?

JF: I spend a lot of time thinking about the character, believe it or not. How would Major-General Stanley react to this or that? It may be comedy, it may be operetta, it may be lighthearted silliness but the character still needs an internal life. Let the character inhabit your body and you'll react with authenticity. I'm hoping to be the one who makes the other actors break and, during rehearsal, I pay a lot of attention to what makes the cast and crew laugh (Wendy in particular). If they laugh out loud at something I've done or said, I will try to replicate that. Likewise, I try to laugh at everyone else's jokes to give them the same feedback. 
OM: Apart from the patter song in Act One, what other scenes or interchanges in Pirates between a character and the MG do you find particularly amusing?

JF: Well, the whole orphan/often interchange is hilarious and something out of Abbott and Costello. But I particularly love the exchange between Fred and the major in his "ancestral" chapel. It turns out (shocking!) that the major general bought his baronial estate and has no real lineage to speak of. But he still takes pride in it as if he was descended from lords. He calls himself a "descendant by purchase," which is just uproariously funny. This makes the realization at the end of the show that the pirates are, in fact, peers of the realm so much more biting. The major is new money but the pirates are noblemen? Scandalous!

OM: I love every part of Pirates, so to say ‘one of my favorites…’ is making an unnecessary distinction. But in the second act the Major-General sings "Sighing softly to the river...", which is not a comic number, apart from the fact that the Pirates are listening on the one side and the Police are listening on the other. It broadens Major-General's character. As the one singing, do you find shifting gears tricky?

JF: This song has caused me some consternation. I struggle with why the Major-General sings it at all. Shifting gears from patter to ballad is not the hard part, but rather I've found it difficult to understand the reasoning behind the song. Wendy, though, has used it as a way to amp up the tension and comedy, getting the pirates and police to creep behind and around him as he dreams about the breeze being a tease.

OM: I remember reading that the George Grossmith, for whom the role was written, had a less than stellar baritone voice, often frustrating Sullivan. Apparently Sullivan decided to make Grossmith ‘stretch’ a bit. It’s a pleasant number.

Moving on, though, I feel strongly that the Gilbert and Sullivan operas are really important artistic creations, yet they contain some stereotypes that are offensive to modern ears. Your thoughts?

JF: The show could easily be considered out-of-date. The major is happy to marry off his daughters to lords, and the pirates attempt to marry the women "against their wills." At its heart, though, the show is satire, a condemnation of the British caste system, of a societal structure we can appreciate in 2022. Do we not give status to the wealthy and highborn in the United States of today, simply because of the circumstances of their birth? The fact that the Major-General is more than willing to forgive the pirates and offer up his daughters merely because they turn out to be lords can (and I think should) be taken as satire and sarcasm. The show was wildly popular when it premiered I think because audiences then understood that it was a subtle ridicule and rebuke.  

OM: As are most Gilbert and Sullivan operas…look at the plot of H.M.S. Pinafore or Iolanthe to name two.

It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, Jordan!

Best wishes to you, please extend my best wished to the others in the cast, crew and staff!

To repeat: Troupers Light Opera will be presenting that perennial Gilbert and Sullivan favorite, The Pirates of Penzance on two Saturdays, April 2nd and 9th at 2:30 and 7:00 pm.  For tickets and information go to Trouperslightopera.org.

Troupers to perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance in Norwalk

The Troupers, Fairfield County’s resident Gilbert and Sullivan company, will perform The Pirates of Penzance at the Norwalk Concert Hall on April 2 and April 9, matinees 2:30 and evening performances at 7:00 on each Saturday.

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of interviewing Wendy Morgan-Hunter (WMH), who is the Director for this performance. We’re talking on a warm sunny day in Connecticut, spring is approaching!

OM: Thank you, Wendy, for this interview!

WMH: You’re welcome!

OM: Always curious about one’s road to the Gilbert and Sullivan repertory. What was your road in?

WMH: I believe I first met G & S singing with my parents.  I remember that Pirates score sitting on my mom’s piano so well!  My mom Kay Morgan is a pianist and singer and my aircraft designer father Ray Morgan plays drums and banjo.  We had family sing-alongs with my younger sister Cheryl and me for all my formative years, and my folks and I still do so whenever I get back home in California.  As my own 3 children grew and became musicians themselves, we carried on the tradition of making music together.

Major General Stanley (Jordan Fenster) and his admiring daughters in The Pirates of Penzance

OM: Have you directed The Pirates of Penzance before?

WMH: I have not directed this opera before, but I am very happy to be doing so this season.

I have mostly stage directed and music directed musicals – over 40 of them and many, many concerts of all types.   Most recent are staged concert versions of My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls with the New Haven Symphony, a new opera Jack and Jill and the Happening Hill with Stonington Opera, and a reading for a new musical with book written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Madeleine Blais and starring Oscar winner Mercedes Ruehl.

OM: Quite a diverse background!

WMH: Jack and Jill and the Happening Hill inspired me to found Sweet T Productions. With Sweet T we have branched into film – a necessary step during Covid- my production partner Chris Bolan directed A Season of Love seen on Netflix, and we are currently working on several new exciting projects for film and streaming. I was a producer on the Tony nominated A Sound Inside starring Mary Louise Parker, who won the Tony for her starring role, and the tour of Jitney directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson.

OM: I have to ask this…a member of the audience I have the freedom to laugh at Gilbert's prose, but part of that laughter is because often absolutely absurd lines or dialogue are delivered as if they are dead serious. As a director, what secrets do you give to your players to avoid breaking character and laughing at his or her own lines or the lines of another character?

WMH: I haven’t had too much trouble with giggles or guffaws from the text from my players, only from myself when they hit the nail on the head!  I’ve a singer’s laugh which can be distracting, but it is also one of the cues I use to know a part of a scene is effective:  If I’ve got chills, tears, or can’t contain my joy, I know the audience will enjoy it as well!

OM: Though most of any G & S opera is lighthearted and amusing, there are short stretches of action or song that are sincere and touching. Pirates has a few. In what ways do you have the characters usher in these moments? Do you find shifting gears to from silly to sincere a tricky thing to pull off?

WMH: Such a great question! This is why I believe this opera has stood the test of time!  It is filled with nuances! You literally laugh and cry. I’ve been thrilled to find my cast is good with these shifts and nuances, but I am definitely enjoying guiding them through the journey of silliness one moment, love and admiration the next, and a sense of duty.  Duty is Frederic and Mabel’s interfering mistress in this work!

OM: Showing a strong bias here, but I think Pirates is in the top four of the G & S repertory. What scenes or interchanges in Pirates between characters or between the stage and the audience do you find particularly amusing or touching?

WMH: I would take it a step further and say I believe Pirates is the best of G & S!

OM: I, too, agree!!

WMH: As parents of three grown children who all returned to our home state of California pre-Covid, my husband and I have missed them terribly, and the notion of the Major General’s struggles with letting go of his wards and their concern for his well-being and happiness in return, I find very touching.

OM: I can relate, having two daughters of my own.

WMH: I also enjoy Ruth’s confusion with Frederic: is he still her charge, or should he be her beau? And the idea that an entire band of pirates could be swayed by anyone who calls “Uncle” – I mean  “Orphan”- is just too, too!

OM: What drives you to be involved with the arts? Why do you do what you do?

WMH: My passion and my skill are to help others find their voice.  I do this through directing, producing, conducting choirs and in the pit on occasion, and through teaching voice.  I also sing! 

OM: I feel strongly that the G & S operas are really important artistic creations, treasures, even. Yet they contain some stereotypes that might be offensive to modern ears. Your thoughts?

WMH: We’ve tried to tread lightly in this area and be as respectful as possible.  With this work I’m trying to tread lightly with regards to the treatment of women.  Pirates grabbing young women, Mabel and her sisters being handed off to whomever their caretaker deems suitable? Ruth being tossed back and forth? My take with this opera is it is really about strong women! Ruth and Mabel actually have control, albeit less overt, over their outcomes. In the end, Ruth consents to let Frederic go to Mabel, and chooses her own beau. That is my update to the work!

OM: I completely agree. Important perspectives on the characters. Thank you so much for your insights and background and your work with Troupers! We look forward to The Pirates of Penzance!  

To repeat: Troupers Light Opera will be presenting that perennial Gilbert and Sullivan favorite, The Pirates of Penzance on two Saturdays, April 2nd and 9th at 2:30 and 7:00 pm.  For tickets and information go to Trouperslightopera.org.

All the best, OM

Interview with Will Crutchfield of Teatro Nuovo

OperaMetro had the privilege to connect again with Maestro Will Crutchfield, whose Teatro Nuovo will perform Rossini’s immortal Il barbiere di Siviglia in later this month in New York City. Keeping with Covid protocol, even though fully vaccinated, we opted to do this interview on paper, not face to face. Any seeming departures from this format are only for flow.

OperaMetro (OM): It’s indeed a pleasure to be chatting again, Will.

Will Crutchfied (WC): Indeed.

OM: It’s been a rough road to travel since we last talked in the summer of 2019. There have been restrictions for gatherings and contact forced on us by the virus. What were your strategies to keep Teatro Nuovo alive and well during these dark days? Which aspects of training, teaching, coaching, etc. were most affected and how did you adjust?

WC: We have been adjusting since Day One of the pandemic. First and foremost, a year ago we raised money to pay our singers and players 50% of their expected salary for the canceled 2020 season.  We launched an intensive series of webinars, 53 in all, for the musicians who should have been in our training program that year. We also began employing them for a series of videos of rare Italian songs and chamber music.  Thirty-one have been published so far, with many more in the pipeline or in planning.

Will Crutchfield, maestro al cembalo and Jakob Lehmann First Violin and Conductor of the Orchestra

OM: But this summer Teatro Nuovo is back on stage, si?

WC: Yes, for our 2021 season, we had seven fully developed and vetted budgets ready back in January, so as to be ready for whatever the circumstances could allow in the summer. This was crucial, and it's the main reason we are the ones to bring New York its first full-length opera performances since the shutdown.  We were ready for everything, ranging from a return to indoor performances in totally normal style to abridged versions with a few singers and string quintet accompaniment. And for everything in between. 

OM: But, as announced, you’re actually doing a little of both.

WC: Yes. It turned out we couldn't go back indoors yet, but we have the second-best scenario: outdoor performances with full orchestra, soloists, and chorus.  We also did not attempt to run our usual training program, but almost all our participants are returning artists who have been through it before.  Next year it will be back bigger than ever.  

OM: You're doing Il barbiere di siviglia. Apart from its wonderful score and characters, hence its popularity, what reasons guided your choice?

WC: Three things.  First, a performance in the park on a summer evening is not the place for introducing our usual rarities. It's the place for celebrating a familiar score.  Second, the soloists we hired for Rossini’s Maometto Secondo made a great Barbiere cast. And third, Barbiere is an opera of pure joy, and we are all joyful to be getting back to work.  

OM: You're a Rossini scholar as well as a wonderful force in the orchestra pit. Why is Barbiere so popular, compared, say, to La gazza ladra? 

WC: La gazza ladra is great, but it is very difficult and complex, and it mixes comic and tragic elements in a way that does not automatically fall into place.  So it will always remain an opera for a special occasion.  Barbiere, on the other hand, is an opera for every season. Verdi said it best: "for comic verve, real musical ideas, and truth of declamation, Il barbiere is the most beautiful comic opera in existence." 

OM: No contest. Your mission with Teatro Nuovo (correct me if I am wrong) is to return to the instruments, the tuning and balance of these instruments in the orchestra, the playing and singing styles of the early 19th century, maybe before. What aspects of Barbiere should the audience be listening to so the impact of your mission more clearly resonates?

WC: I don't think they have to listen for anything in particular. If they know the opera already, it will be very clear how different our interpretation is. If they don't know it already, our job is to introduce them to its delights, and I think we will. Our approach is the same as it is for reviving an unknown work: read the piece attentively to see what is in it, and let that be the starting point for our imaginations. Barbiere comes with a lot of traditions - traditional vocal casting, traditional jokes, traditional ornaments.  We are pretending none of that ever happened, and trying to read the opera as though it was just discovered.  Meanwhile the flavor and tone-colors of the original instruments will speak for themselves - we are just two days into rehearsal and already I am hearing gorgeous things I have always hoped to hear in Barbiere - and still others that I didn't even expect.

OM: Lastly, if you have two casts (or more), who are the artists, which performances (dates, times) and, if important, are there differences in their voices that relate to differences in the way you approach Barbiere on a given night? 

WC: Just one cast. Rosina, Almaviva, and Figaro are Hannah Ludwig, Nicholas Simpson, and Hans Tashjian, who were originally supposed to be in Maometto Secondo.  Basilio is Daniel Fridley, who was noticed by everyone in our Rossini Stabat Mater in 2019.  Berta and Bartolo are Alina Tamborini and Scott Purcell, who would have sung in Il vero omaggio last year. All six are big-voiced, high-energy singers - this will not be a "lite" Barbiere. I'm very much looking forward to that aspect a lot.

OM: Thank you, Will! My best wishes for successful performances!

Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini will be presented on the stage of Damrosch Park, at Lincoln Center, on Tuesday, July 27th July at 7pm and Wednesday, July 28th at 7pm. We have also reserved Thursday, July 29th as a rain date.

The following links will take you to the Lincoln Center Box Office.

TICKETS:

July 27th, 2021 at 7pm:
https://tickets.lincolncenter.org/booking/production/bestavailable/22482

July 28th, 2021 at 7pm:
https://tickets.lincolncenter.org/booking/production/bestavailable/22483

You can also book your tickets by calling the Lincoln Center Box Office at (212) 721-6500

Enjoy!! Support local Opera!

OM

The Princeton Festival offers Opera by Twilight on two Sundays, June 13 and June 20

OperaMetro (OM) had the privilege of interviewing two talented vocal artists who are to perform in Princeton Festival’s Opera By Twilight on the first Sunday, June 13. Tenor John Viscardi (JV) and Mezzo Soprano Janara Kellerman (JK) sat with me for a delightful couple of hours under the shade of the great trees on the campus of Princeton University.*

OM: Thank for agreeing to this and taking time out of rehearsals!

JV & JK: Thank you for asking us!

OM: We’ll get to the matter of musicians, stage performers riding out the Covid months, but first I’ll say to my readers that one of the reasons I like to interview singers is so we on the outskirts get an idea of their journeys. They are between the time of trying on the new suit of ‘opera singer’ and the time when it clearly fits, when it suits them, though maybe after an alteration or two along the way. I start by asking when the notion of singing opera as a career become a real and ever present desire.

Janara Kellerman sings at Princeton Festival June 13

JK: For me, it happened when I attended a summer opera camp at Simpson College after high school. I had a naturally larger voice and my high school music teacher encouraged me to explore opera. I had at that time no clear idea what opera was but after the week at this camp I was in love and had no doubt opera was where I belonged.

OM: John?

JV: When I was 16 years old, I went with my high school choir to see La Bohème at the Met. It was love at first sight. I knew I wanted to be an opera singer after that performance.

OM: Hmmm…I’ve been to La Bohème more times than I can count, really love it, but the thought of being an opera singer never occurred to me. You both must have had some inclinations earlier.

JV: Yes, I started taking voice lessons when I was 13 and knew early on that classical music was something I was very interested in. I enjoyed singing back then, but this performance, where it all came together, lit up the path to a career.

John Viscardi performs at Princeton Festival Sunday June 13

JK: Likewise. I played piano starting at age 6, was first chair clarinet through high school, sang in the chorus…so I was always the kid who loved music. But through my singing in opera I was able to fully explore performing on stage, playing different characters, learning new and wonderful music. It was exciting to find a field that utilizes all the years of music study and also allows me to sing. I love to sing!

OM: Did you have a similar experience of the opera performance that lights up the path?

JK: Actually, yes: that opera camp was on the campus affiliated with Des Moines Metro Opera so that same summer I went to my first opera. It was Carmen with a fantastic mezzo-soprano Gwen Jones singing the title role. I was mesmerized by her, by the music, by the production, by ALL OF IT! There was no turning back for me. I’ve seen a lot of opera since then, but that performance is forever engrained in my memory and absolutely the turning point for my choice to pursue this career.

OM: You’re singing the final duet from Carmen with John on June 13!

JK: Yes, I’m very much looking forward to this!

OM: Curious, isn’t it, that one’s soul seems to open up and embrace the experience of a great opera, eventually forming a love relationship with it. Destiny, maybe? Though I had some early pleasant teasers, a performance of Götterdämmerung at the Met in my junior year of high school, followed later that season by back to back performances of Otello and Falstaff …it was like quicksand. Götterdämmerung put me into another emotional zone completely. The rest is history. As to that, are there legendary voices that strike your fancy?

JV: Franco Corelli and Mario Del Monaco are the most thrilling voices I have ever heard.

JK: Anything by Elena Obraztsova, Fiorenza Cossotto, or Tatiana Troyanos: They all had voices with considerable size but they always remained flexible and sang a variety of repertoire. These are the women who inspire me. For me they are legends of the Mezzo Soprano category.

Also the final scene in Bellini’s Norma always brings tears to my eyes. The Maria Callas, Franco Corelli recording is heartbreaking! And honestly for me, as much as I love Verismo opera, with its full, rich, luscious, highly emotional music, it has always been the beauty of bel canto that tugs at my heart strings. The caveat with bel canto is the voice has to be exceptional to pull this music off. There is no hiding behind the orchestra! But when it works, the payoff is immense. Verdi works also.

OM: No contest on these! Del Monaco is the only one of the above I did not see in performance at the Met, but those who saw him were awed by his voice and his intensity. Switching gears, along the way there are always support systems behind the scenes for the singer on stage. Tell our readers a bit about this.

JV: I credit my first voice teacher, Mark Van Schenkhof with providing me the inspiration to become an opera singer. He lit the initial spark of interest that eventually developed into a burning desire to sing opera. I am fortunate to have many individuals in my life who have supported me on this journey; it was this support that motivated me to found ArtSmart with my friend and colleague Michael Fabiano.

ArtSmart provides mentorship through music to middle and high school aged students in underserved communities around the country. We pay professional artists so that they can provide that kind of support to students who otherwise couldn’t afford it. Next year, our 40 mentors will work with about 400 students in eight cities across the country, once a week for the entire school year.

In my life, my wife, Molly has been a constant source of inspiration, enthusiasm, and stability. My parents continue to be unflappable cheerleaders--supporting me the entire way. As for coaches and teachers, Bill Schuman and Donata D’Annunzio Lombardi helped me develop my voice into what it is today and continue to provide me with spectacular guidance and wisdom. I’ve also had the good fortune of being able to work with phenomenal coaches. Some of the most significant coaching relationships in my life are with Glenn Morton, Luke Housner, Audrey Saint-Gil, Kyle Naig and the late Ghena Meirson. The guidance and support I received from my mentors helped me become the person I am today.

JK: The support the behind-the-scenes team provides is so important! When I was younger it seemed virtually everyone I met in the music business would say stuff like, “Opera singer? If there is anything else you love to do, then do it.” I understand their point: this is not an easy journey, it’s full of tremendous ups and downs! But to me it is all worth it. Opera and performing is part of who I am and it will always be so. Why would I want to travel down any other road?

OM: Passionate in the pursuit of it, passionate in the moment. Let’s talk about the impact of Covid19 on your lives as artists whose goal is a live performance to a live audience.

JK: OMG! It was absolutely the strangest year of my life. Never would I, just like all of us, think there could be something that could completely shut down the arts. Wars, plagues, nothing in our lifetime had done this previously. Seeing the notifications come in of one canceled contract after another was devastating. For all of us.

I decided early on to take advantage of the time that was suddenly available to do a lot of personal work. There were big changes happening in my life so honestly, as horrible as this last year was, I did come out of it with tremendous personal growth. I exercised, dropped a lot of weight, explored and learned new music, and now I am absolutely ready to forge full steam ahead! Yes, I was unable to perform in live opera productions, but one of my great joys is also to perform songs in recital. So intimate, so up close and personal with the audience! I honored an elderly man who, sadly, did not have long to live on this earth but he was always a huge supporter and fan of mine. He introduced me to Chere Nuit, French songs by Bachelet which I performed for him in a recital I quickly put together. I love these! I now program on almost every recital. These can be found on YouTube** You asked for links: https://youtu.be/ekxJEdNq-Wo  and  https://youtu.be/gDdIrfX4XjU . And here is a clip of Ne me refuse pas from Act I of Massenet’s Hérodiade, in which Hérodiade tries to rekindle Hérode’s love for her. It’s a beautiful, rare gem that I was so fortunate to perform the title role in concert. https://youtu.be/o3-rEfsT5iI .

OM: Wonderful piece! Massenet is on the admittedly long, crowded top shelf of opera composers. An aria I think you’d enjoy singing is Sapho’s Où suis-je?...Ô ma lyre immortelle from the final scene of Gounod’s first opera Sapho, written for (and supported by) the great Pauline Viardot in 1851. John?

JV: The pandemic came at a very sensitive time in my career, the moment when I began to transition from baritone to tenor. I was just about to begin bringing this new repertoire out into the world when lockdown began. It was phenomenally difficult to not perform but I never gave up--I double downed on my practice, singing every day.  I focused my energy on my family, ArtSmart, and my students (besides running ArtSmart, I personally mentor six students in Chicago and keep a small private studio).  I also began a project to film six music videos to accompany Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel. The first two, The Vagabond and Let Beauty Awake can be found on YouTube.**

OM: You said ‘from baritone to tenor’?

JV: It’s a long story. There has always been a question whether I’m a baritone or tenor. In high school, I was advised to choose tenor. I went through NYU and AVA basically singing the leggero tenor rep. But my voice felt cut off and tight. Something wasn’t right. Then I met Donata D’Annunzio Lombardi who helped me discover a lower chest resonance, something I never knew existed in my body. Now with good low notes, I decided to leave the tenor rep behind, sing the baritone repertory…but I always set my sights on the day when I would be able to bring this lower, chest resonant voice up into the tenor repertoire. That day has come! It’s been a long but incredibly exciting road. 

OM: Wow! Best wishes! So let’s talk the future. John, what’s next?

JV: Having just transitioned to tenor, the landscape of opportunity is beautiful and open. My first roles are Cavaradossi in Tosca, Don Jose in Carmen, Macduff in Macbeth and Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana. When I can sing these roles with consistency and presence, I’ll begin exploring the more dramatic repertoire.

OM: You’re singing La fleur que tu m’avais jetée from Act II of Carmen for Opera at Twilight on the 13th.

JV: Yes, and then the great final duet, also from Carmen, with Janara.

OM: Dream roles?

JV: Rodolfo in Bohème is a major goal for me for obvious reasons. To sing it, you need great high notes, in particular a glorious high C. I am working on it every day. After that it is Radames in Aïda.

OM: Janara, what’s next for on the horizon for you?

AK: I’m a Mezzo-Soprano, I’ve always had a large instrument with a lot of voice. From a young age people were always wanting to push me in the dramatic mezzo repertoire of like Verdi and Wagner. I have tackled Amneris and Azucena, both of which I absolutely love to sing. These roles really fit my voice well. I have yet to sing a full Wagner role in production so that is probably my next hurdle to conquer. It’s time now. I’m older, wiser, I can intellectually connect to the music and the story of his immense works.

But I maintain and will always maintain that even with a more dramatic instrument I will never abandon the bel canto repertoire. My voice has agilita and as long as people will want to hear a bigger voice in this repertoire I will continue to sing it. I have my first Rosina from the Barber of Seville this summer and I cannot wait!

OM: Congratulations! You’re singing Rosina’s aria from Barber on the 13th! Dream roles?

AK:  Without a doubt Eboli of Don Carlos, Venus in Tannhäuser...the big girl roles. And, of course, I’ll know I made it when I have successfully sung in Europe. Always my dream. I have not had the opportunity to explore that avenue so I am very eager to get over there and see what it may hold.

OM: Wonderful. Both operas were among my very first seasons at the Met. Wonderful.

I thank you both for your sharing with me parts of your past, present and future. All best wishes for Opera By Twilight at the Princeton Festival on Sunday, June 13 at 8.

The Princeton Festival’s Opera By Twilight is performed on June 13 and June 20 in person and broadcast live from Princeton’s elegant Morven Museum and Garden. For more information, tickets, and parking, please visit the Princeton Festival’s website.

On the evening of June 13, our artists interviewed above, tenor John Viscardi is performing also De’miei bollenti spiriti from Verdi’s La Traviata and also the Act I duet from La Bohème O soave fanciulla with soprano Meroë Khalia Adeeb, who also sings Je dis que rien ne m’épouvnate from Carmen. Brian Major, baritone, sings The Toreador Song from Carmen, Pura siccome un angelo from La Traviata, and Eri tu from Verdi’s Un ballo in Maschera. Julia Pen Ying Hanna is at the Piano.

Artists and repertory for the second evening of Opera By Twilight on Sunday, June 20 are listed at the Princeton Festival’s website, as well as ticket information, directions, and parking. Performers on the 20th are Alexandra Batsios, soprano; Krysty Swann, mezzo-soprano; Michael Kuhn, tenor; and Stephen Gaertner, baritone; Julia Pen Ying Hanna is at the Piano; selections are from operas by Mozart, Lehár, Delibes, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, Cilèa, and Weill.

But wait, there’s more! Opera related lectures begin on Friday, June 11, each beginning at 7 p.m. These are:

What the Opera Meant to Paris in the 19th Century (Friday, June 11), Princeton Art Museum docent Marianne Grey will trace the influence of opera through artists such as Manet, Renoir, and Pissarro

Rutgers music professor and regular festival lecturer Timothy Urban explores Wine, Women, and Song in Opera on Monday, June 14.

Harold Kuskin, opera expert, Overture series lecturer, and former Metropolitan Opera backstage tour guide, surveys Expressions of Love in Opera on Tuesday, June 15.

Finally, Stuart Holt, Director of School Programs and Community Engagement for the Metropolitan Opera, compares two leading forms of music theater in Opera or Musical? – The Fine Line that Divides Them on Wednesday, June 17.

The Princeton Festival rocks!

Enjoy! OM.

• * Actually, we did not do this live on the campus of Princeton University, delightful as that would have been. Anara and John submitted written responses to my queries. What you are reading are their words, though I edited their responses, condensed some things, inserted some words by me, then ran out of room for their answers to two questions. Princeton University is a very special place for me: it was the closest larger town to my home town (Hightstown, NJ). A dear high school friend went there; I had many wonderful experiences over the years, lately attending the Princeton Festival!

• John Viscardi performed in Princeton Festival’s John Adam’s Nixon in China in 2019 as Chou En Lai. OM remarked that “John Viscardi maintained Chou’s gravity, his serious bearing and his pride throughout the opera. Compared to the others Chou is far less prone to bravado and bragging, more to reflection.” Viscardi (then a baritone) was the “emotional center” of the Chinese side of Nixon. Anara Kellerman performed in Princeton Festival’s Madama Butterfly in 2018 as Suzuki. OM did not review this.

• Important Note to My Readers: the YouTube information or titles provided by Anara and John are accurate, but the method of making their recordings available on my site has changed since OM’s last post nearly a year ago. It does not seem to cooperate…I will master this all in good time…but not by my deadline of today.