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.