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.

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