Opera Philadelphia’s Soldier Songs: Who is this opera for?

First, it’s a movie, not a recording of a staged performance.  The plot of Soldier Songs by Daniel T. Little revolves around the perceptions versus the reality of a soldier’s life at different stages - as a child with toy soldiers, a teenager playing war video games, an eager military recruit, a soldier in battle, and a father receiving dreaded news.  Technically, it is a monodrama, only one performer.  But first, a preamble: 

Let us begin with the last paragraph of the Composer’s Note, and keep in mind my question, who is this opera for?

 “I am often asked if Soldier Songs is an anti-war piece, but it’s not that simple. I never intended for it to prove a point, or even to deliver a specific message. I selected and edited these conversations more as a way of sharing than as a way of convincing. I hope that Soldier Songs conveys what I gained by writing it: recognition of the soldier’s plight and a due measure of compassion.”

The Soldier walks along the ridge line in the opening scene from Soldier Songs, filmed on location at Brandwine Conservancy, scene of a bloody battle in the Revolutionary War. Photo by FreshFly; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Regardless of why, do not enter this experience lightly.  Opera Philadelphia’s is the second production of this opera that I have seen recently.  I also watched Pittsburgh Opera’s excellent production in December.  That performance was a filmed stage production, not a movie.  Its showing was planned to be before a live, masked, socially-distanced audience; then, at almost showtime, the post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge across the country forced PO to instead show a filmed recording of the dress rehearsal.  Despite being an excellent production with impressive multimedia effects and an outstanding performance by baritone Yazid Gray, I chose not to write about it at that time for personal reasons.  First, my generation can be divided into two groups, those who served in Vietnam and those who did not.  I did not…but lived with the fear I might be called, and daily lived with the war’s effects on my family members who did.  We all lived through the daily images on television and the public turmoil engendered by the war, and Vietnam vets often took the brunt of that turmoil after returning home from an unpopular war; they were stigmatized by many when they should have been honored for having served their country.  That’s so yesterday, you say?  Opera Philadelphia points out that anyone who just reached age 20 is yet to live in a time when the United States is not at war.  Yes, Soldier Songs pushed some of my buttons, and it will likely do so for others as well. 

Another personal reason for me was a timing issue; it was holiday season.  Soldier Songs is dark and heavy, imparting to its audience, in measure, an hour’s worth of the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) experience, and in December just past, having fought pandemic depression for nine months, I wanted to sing Jingle Bells and decorate the tree, not write about the awful pain and cultural issues surrounding the human cost of war.  With all respect to Pittsburgh Opera and Mr. Gray, I just couldn’t do it.  But Christmas is over, and vaccines are being given; hopefully, the end of the pandemic is near.  Thus, now I can again deal with this topic.  Besides, war and its toll on our young men and women, and their families, and our national psyche continues, as it always has.  Unfortunately, writing about Soldier Songs will likely be ever timely.

Baritone Johnathan McCullough as the Soldier. Photo by FreshFly; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

My experience with veterans is consistent with Composer Little’s.  Mostly, those who served in Vietnam would not talk about it, and their opinions about the war were not to be challenged in their presence; their feelings were too raw.  They felt that we cannot know what it was like without having gone through it; this I do not contest, but I think Soldier Songs helps.  The themes of estrangement, isolation and loneliness are always present in the drama along with more serious issues of mental health deterioration. Composer Little’s opera can claim some moral authority in this regard; it is filled with soldier’s comments from his interviews with U.S. veterans of wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and World War II. 

Still, I wondered what comments veterans who saw his opera might have made.  I inquired of OP whether any reviews were available from critics who were themselves combat veterans.  No luck there, but I was pointed to articles about the 2016 San Diego Opera production of Solider Songs that included meetings the company held with veterans support groups.  The articles further speak to the authenticity of Mr. Little’s opera.  That production, which premiered on Veterans Day, was directed by Tomer Zvulun, who is a combat veteran; he also directed the opera that year for his home company, Atlanta Opera.  One of the articles quotes a veteran who lost both legs in Iraq; he expressed his appreciation for SDO’s attempt to connect with veterans: “When it comes to the extremes of combat – life and death situations – it’s very difficult to find someone who you can have an honest conversation with," he said. "Where you can talk and be heard and not judged. And be understood.”

Let me end this preamble with a postscript.  Soldier Songs should come with a warning label and a follow up exit check.  Opera Philadelphia offers both with an introduction by Rene Fleming in a film clip labeled “Soldier Songs: The Impact of Military Life”.  This group of interviews with veterans is interspersed with comments from a health professional giving a medical perspective on the impact of war on the mental health of soldiers; resources for veterans are listed at the end.

The Soldier (Johnathan McCullough) outside and inside his isolated trailer. Photos by Dominic M. Mercier, courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Soldier Songs is a cultural experience provided by a work of art.  Daniel T. Little is both the composer and librettist.  He is also a percussionist, and his “opera” blends music of different styles in minimalist fashion that is both engaging and fitting of the story, so much so that sometimes I listened consciously to the remarkable music and sometimes it simply became part of the telling for me.  The part I heard consciously fit the mood, which was frequently mental turmoil, often disturbed.  The music played by seven instrumentalists was overseen and coordinated by Opera Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Corrado Rovaris.  Baritone Johnathan McCullough sang to recordings prepared by Mr. Rovaris while the scenes were being filmed.  In all the preparations and production of the opera, pandemic cautions and restrictions were observed.

The instigator, sole singer, and director of this movie version of Soldier Songs is Mr. McCullough, a singer who gave early notice of his arrival to opera fans in the mid-Atlantic from his work with Curtis School of Music, Opera Philadelphia Young Artist Program, and Wolf Trap Opera Filene Artists.  I have seen him previously in performances with Wolf Trap Opera.  In my blog report on his performance as Figaro in The Barber of Seville, I advised readers to note the spelling of his first name, that they would want to remember him.  Though his talent as a singer and stage performer was in evidence in those performances, one could not have predicted the depth of his theatrical abilities or his creative drive which are so amply demonstrated in Solider Songs.  Clearly, this work further establishes him as a rising star in opera roles, and might lead him to purely acting roles well.

The Soldier (Johnathan McCullough) in his trailer having a flashback to his 18th birthday when he enlisted in the military and in a tank driving simulation. Photos by FreshFly; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Mr. McCullough approached Opera Philadelphia with this project based on an idea he had before the pandemic began, but then it gained urgency as a work well suited for a time when on screen viewing is all that is possible; OP helped him acquire funding and added it to the Opera Philadelphia Channel lineup where it will remain available on demand until May.  In his Director’s Note, he expresses heartfelt concern for veterans suffering mental issues and an awareness of what they are dealing with: “Sometimes this goes a step further and people can enter a dissociative state where they lose touch with reality and may feel as if they are watching their life play out as if it were a movie,” and he adds to the intended audience question with, “I can tell their stories and hopefully de-stigmatize what it is like to live with mental health issues while spreading awareness of this silent condition.”

Mr. McCullough served as screenwriter along with producer James Darrah (I loved Mr. Darrah’s Semele in OP’s 2019 Festival).  This team worked with Director of Photography Philip Bradshaw to produce a version of Soldier Songs that is enhanced by cinematic techniques – use of natural scenery, the ability to focus the viewer’s attention via closeups of faces and objects, and images that flow and can quickly change.  The action takes place mostly within a dilapidated trailer sitting alone in a field away from roads.  The objects in the trailer and its use to simulate the soldier driving a tank are used for cohesive story telling.  The images of a pistol moved in and out of a drawer posed a constant threat of suicide or other violence.  This movie version adaptation of the opera Soldier Songs arrives at its unique artistic value by taking advantage of means not available for stage direction; it is a fine film.  Thus, it will have lasting value even beyond the pandemic when opera houses open again, and as a film available for four more months, it has an extraordinary audience reach for an opera.

Baritone Johnathan portraying a grieving father in Soldier Songs. Photo by FreshFly; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

In posing the question of who this opera is for, I mainly wondered if it was meant for both those who had served in the military and those who have not, as well as an artistic experience for the arts community that Opera Philadelphia serves.  Clearly, each hand involved in bringing this production to realization pushed it in the direction of their intended audiences.  I think Soldier Songs, the movie, can be distilled down to “understanding” in search of an audience, any audience, every audience. Or to put it in infantry terms, it’s mission is to close and capture.

The Fan Experience: Soldier Songs can be viewed with a $99 Opera Philadelphia Channel season pass or as a seven-day rental for $25, streaming on demand.  The film and sound quality are quite good and can be accessed on any internet connected device. 

If the season pass is within your budget, I recommend it; there are many worthwhile productions on the Channel as Opera Philadelphia continues to be today’s leading company in pushing opera’s frontiers.  For a more in-depth discussion of the Opera Philadelphia Channel and its access, see my report at this link.

Opera Singers Gotta Sing: a View from WNO’s Robert Ainsley

The COVID-19 pandemic impacts different people differently, some much worse than others, even among those who don’t contract the disease. My wife was talking to a friend recently whose daughter sings with the Washington National Opera Chorus, and he said, “You know, even though the Kennedy Center is closed right now, my daughter still has to sing.”  I recently chatted with Robert Ainsley, Program Director of the Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artists about the challenges that opera singers are facing in maintaining their skills while performance opportunities are extremely limited.  For opera singers, the lack of work is an obvious financial challenge.  But the challenge for singers is even greater: opera singers must sing to keep their skills when they are not performing on stage, and they must sing to keep their spirits and morale high between jobs.  The pandemic has diminished even these opportunities.

Think for a moment.  How long can you avoid the gym before you start to feel it?  Muscles - use them or lose them is the saying.  At the very least, use them or lose their tone and strength.  Singing opera requires using muscles, muscles around the vocal folds (cords) and larynx that produce sound, as well as chest muscles controlling respiration; it also requires learning to relax other muscles and to move about while you are singing.  Live opera does not use microphones - singing over an orchestra to be heard in the last row in a 2,000-seat auditorium requires strong muscles and precision control of those muscles.  That control, known as technique, is hard won and maintained by practice.  I once wrote a blog post asserting that opera singing could be an Olympic event.  So, how do singers keep those muscles in shape when they are not performing?  What about in a long layoff, like in a pandemic?  Mr. Ainsley says that there is no question that layoffs hurt; to sing opera, a series of muscles must be kept in tone.  He says that artists when performing tend to be at near their personal best; layoffs take the sheen off.

Pandemic-imposed restrictions and limitations on professional development can be brutal for performing artists.  The normal professional routine for a singer between engagements is several hours of practice per day, plus weekly or biweekly lessons to enhance their singing technique, enhance diction skills in several languages, and learn new roles.  Singers need a place to sing and preferably a piano accompanist to work with them.  It also helps to have access to a large hall or auditorium, simulating the environment for performances – such places are now mostly closed.  They can sing in their apartment if neighbors will allow but may be confined to singing in a closet if not; at best, limitations like singing in a closet take away the thrill, as does going so long without singing to an audience.  Lessons and accompanists cost money.  Not only have singing jobs dried up, but other work during the pandemic has been limited.  Without work there is no money for rent, much less money for maintenance needs specific to a profession they can’t pursue right now. 

Rogert Ainsley, Program Director of the Cafritz Young Artists, working the WNO Pop-Uo Opera Truck as you might have seen him during the pandemic this past year. Photo courtesy of the Washington National Opera.

Singers also must deal with the usual pandemic restrictions such as social distancing and wearing of masks.  Most training has been driven online with artists singing into microphones and listening to their musical accompaniment through headphones; coaching is now mostly done through Zoom.  A pandemic stretching out a year or longer makes all this both a difficult and depressing situation; the anxiety about an uncertain future can be debilitating.  Mr. Ainsley says the difficulties that artists are encountering in the pandemic take quite a toll, sometimes causing a loss of motivation.  Singers can tell they are not performing their best.  This can be especially acute for young singers who only have a short window for “making it” after finishing their formal studies. 

An outstanding and timely concert produced by Baltimore Concert Opera and Opera Delaware, that premiered online on January 24 and which will be repeated on January 27, is relevant to this discussion: “Songs from a Distance”, a perspective of a performer in crisis; mezzo-soprano Hanna Ludwig and pianist Laura Ward perform a selection of songs they intended as “a powerful snapshot of art - and artists - in the time of COVID-19”. The program design and song selections are entirely the performer’s. Shortly after the pandemic began, Ms. Ludwig started a group on Facebook called “Freelance Performers and Mental Health” with Dr. Alexandra Stratyner, a licensed counseling psychologist. They’ve had round-table discussions and provided resources for performers in the pandemic. The handout program for the concert includes a listing of mental health resources singers may access and will remain online in perpetuity at this link.  I enjoyed and was touched by the concert made up entirely of songs and music that achieves its communication through the imagery of poetry and the beauty of the singing and accompaniment.

According to Mr. Ainsley, young singers accepted into young artist programs (YAPs), as the pandemic began, are the fortunate ones.  In the mid-Atlantic, in addition to the Cafritz program, young artist programs at the Academy of Vocal Arts, Pittsburgh Young Artist Program, and the Virginia Opera Young Artists have also remained viable; Wolf Trap Opera managed to run their Filene Artists Program this past summer, and the Glimmerglas Festival shifted to a virtual format.  These programs offer their young artists expert training, accompanists, and singing venues as well as limited opportunities to sing in (now primarily virtual) recitals/concerts.  Such opportunities for freelancers are extremely limited.  Mr. Ainsley expressed a perspective that he sometimes feels as though that as the Cafritz program director, he stands at the end of a long bread line with way too few loaves to give out; his program is limited to about 13 young artists each year.

Importantly, during the pandemic YAPs have been able to provide necessary resources while strictly observing pandemic guidelines.  For the Cafritz program, foremost has been the safety of the artists and staff.  They worked with Kennedy Center and the Cleveland Clinic to establish protocols for the training.  They have three 300,000 cu ft training rooms fitted with HEPA filters and a large air turnover system.  In addition to singing and language training, they have even been able to continue movement/dance instruction through innovative online classes; students take two classes per week or more, but all virtual.  Even YAPs training has been affected.  Interactions during training are limited; there is no staging of performances.  A major downside to the arrangements is that singers have lost the experience of singing close to one another.  For duets, singers without masks are 30 feet apart, and there are no large ensembles.  Choral practices have ceased.  Larger gatherings, such as workshops are limited to ten masked individuals.  Their record is good.  To date, the program has not experienced a single positive case of COVID-19 in the rehearsal room.

Opera cognoscenti frown upon using microphones in staged operas (one critic I know called the practice evil).  However, pandemics make strange bedfellows.  In a new focus for their training, YAP singers are receiving instruction in using new technology for singing into a microphone while hearing accompaniment through earphones. Mr. Ainsley says typically, performers experience stiffness singing in front of a microphone.  Learning to relax and be natural in front of a microphone or camera takes training and getting used to.  Singing with a microphone can affect voice production subconsciously.  Mr. Ainsley said that singers can start to croon or come off the voice and rely on electronic sound control to make up for it.  He also said that the technology itself for virtual performances has been refined as a result of this pandemic-inspired necessity. 

While the overall impact of the pandemic on opera singers as a group has been devastating, some positives can be mentioned.  Mr. Ainsley says that singers have a more intense focus on their development in preparing for the future.  YAP singers have time for what Mr. Ainsley calls “passion projects”; they can learn new skills and roles to be ready when the time comes.  They can learn classical songs, for which there is little time in normal circumstances.  They have time to dig deeply into some pieces that otherwise would not be possible.  Some singers have managed to initiate successful online projects, such as virtual recitals. 

Robert Ainsley, Program Director of the Cafritz Young Artists as you might have seen him in “normal” times. Photo courtesy of the Washington National Opera.

Mr. Ainsley says that he personally has never been busier.  Voice coaches and accompanists are in high demand.  He is performing more as a pianist, though in online ventures.  He also has developed skill in video editing and was involved in commissioning the WNO graphic novel, “Fidelio” (author Kelley Rourke and co-author/illustrator Erik Teague).  Still, when his focus turns back to today’s singers struggling under current challenges, he expresses dismay at the limited support the US is providing to the arts, not enough to go around, especially now.  He notes that philanthropy in the US is critically important, but it’s also insufficient for the needs.  He envies the more arts friendly environment in Europe that has real jobs for developing artists.  He notes that YAPs used to be finishing schools, but now in the US, have become an early form of employment, and yet there are Increasingly fewer YAPs surviving.  The competition for the Cafritz Young Artists Program is fierce; the program has a lower acceptance rate than Harvard and Yale.  The pandemic came in on top of these circumstances.

How soon will opera return to the stage and careers be allowed to resume?  The pandemic restrictions have been ongoing now almost a year, and while hopeful for later this year, no one knows for certain when curtains will be lifted, or what the employment landscape will be like as surviving companies go through a recovery period.  Mr. Ainsley referred to a report in Europe estimating 30% of performing artists there were changing careers and fears it could happen here.  In the meantime: opera singers gotta sing. 

The Fan Experience: Most opera companies are now offering virtual recitals and concerts online; tickets are typically very modest in price, and the revenue is very much needed for allowing them to at least offer employment to a few artists. 

One exciting fan-relevant tidbit I learned talking with Mr. Ainsley: he and the Cafritz Young Artists who normally perform in the American Opera Initiative at the Kennedy Center each January in three new twenty-minute and a one-hour long opera (an event that could not be held this year) have been working to put together a virtual performance of three new twenty-minute operas that he says will premiere this Spring as virtual performances online.  The new AOI works are now being orchestrated.  One benefit of being able to offer these online is that composers and artists will have filmed versions of their works, and these typically sold-out productions can reach a wider audience.  Stay tuned!

If you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time you could get to hear a live performance by the Cafritz Young Artists who man the Pop-Up Opera Truck that shows up on demand in area parking lots to give concerts.  Mr. Ainsley says these events will resume again when warmer weather returns. 

BCO’s/OD’s Sunday Spotlight Series: Tis the Season to be Digital

“Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost opera performances.”

Maybe I changed the last line a tad from The Raven’s version.  Frequent collaborators, Baltimore Concert Opera and Opera Delaware have joined forces to sustain their fans through this bleak December all the way through February, with a resounding “Nevermore” to the pandemic’s toll on opera (Poe was from Baltimore, you know).  Their online, artist-curated “Sunday Spotlight” biweekly series was initiated Sunday with a Christmas Concert by soprano Robin Leigh Massie and baritone Steven Condy accompanied by pianist Aurelien Eulert, in a program of art songs, arias, and Christmas favorites.  Both singers are polished, established professionals who have a history with the companies.  This recital was taped in the Presser Black Box Theater at the Opera Delaware Studios in Wilmington Delaware, and it will be re-broadcast on Dec 23.  My bottom line is that Sunday’s program succeeded on both an artistic level and as a holiday enjoyment. 

Artwork for the initial program in the Sunday Spotlight series. Courtesy of Baltimore Opera.

I was pleasantly surprised that the program was weighted more to art songs and arias than to Christmas music, which was held until the last section of the 45-minute program.  I say this even though my attraction to lieder is still in a development phase; my enjoyment was increased by the song translations made available in a separate document.  A couple of Mozart’s pleasing duets were reassuring.  I expect that if I heard “Pa, Pa, Pa” a hundred times, it would still make me smile and put me in a good mood.  Ms. Massie has a light soprano voice and sings beautifully.  Her husband’s baritone has one of the most pleasing timbres I have heard.  The Christmas songs fitted the season, imparting that sense of love and joy we associate with Christmas.  I have praised Mr. Eulert’s touch at BCO’s piano before and it was a pleasure to hear him again.  He and the singers were separated by plexiglass shields.  Visually, the recital had a formal, eye-catching appeal with Mr. Condy in a blue suit and Ms. Massie in a beautiful sequined, Christmas red gown; Mr. Eulert was also nattily attired.  Both the formality and the color of the dress reflected the nature of a program of serious art in a Christmas wrapping designed by the singers, not a Christmas sing-a-long.  At the same time, it had an intimate feel befitting the season, as though the performers were in your living room providing comfort and joy.  As such, it gave much needed sustenance to this fan of the arts.

Pianist Aurelien Eulert, soprano Robin Leigh Massie, and baritone Steven Condy performing in the initial program of the Sunday Spotlight series. Photo courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

I thought of a few analogies to use for what’s going on: “The Sunday Spotlight series is an artistic watering hole for opera fans” and “BCO/OD have formed a bread line for opera fans starved for art”.  I’ll stop there.  Kudos to Baltimore Concert Opera and Opera Delaware for staying engaged though this pandemic period.  Even though the doors of opera venues are closed, they are managing to provide some work for performers and a maintenance diet for their fans until we can all gather together for live performances once more.  They also are making tickets available for free to those who cannot afford it right now (see below).  Quoth the Raven: Well done!

The Fan Experience:  The cost for viewing the Sunday Spotlight series is $15 per performance.  In the holiday gift-giving spirit and considering the pandemic hardships, the ticket purchasing webpage for each performance has three options: ticket purchase for yourself, pay it forward by purchasing a ticket for someone else, and “in need?”, request a ticket at no cost for fans unable to buy a ticket currently.  Each program has a premiere and a re-broadcast date; your online ticket allows for viewings for four hours after the broadcast and can commence at any time during that period.  Dates and performances for four additional programs can be found at this link.  More programs are being planned. 

Sign up is easy and the Facebook feed provided a clear video signal and sound when viewed on my MacBook and Apple TV; kudos to Weston Sound & Video for the excellent recital recording.  Any internet device should be able to access the YouTube channel.  Subtitles for the selections are not provided for the Christmas progam, but for the art song/aria portion a document with English translations is provided through a separate link; subtitles may be available for some of the future programs.  The FAQ webpage contains helpful information about access and access periods.

A relaxed Steven Condy and Robin Leigh Massie chatting by Zoom with BCO’s Director Julia Cooke and OD’s Director Brendan Cooke. Photo courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera. The husband/wife duo also hve a Christmas album, “The Blessings of Christmas”, available on the major streaming services.

Julia Cooke, BCO Artistic Director and General Manager, and her spouse, Brendan Cooke, General Director of Opera Delaware, open the program with brief comments about the Sunday Spotlight series.  They also return on screen following the artistic program for an interesting 30-minute discussion/Q&A with Ms. Leigh and Mr. Condy via Zoom, covering topics about the nature of the program, how it was selected, differences in performing on video and in front of a live audience, and the effects the pandemic is having on themselves and the opera community. 

What Shall We Watch, PBS, HBO, Opera Philadelphia Channel?

Opera Philadelphia Channel logo; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

They could have named it Opera Philadelphia Anywhere; I watched from my sofa in Virginia. Opera Philadelphia Channel’s first three major events of their 2020-2021 season are now posted for viewing.  What is Opera Philadelphia Channel?  It’s like TV, only it’s a streaming service on the internet.  It’s like PBS in that it offers high quality stuff, only just stuff by Opera Philadelphia, primarily events produced for showing on their channel since performing before audiences has been restricted by the pandemic.  It’s like HBO Max in that all this season’s content is stored online for On Demand access as it is premiered; the videos can be viewed 24/7 on your smartphone, computer, or TV/streaming media player.  The content will be available until the end of the 2020-2021 season in May.  You can pay by event or purchase a season pass.  My bottom line based on content posted thus far and that promised: OPC represents excellent value programming of strong interest to the opera fan.

Showing now:

“Lawrence Brownlee and Friends” – In a video recorded at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia on September 16-18, superstar tenor Lawrence Brownlee trades stories with three excellent sopranos, Lindsey Reynolds, Sarah Shafer, and Karen Slack, and the marvelous pianist, Myra Huang, each masked during conversations and socially-distanced with intervening Plexiglas.  Each singer performs solos with socially distanced duets also included, all accompanied by Ms. Huang. 

La Traviata – A movie quality film of the 2015 Opera Philadelphia production where soprano Lisette Oropesa, now opera mega-star, made her debut in the role of Violetta.  Supplementary videos, also available, include an extended conversation between Ms. Oropesa and Mr. Brownlee.

Cycles of Our Being – a 2018 song cycle recorded September 22-24 in the Wilma Theater.  Composer and conductor Tyshawn Sorey, poet Terrance Hayes, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, clarinetist Alexander Laing, cellist Khari Joyner, violinist Randall Mitsuo Goosby, and pianist Myra Huang collaborate in an attempt to capture in music and song the inner life of being a black man in America.

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Lawrence Brownlee deserves his own television show and why not on OPC?  He is talented, respected, amiable, and has a large cadre of friends in the business.  He actively advocates for racial equality using his podium as an opera singer.  He sings magnificently and carries substantial name recognition.  Other opera talents readily work with him.  Right now, Opera Philadelphia Channel has got him; he is an artistic advisor for OP.  For those in my generation, I might call him the Perry Como of opera singers on the one hand and opera’s Harry Belafonte on the other.  Whatever he does is must see…and hear.

left to right: Sopranos Lindsey Reynolds, Sarah Shafer, and Karen Slack. Photos by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

The Perry Como side of Mr. Brownlee comes forth in the recital “Lawrence Brownlee and Friends”.  Amiable, warm hearted chit chat with three engaging sopranos, well known to fans of Opera Philadelphia and the I-95 corridor, reveals the human side of divas, and each gets the opportunity to display their operatic prowess singing several solos, including arias, lieder, popular songs, and spirituals.  I watched this twice; it was a lot to take in, and I liked it even more on the second viewing.  Ms. Huang and Mr. Brownlee collaborated on the program; she said they selected lighter, popular pieces for the program, and he added that celebrating women in opera was also a goal. 

Socially-distanced duets in “Lawrence Brownlee and Friends”: left to right, sopranos Slack and Reynolds, tenor Brownlee and soprano Shafer. The pianist in both photos is Myra Huang. Photos by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Some of it was light fare, but not all.  Ms. Huang arranged the heart rendering spiritual “Watch and Pray” to be sung as a duet between sopranos Reynolds in the role of daughter and Slack in the role of mother; they portray slaves in a scene where the daughter is to be sold the next morning.  The contrasting fun side comes out in the clever lyrics given to a performance where Mr. Brownlee challenges each of the sopranos with a round of “Anything you can do I can do better”.  He loses; we all win.  His vocals are all standouts; it is fun to hear a bel canto master sing opera, spirituals, and popular tunes (one up for Mr. Brownlee; I don’t think Perry Como ever tried opera).  Each of the singers is delightful, all performing songs, arias, and spirituals.  Ms. Huang deserves special mention.  She is a highly accomplished accompanist and plays the piano with such feeling and deft touch that she almost steals the show.  (Note to OP: why not give us a chance to hear her perform solo?  Give me an Old Fashioned, and I will sit and listen to her all night.).  Sarah Shafer, who credits Mr. Brownlee with inspiring her to sing opera, has a beautiful voice; it was fun to hear her sing some snappy Gershwin, and then display a lovely low register in “Deep River’, a Marian Anderson signature spiritual.  Lindsey Reynolds is a young professional who sings beautifully and talks with Mr. Brownlee about being an up-and-coming singer.  Ms. Slack talks about being a Philadelphia girl and knocked my socks off with everything she sang; I will definitely be looking for her performances in the future. 

Speaking of sopranos, let’s talk about Lisette Oropesa.  She first caught my attention a few years back in supporting roles with Met Opera.  I had the good fortune to see her live twice in the past year, once with Pittsburgh Opera and once with Washington Concert Opera.  Before that she spent several years mainly in Europe further developing her talent.  Now, she is a regular headliner at the Met.  And let’s talk about Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, the story of a young courtesan who finds love just before she loses her life.  I think it is the perfect opera, a compelling human story and gorgeous music and arias intertwined with the story from beginning to end; the entire opera flows like a single song.  I’ve actually been listening to recordings of this opera a lot during the pandemic.  Nothing seems to connect me to what I need from opera and what I’m missing now like La Traviata does. 

Soprano Lisette Oropesa as Violetta in Opera Philadelphia’s 2015 La Traviata. Photo by Kelly & Massa; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Surprisingly, Ms. Oropesa was not sure this role was for her which she revealed in her interview with Mr. Brownlee, but she was encouraged by her trainer, the great soprano Renata Scotto, to take it on.  Her singing and the beauty of her voice shine in this production; that I expected.  What also impressed me was her acting ability and her stage presence in the role of Violetta.  Every nuanced expression and movement supports the scene.  She seems born for the stage.  These qualities work beautifully for her in close ups that filming provides.  In addition to supporting roles, there are two other principal roles: Tenor Alek Shrader gives a fine performance as her young lover, Germont, and bass baritone Stephen Powell as his father gives possibly the best portrayal of the senior Germont that I have seen.  Mr. Powell is stellar in voice and role playing in every scene in which he appears. 

left to right: Tenor Alek Shrader as Alfredo Germont and soprano Lisette Oropesa as Violetta early in their romance and near the end. Photo by Kelly & Massa; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Under the direction of Paul Curran, the flow of the opera is well paced to highlight the drama.  The music supplied by the OP Orchestra under the baton of Conductor Corrado Rovaris also supports that flow and adds to the beauty of the production, though I wish the volume had been turned up just a tad for the opening overture.  The choruses are also a delight.  I especially enjoyed the women’s chorus in a party scene.  Kudos to Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden.  This is a classical production with an impressive set and costumes; it all works. 

Soprano Lisette Oropesa as Violetta listening to Giorgio Germont’s plea for her to relinquish her relationship with his son. Photo by Kelly & Massa; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

The filming of OP’s La Traviata deserves special mention.  Kudos to Bruce Bryant, who directed the video capture in 2015 for a free outdoor “Opera on the Mall” broadcast at Independence Mall.  The angles, framing, and close ups enhance the audience’s immersion in the drama.  I felt more like I was watching a movie than a video of a staged opera, edging me closer to an in-theater experience.  In Violetta’s bedroom death scene, I had the feeling I was in the room.  The audio quality of the video is excellent; the OPC team remixed the audio in September to prime it for streaming.  It is easy to see why OP chose this video for early placement in their offerings.  It shines.

Composer/conductor of Cycles of My Being, Tyshawn Sorey. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

The most recent program on the Opera Philadelphia Channel is the song cycle “Cycles of My Being” by composer Tyshawn Sorey with a libretto by Terrance Hayes and Mr. Brownlee based on poems by Hayes.  Sorey, Brownlee, musicians Goosby, Huang, Joyner, and Laing enter the foggy, spotlight lit stage dressed in black, Goosby and Joyner in hoodies.  The proceedings are serious and barren, almost grim.  The work was born of Mr. Brownlee’s desire to have a conversation with America about what it means to be a black man in America.  An early lyric says “America, do you care for me as I care for you, do you love the air in me as I love the air in you” expressing rejection, pain, and loneliness. There are six parts to the song cycle, each expressing different moods and sentiments.  The music speaks as well as the poetry.  In part V, the clarinet literally screams for attention, in Mr. Laing’s view, testifying to anguish.  The music has melodies, but also dissonance creating a dreamscape that fits the inner turmoil being expressed, perhaps somewhat reminiscent of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd, just to give you an idea.  The music is as expressive as the poetry, and the poetry speaks loudly – “when hunted, hope is a knife”; “hate is subtle”; “you nor I were born with hate”.  “Cycles of My Being” is engaging and enhances understanding.  The music holds onto you, but it’s grasp is not a place you would want to live.  Why do we cause others to live there?

Cycles of My Being: violinist Randall Mitsuo Goosby, cellist Khari Joynerr, pianist Myra Huang, and tenor/librettist Lawrence Brownlee. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

There is an accompanying video titled “Post Performance Conversation”, a discussion of “Cycles of My Being” that is worthwhile viewing.  The decision was made to include only the five black men performers for a discussion of the song cycle and what it means to be a black man in America.  Each performer talks about how they approached the music, and one highlight for me was Mr. Sorey discussing how he approached creating the music, and how his method was different for this piece.  They discuss how their choice of careers in classical music, a European artform that does not address the black experience, has to a degree separated them from the black community.  Each discussant, even with their shared experiences of racial prejudice, comes across as an individual, an important message in itself. 

Upcoming productions, with dates of availability:

December 11 - “Love in the Park”, a five-episode series from a Sept. 30 chorus concert held in Dilworth Park next to Philadelphia City Hall, in which 16 singers of the Opera Philadelphia Chorus under the direction of Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden perform popular opera arias and choruses as well as musical theater selections, accompanied by pianist Grant Loehnig.

January 8 to 15 only (free to evrryone) – “Bon Appétit! A Sweet Soirée”; a digital fund-raising event that includes a showing of the production by Houston Grand Opera of the short opera Bon Appétit! by Lee Hoiby, featuring soprano Jamie Barton as Julia Child.  A menu of gustatory benefits will be offered to supporters of Opera Philadelphia.

January 22 – Soldier Songs by David T. Little; a one-man opera featuring Johnathan McCullough as performer and director. “Based on interviews with veterans of five wars, the piece combines elements of theater, opera, rock-infused concert music, and animation to explore the perceptions versus the realities of the Soldier…”.

Coming soon – El Cimarrón by Hans Werner Henze; the true story of a Cuban born into slavery, who as a young man, escaped bondage on a sugar plantation, survived in the jungle, fought for Cuban independence, and lived to tell about it before dying at the age of 113, portrayed by bass-baritone Sir Willard White, supported by a guitarist, a flautist, and a percussionist.

Spring 2021 – “Digital Commissions”; Opera Philadelphia has commissioned four composers, Tyshawn Sorey, Courtney Bryan, Angélica Négron, and Caroline Shaw to create and premiere new works to be streamed on the Channel, beginning with a work by Mr. Sorey expected to begin in January.  Pleasingly remarkable for inclusion of three women composers, this could be the most exciting event of all!

Additional works are under consideration, both free and for purchase, to be added during the current season; so, content on the Channel will continue to grow into April. 

With the creation of Opera Philadelphia Channel, Opera Philadelphia again leaps ahead in opera leadership in the U.S., a trend that began with its forward-thinking OP Festival series of the last few years.  By putting its words into action, OP has also moved strongly towards addressing a critical issue facing opera today, racial and gender equity.  I suspect it is onto something, or maybe online to something.  I still maintain there is nothing like live opera experienced in the opera house and long for its return, but I can’t ignore my young son’s recent comment to me that while he likes attending opera, the preference for being there is not as important to him as it is to me.  OP realizes that online performances are here to stay, especially with the digital generation.  I suspect that if there is a growth audience for opera, it will manifest primarily online.  Though the Opera Philadelphia Channel was made necessary by the pandemic, OP is already planning a new season for the Channel to run concurrently with live, in-house performances when they are again possible. 

For now, Opera Philadelphia Channel is our only Opera Philadelphia option, but they have made it a good option, one of our best for new, authentic arts experiences viewed online.

The Fan Experience: Opera Philadelphia Channel is set up for events to be viewed separately with prices in the $10-25 range for viewing On Demand for seven days, or for a $99 subscription, all events are available On Demand through May 2021.  Free event previews are offered.  Subtitles in English can be accessed via the settings icon on the videos.  The video and sound quality as well as ease of use has been excellent for the events I have watched.  The 24/7 access is a blessing.  There were a couple of minor fan bumps in the road for me: white subtitles in La Traviata were sometimes washed out by the background, and transitions between acts need attention to prepare audiences for the shifts in the story. “Friends” might have benefited from a director, especially transitions which could have been smoother.  Nothing major.  The full program list for “Lawrence Brownlee and Friends” can be found here. 

In addition to the main offerings, supplementary videos are posted for most of the events.  Also, many of OP’s free events can be accessed readily through its Channel.  A notable free feature not mentioned above is “Reflection & Re-vision”, a series of lectures and discussions on elements of opera; the two current offerings are titled “Misled Transformation of a Heroine” and “Reimagine the Opera Canon”.

I am by no means tech savvy, but I have watched events on my MacBook Air and on my large screen TV using Apple TV and the Opera Philadelphia app with no difficulty accessing content.  There is an OP webpage  addressing questions about streaming.  And, if you require help of a live person, OP’s guest services team is among the most helpful I have encountered. At the bottom of the Opera Philadelphia website there is a telephone number and email address for guest services and a Chat Now button that makes for easy contact.

Opera Lafayette’s The Blacksmith on Film: Opéra Comique Puts on a Cowboy Hat

Opera Lafayette’s The Blacksmith is adapted from a French opéra comique, Le Maréchal ferrant, written in 1761.  I will have to take Artistic Director Ryan Brown’s word for that.  OL’s version takes place in 1890s Colorado; the libretto has been translated into “cowboy English”, and the music has been adapted for an orchestra consisting of a violin, a contrabass, and a guitar, plus local musicians who join in on American folksongs that replace the French ones.  Okay, the blacksmith character is portrayed as a French immigrant, but other than that, it is a far piece from Mancos, Colorado to seventeenth century Paris.  Viewing the film, I had the feeling I was transported back in time to watching a 1950’s western movie done as a musical comedy or perhaps a new production of “Oklahoma” done with a comique opératic twist.  Regardless, I assure you that you have never seen anything quite like this from Opera Lafayette, or from anyone really.  My bottom line is that it has pleasing toe-tapping music, an entertaining story with some fun surprises along the way, and at times is laugh out loud funny, a pleasant evening’s entertainment for the whole family. The film made from performances last month in Mancos will become available for public viewing this Sunday; see below for details.

Full cast of Opera Lafayette’s Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith): (l to r) Sarah Shafer as Jeannie, Arnold Livingston Geis as Cody, Dominique Côté as Marcel the Blacksmith, Joshua Conyers as Eustis , Frank Kelley as Slim MacBride, Pascale Beaudin as Claudine. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Let’s first review the plot line to composer François-André Danican Philidor’s and librettist Antoine-François Quétant’s opéra comique.  (I have previously reported on how Opera Lafayette’s adaptation was conceived and came to be performed on a ranch in Mancos, Colorado under pandemic restrictions; see the report at this link.)  Marcel, a blacksmith in 1890s Colorado has a daughter Jeannie and a sister Claudine who are arguing.  Claudine has found out Jeannie has a cowboy beau Cody who Claudine fancies a bit herself and convinces her brother that he should force Jeannie to marry an older ranch foreman Slim McBride for the financial good of the family.  Marcel pursues this end; however, Slim fancies Claudine, not Jeannie.  Things get more complicated when Cody manages to accidentally imbibe a veterinary sleeping medicine making him appear dead.  In opera buffa style, Jeannie is initially more concerned with her dad finding out that Cody was there than mourning his death.  A couple of passers through, Eustis, a man of God, and his side kick Banjo, who need help with their donkey and horse, get caught up in hiding the body.  It all works out in the end as the audience is regaled with the sextet singing “love, o mighty love” with a COVID punchline for a closing number. 

Our young lovers: Jeannie (Sarah Shafer) and Cody (Arnold Livingston Geis). Photos by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

I approached watching the video with some trepidation.  Opera Lafayette is one of my favorite opera companies.  Their work presenting re-discovered French opera gems from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is consistently delightful.  I worried that OL was biting off a bit much in presenting a 1790s opéra comique transformed into an American vernacular.  Opéra comiques were written in the vernacular, the language of the common people, which was part of their appeal; Artistic Director Brown thought an adaptation would give American audiences a more authentic opéra comique experience.  Sure, it sounded like a hoot to have live entertainment in a pleasing outdoor setting during a time when most live performances have been cancelled, but how would that come across on film, and for that matter, next spring in theaters when it is presented before live audiences in DC and NYC?  How are urban audiences in theaters going to respond?  And well, will it be any good beyond a curiosity, something merely different for opera folks?

Perhaps my doubting attitude caused me to think, as I began to watch the film, that this opera fan had wandered into the wrong establishment, but my experience soon became like the city boy who gets dragged by a relative to a square dance and before long finds he is having a good time.  The music, the plot, and the earnestness of the talented performers won me over.  The set design by Lisa Schlenker and the costumes by Marsha LeBeouf helped plant me in the 1890s. The music lifted my spirits, and I started to want Jeanette and Cody to wind up tying the knot, and just as much, Claudine and Slim.  I didn’t wind up singing along for two reasons which I will get to shortly.

left photo: the blacksmith (Domique Côté) and Eustis (Joshua Conyers) have a confrontation. right photo: Slim McBride (Frank Kelley) sings of his horse handling prowess. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

The Blacksmith is more musical theater than opera and includes many catchy tunes.  The ear-pleasing music is provided by an OL ensemble of Ryan Brown on violin, Doug Balliett on contrabass, and  Adam Gardino on guitar, not your typical opéra comique orchestra, but they provide the French music in a pleasing style that fits this telling of the story.  In fact, the entire production was seamless in that regard; there are no obvious off flavors in this spoof taking place in the 1890’s American Southwest, while borrowing story and music from a French artform.  Six local musicians joined in on fiddle, guitar, and a banjo on the familiar American western folk songs used instead of French ones.  Kudos to Stage Director Nick Olcott who translated the libretto.  The phrasing worked well with the music and the folk songs were incorporated such that I felt they belonged there.  In particular, I liked the use of Red River Valley as a love song for Cody and Jeannie and Across the Wide Missouri as a song to express mourning for the thought-to-be dead Cody.

Jeannie (Sarah Shafer) and Cody (Arnold Livingston Geis) beckon the audience to sing along. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Each of the six singers was excellent vocally and well-cast in their roles; their energy and enthusiasm added to the buoyancy of the production, giving it a bit of a camp meeting vibe.  French-Canadian baritone Dominque Côté was a natural anchor for the cast as Marcel, and the talented soprano Pascal Beaudin, who made a charming Marzelline in OL’s Leonore earlier this year, adds even more French flavor as Claudine.  Soprano Sarah Shafer’s lovely voice adds feeling to the role of Jeannie.  She has a couple of arias that add an opera touch to the production; I especially enjoyed “lost and lonely in love”.  Tenor Arnold Livingston Geis made a fine rowdy beau as Cody, who has one of the funniest “death” scenes you will see.  Baritone Joshua Conyers brings substance and delight to every role he plays, and his portrayal of a preacher brought comic fun.  All of these performers are familiar to DC and OL audiences; the newcomer is tenor Frank Kelley who played both the role of Slim McBride and Banjo.  He seemed so natural in the role of Slim, I have trouble imagining he didn’t just arrive from a ranch in Colorado.  His comedic acumen enlivened the production. In one of my favorite scenes, he and Marcel perform a fun duet that leads Slim into a rip snorter of a performance of a song proclaiming the superiority of his horse handling ability. He then surprises us with a late revelation displaying an unsuspected verbal ability. 

left photo: Opera Lafayette ensemble (l to r) - Doug Balliett on contrabass, Ryan Brown on violin, and Adam Gardino on guitar. right photo: Local community musicians (l to r) - Andrew Saletta, Nick Lawrence, Alice Gausch, Marilyn Kroeker, Lynne Lewis, Erika Alvero. Photos by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Overall, the film quality is quite good.  When I inquired what went into the film making, Mr. Brown said that he decided to have a film made because of the unique nature of the project - rural outdoor venue, performed live under COVID-19 restrictions, it’s updating to America using the vernacular of opéra comique, and as the original, the incorporation of folk songs.  He found a filmmaker, Jason Shafer, in Colorado to head the project.  Mr. Shafer has previous experience producing work for the Rocky Mountain PBS.  The film as a film had one obvious challenge – the outdoor light.  It was filmed outdoors on a ranch in Colorado in the late afternoon sun, and some glare and shadows are noticeable from the beginning.  Further, Mr. Brown said the music was used from one complete performance, but the visuals contain footage from two performances because the light changed dramatically over the course of the first evening.   Mr. Brown stated with good humor that planned performances in DC and NYC “will be lit by a designer other than God and Nature” (note to future OL lighting designer: you have a tough act to follow).

This leads me to offer my reasons for not singing along, one of which relates to the difference in watching on film on a screen and in person.  During the folk song singalong, it is clear that the singers are motioning to the audience that was present to join in, and not to me the film viewer.  Addressing the audience directly breaks the “fourth wall”, one separating the audience and the performance.  I suggest there is a “fifth wall” for filmed performances, the one between the two audiences.  Breaking the fourth wall brings the audience into this production, but it’s breaking the fifth wall relegates the home viewer to a spectator role.  I enjoyed watching but was not motivated to sing, which (reason number 2) requires a lot of motivation for me, even in church, as God knows. 

So, I enjoyed the film and recommend it for your viewing pleasure, but I still want to have the full, in theater, opéra comique experience that Mr. Brown intended when he and Mr. Olcott adapted Philidor’s work using an American vernacular.  I am vocally challenged, but I might sing along…maybe.  I’m sure I’ll have a good time, which I think is the whole point of The Blacksmith. Hmmm…maybe I’ve learned something about opéra comique.

The Fan Experience:  Opera Lafayette kicks off public viewing of The Blacksmith film on Sunday, November 15 at 2 pm (EST) with a virtual screening that will include a pre-show discussion with Artistic Director Brown and a post-performance conversation with the artists. Tickets ($20 for family access) for Sunday’s showing can be purchased at this link. The film will be available for On Demand viewing starting on November 16 and running until November 29; tickets for On Demand access will be available for purchase on Monday at The Blacksmith website . 

The film itself lasts just an hour and a half, performed in a single act.  Two cameras were used to film the performances, providing angled views unobtrusively from both sides of the stage, with no facial closeups, very much as an audience member with a good seat would see it in a frame that just encompasses the stage.  The OL ensemble of musicians is seen only at the very beginning and the audience only at the ending.  The singers wore microphones because these were outdoor performances and crowd responses have been largely muted in film editing.  The film sound quality is quite good.

Opera Lafayette intends to have indoor, live-staged performances in NYC and DC next Spring. The date for NYC has been set for June 22, but the date for DC has not been determined as yet.

Pittsburgh Opera’s Così fan tutte: Opera in the Time of COVID-19

This is a story made up of many stories – a pandemic in 2020 shutting down opera performances, the dimming of cultural enrichment in America, and the loss of incomes for performers and staff; a story of young artists faced with uncertain opportunities for training and performances; the story of Pittsburgh Opera who would not let the 2020-2021 season die, nor their commitment to their Resident Artists; the story of condensing and adapting a work of perhaps the greatest composer who ever lived to fit pandemic requirements; and the story of performances with masked, socially distanced singers playing young lovers.  As I watched the free October 23 live stream of Così fan tutte, performed before a theater audience, I had the feeling that I was not only watching opera; I was also witnessing history being made, opera in the time of COVID-19.

Stage and set for Così fan tutte. Upstairs (l to r): Ferrando (Angel Romero), Don Alfonso (Jeremy Harr), and Guglielmo (Yazid Gray). Downstairs (l to r): Dorabella (Maire Therese Carmack), Conductor (Antony Walker), and Fiordiligi (Madeline Ehlinger). Photo by David Bachman Photography; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera

The video of that live stream is available now on PO’s YouTube channel and will remain available through Thursday, November 5.  The important news is that while composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte’s opera has been chamber-sized from three hours to an hour and a half, it is a very good chamber opera, well done by Pittsburgh Opera with young singers to keep an eye on.  And, I say this having seen an utterly fantastic full version Così fan tutte in 2019 by Santa Fe Opera.  I strongly recommend viewing PO’s recording while you can.  This version is good enough to be utilized by other companies even after the pandemic, and the shorter length may especially appeal to younger fans.

I was intrigued by singers wearing masks while singing opera and was afforded the opportunity to talk by phone with French American soprano Véronique Filloux who plays the role of the worldly-wise cleaning lady, Despina.  Though she is early in her career, a 2018 graduate of Maryland Opera Studio, I have seen Ms. Filloux perform twice previously in Opera Lafayette productions in DC. She would have appeared in a third if the pandemic had not prevented those performances.  Her talent was obvious in those roles and is more fully displayed as Despina.  The beauty of her voice and singing is perhaps best displayed in Despina’s entrance set where she sings an aria educating the young female lovers. In later scenes, she displays her comedic abilities as Despina dons a couple of disguises, changing her voice and movements within those roles.  I was excited to learn that in PO’s February production of Handel’s Semele, she will play the lead. She believes her experience with Opera Lafayette which focuses on early music will serve her well.  Semele is a showpiece role for a soprano and as she noted when we spoke, a fantastic opportunity to have so early in her career. She will be joined in the cast by the other five Resident Artists featured in Così.

Véronique Filloux as Despina, the cleaning lady, in the left photo , and disguised as a doctor of sorts in the right photo. Photos by David Bachman Photography; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.

Ms. Filloux said that singing with the masks on is a learned skill, but the safety issues provide plenty of motivation.  She said that fellow Resident Artist baritone Yazid Gray was on site early and tested 8-10 mask prototypes made by the costume department. The masks continued to evolve from there.  It was decided for the singers to wear a plastic cage with three-fold cloth coverings over the cage in order for the mask not to impede vocal expression or get sucked back onto the singers’ mouths, and they had to be large, so they don’t pull off easily.  I gather getting comfortable with the masks is still an evolving process.  Besides the issues of comfort, breath, and sound delivery, the masks present another challenge. How do you give and get singing and acting cues from fellow performers when you can’t see expressions on their faces?  Ms. Filloux said that eyes and body language became even more important, and the performers had to learn to express feelings without touches and embraces (remaining within pandemic guidelines).  Ms. Filloux credits Stage Director Crystal Manich for help in this area. She also liked that the director encouraged her to portray the opera buffa characters as real people.  She also believes a class she had in graduate school involving body language and the study of mimes paid off for playing this role.  She says that having flexibility, adaptability, and good humor are attributes required of opera singers, pandemic or not.

Maire Therese Carmack as Dorabella and Madeline Ehlinger as Fiordiligi with Conductor Antony Walker in the background. Photo by David Bachman Photography; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera

Ms. Filloux is a good ambassador for Pittsburgh Opera.  She speaks of the Resident Artist program in glowing terms; she especially likes the attention to her personal goals, access to three coaches, feeling safe during the pandemic, and being treated as a professional.  She also praised the dedication of the company to opera fans in Pittsburgh in making the video of Così available for free.  I agree; I expected there to be a fee.  It’s also worth noting the PO took a substantial risk in planning live opera when the course of the pandemic could not be predicted and performances might have been cancelled at the last minute.  Pittsburgh Opera had one substantial advantage though.  They own the building that houses their headquarters and it includes a performance hall they have used routinely in the past to feature chamber operas.

l to r: Angel Romero as Ferrando, Jeremy Harr as Don Alfonso, and Yazid Gray as Guglielmo. Photography by David Bachman Photography; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera

Pittsburgh Opera went to great lengths to honor pandemic guidelines for performers and audiences, both those required by governing bodies and those recommended by public health experts.  According to Ms. Filloux, in addition to wearing masks, there were temperature checks, traffic on stairs being one-way in the building, protective shields used to separate performers and accompanists, rooms cleaned when changing groups, and attention to air flow control.  Performers also follow pandemic guidelines outside the performance hall.  Social distance seating in the small concert hall allowed an audience of only fifty attendees; the theater can accommodate 195 attendees .  Seats were wiped down prior to performances and a single page program laid on the seats by gloved ushers.  A critical feature was limiting the performance to about 90 minutes so as to avoid an intermission that would foster socialization.  Not surprisingly given the lack of live performances in 2020, season ticket holders responded favorably, and the limited tickets were gobbled up quickly and a waiting list was established.

While I have always loved Mozart’s music, the plot of Così fan tutte has been an acquired taste, even when trying to keep in perspective that the story is a comedy featuring the mores of two hundred years ago; just consider that the title means “All women are like that”.   It also requires a huge suspension of disbelief – it happens in a day and one must accept that the disguises fool the ladies, perhaps more believable under pandemic staging with everyone wearing masks.  Director Crystal Manich cleverly made the masks a part of the story by staging the play in a 1918 Italian munitions factory during the time of the Spanish flu.  The performance hall enhanced that setting in as much as the building once was used as a Westinghouse air brake factory.  The factory owner in Così, Don Alfonso, bets two of his workers, Gugielmo and Ferrando, that he can prove their girlfriends, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, respectively, will be unfaithful to them. He sets up a ruse whereby the guys put on disguises and attempt to seduce their girlfriends while acting as someone else.  Alfonso pays Despina, who also does not recognize the guys in disguise, to encourage the women to stray while their boyfriends are called away.  As with the full Così, PO’s chamber version still leads us face to face with the realization that personal longings for love and romance can be at odds with the honorable personas that society gives us and we assume; it’s complicated.  Director Manich makes an interesting choice in her version by having the guys attempt to seduce their own girlfriends. The ladies unknowingly choose opposite partners, unveiling the power of the ladies.  While it is a comedy that begs for updating, the truths it reveals remain truths, and the title could be “all humans are like that”. Da Ponte’s text, even as trimmed, sets it all up, and Mozart’s music, even as trimmed, drives it home. 

In the foreground, two visiting Albanians plead their case with Dorabella and Fiordiligi: (l to r) Maire Therese Carmack as Dorabella, Yazid Gray as Guglielmo in disguise, Angel Romero as Ferrando in disguise, and Madeline Ehlinger as Fiordiligi. Photography by David Bachman Photography; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.

So then, how did a three-hour masterpiece get reduced to 90 minutes while retaining coherency and impact.  Seasoned hands at the controls is the answer.  Ms. Manich and PO Music Director and Conductor Antony Walker have extensive opera experience and have worked on eleven productions together.  They each made reductions separately and then compared notes.  In the end, there was much agreement, and they have done an effective job in carving out the non-essential elements.  There is some loss of character development, and it bothers me that Don Alfonso comes off as just philosophical; Despina giving her payoff to the women at the end disputes that.  However, it was a lot to cut and some of your favorite scenes/music may have been shortened or left out, but still, it works as presented.

Special kudos to Maestro Walker who was limited to an ensemble smallish even for a chamber piece due to social distancing needs.  He held fast at needing 17 musicians and his judgement seems perfect to me.  The music was still a delight and the interplay with the singers was excellent, especially given that the orchestra was placed in the backstage area and the conductor’s back was towards the action on stage.  The video and sound quality of the recording is excellent.  I did notice I could hear one of the singers breathing in a couple of scenes, a very minor flaw, and I thought I spotted a microphone on the side of his face.  Ms. Filloux confirmed that the singers wore microphones during the filming to meet the needs of the video.  It was not possible to place stationary microphones upstairs/downstairs and all the areas needing coverage and do so without picking up extraneous noise such as feet climbing stairs.  Regardless, the outcome is a remarkably good video with excellent sound quality.

So, at long last we arrive at the singing performances.  Yes, I saved best of Così for last.  The performances were uniformly good; this excellent cast consisted of six young Resident Artists, including soprano Madeline Ehlinger (Fiordiligi), mezzo-soprano Maire Therese Carmack (Dorabella), baritone Yazid Gray (Gugielmo), Angel Romero (Ferrando), bass Jeremy Harr (Don Alfonso), and Ms. Filloux as Despina, as noted above.  The productions for the rest of the season will also mainly feature these performers.  I think it is fun to see the spotlight turned over to the Resident Artists; I always find that young professionals add an energy that enlivens productions, and in 2020, I can use that.  It will also be interesting to see and hear how they develop over a season.

There are two more of my favorite highlights I want to point out.  No one wrote better ensemble numbers than Mozart, and Così is chock full of good ones, but best for me in this performance are the duets between the sisters played by Ms. Ehlinger and Ms. Carmack; I floated on the way their voices blended to produce such a beautiful sound carrying Mozart’s melodies; I would love to hear more duets from them (hint: the Flower Duet from Lakmé).  Another highlight for me was Mr. Romero’s voice and singing; he is a tenor whose voice is laced with romance.  I want to hear more of this young singer; see if you don’t agree. 

Pittsburgh Opera has taken a risk at considerable expense in producing live, staged opera this season, and the audience who attended accepted a risk, greatly mitigated by the extensive pandemic restrictions and adaptations made by PO.  These two actions reveal another story that needs to be mentioned here.  That is the story of how much audiences and artists need each other as revealed by the 2020 pandemic.  The creation of a chamber opera version of Così fan tutte - featuring masked singers - is the result of that mutual need. History has been made.

The Fan Experience: The video of Pittsburgh Opera’s October 23 performance of Così fan tutte can be accessed on YouTube through Thursday, November 5.  It’s free.  Note: the tape only has signage until the 12:45 minute mark when PO General Director Christopher Hahn makes opening comments, and the performance starts at about the 16-minute mark. As performed in the video, the opera comes in at about 95 minutes. 

Pittsburgh Opera’s next production in their 2020-2021 season will be Soldier Songs performed on Dec 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17; it will also be performed at Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters under pandemic restrictions in force at the time.  Performances of Semele will be February 20, 23, 26, 28, and March 2, 4; and Charlie Parker’s Yardbird will be performed April 10, 13, 16, 18, and 22.    

If you would like to support Pittsburgh Opera’s efforts to stage live opera this season, they have made it easy for you at the website, pittsburghopera.org/givenow. 

Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith): Opera Lafayette Premieres an Americanized Opéra Comique

Opera Lafayette’s first live performance this season was performed for the benefit of the Manco’s Cattlemen’s Association and the Mancos Creative District.  Yes, that’s Washington DC’s and NYC’s Opera Lafayette performing on a ranch in Colorado; I kid you not and have photos to prove it.  Or as we say now: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 2020. 

Not so fast - as it turns out, OL Artistic Director/Conductor Ryan Brown is also a rancher, or at least his family owns a ranch, the Reddert Ranch in Mancos, Colorado, inherited from his grandparents.  As fate would have it, the historic Menefee Barn and Blacksmith Shop on the ranch became the venue for Opera Lafayette’s first live performance in 2020, an opéra comique by composer François-André Danican Philidor made over in the 1890’s American Southwest tradition; the opera, really more like musical theater, premiered in sold out performances, October 9-11; every socially-distanced bale of hay slot was taken.  A film of the performance will be made available online starting November 15 (see below).  You might reasonably ask: Has Mr. Brown wandered a little too far astray - did I mention that it includes singalongs?  Keep the faith; there is a method to this apparent diversion.  I chatted with him on the telephone about that.  So, let’s take a deeper look.

The dress rehearsal of Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith) at the Menefee Barn with a socially distanced audience in Mancos, Colorado. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

If you don’t know, Ryan Brown and Opera Lafayette have a stellar big city reputation mainly built on authentic productions of forgotten masterpieces of 18th century French opera.  However, even before 2020 became 2020, this Colorado adventure was in the planning stage.  There were to have been premiere performances of Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith, 1760) in the Mancos Opera House, followed by May 2020 performances in the company’s normal venues, Washington DC and New York City.  However, the pandemic arrived this past Spring and started shutting everything down.  Nonetheless, the question that still jumps out is how did Mancos get added to the performance sites?  Well, that was a confluence of events and circumstances orchestrated by Maestro Brown.

Cast (L-R) Sarah Shafer as Jeannie, Arnold Livingston Geis as Cody, Dominique Côté as Marcel the Blacksmith, Joshua Conyers as Eustis , Frank Kelley as Slim MacBride, Pascale Beaudin as Claudine. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Opéra comique, a French opera genre that includes spoken dialog and arias, is right in OL’s wheelhouse, and it is normally performed in the US in the French tradition.  You might know the composer Philidor through his fame as a chess player (the Philidor Defense), but he also helped popularize opéra comique, and his operas were quite popular in his day.   “The power of opéra-comique resided in its literary, musical and dramatic characteristics – bestselling stories, catchy tunes, situational comedy – which made it malleable, easy to sell and easy to follow,” states one history of the genre.   Members of this genre aren’t necessarily comedies, but this one is; the librettist is Antoine-François Quétant, and the plot is based on a story from Bocaccio’s Decameron.  The plot involves a blacksmith named Marcel (played by baritone Dominique Côté) and a love quadrangle - his daughter Jeannie (soprano Sarah Shafer) who he wants to wed Slim MacBride (tenor Frank Kelley) while Slim is attracted to his sister Claudine (soprano Pascale Beaudin), though she’s not having any of it, at least at first, and let’s not leave out Cody (tenor Arnold Livingston Geis) who wants Jeannie, and the feeling is mutual.  The action includes an apparently lethal ingestion of a sleeping elixir meant for horses and then blacksmith customer Eustis (baritone Joshua Conyers) being enlisted to move the apparently dead body, followed by people thinking they have seen a ghost.  Mr. Brown says that it involves situations we can all relate to.  I’m thinking life must be different in Colorado, or maybe it’s the French influence; I don’t know.

Here is the interesting thing that Mr. Brown revealed about opéra comique as an opera genre and the reason for OL’s adaptation.  These operas were written in the vernacular, the spoken language of ordinary people, and appealed to audiences of ordinary citizens and not just the elites.  It was through translations and adaptions in the vernacular of each country that opéra comique spread across Europe.  Beyond the features of the artform, there were sociological and cultural issues at play.  Thus, Artistic Director Brown had an idea – perform the opera in the American vernacular and use the one close to his heart from his stays in Colorado.  Could he convey the spirit of opéra comique more authentically to American audiences through an adaptation using the vernacular of the Southwest?   His approach also raises another question.  In Europe, opéra comique played largely to urban audiences.  Would an adaptation geared to the less populous, more rural Southwest also appeal to urban audiences?  If so, might such an adapted opera genre be effective at expanding the audience for opera across the US as it did in its heyday in Europe?  Of course, it is likely right now that any live, in person performance will be cheered.  Artistic Director Brown hopes The Blacksmith will be successful enough to take the show on the road.  Well, the game is afoot.

Local community musicians playing during the folk songs: (L-R) Andrew Saletta, Nick Lawrence, Alice Gausch, Marilyn Kroeker, Lynne Lewis, Erika Alvero. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Director Brown’s collaborator for this venture is DC Director Nick Olcott, who has been a Helen Hayes Award nominee for acting, directing, and writing for theater and opera.  He grew up in Montana, and Mr. Brown says he and Mr. Olcott were both regaled with the regional stories their grandmothers told, imbuing them with the vernacular of the area, so there was a mutual understanding of what was needed.  Another issue to be dealt with was breaking the 4th wall, the invisible wall that separates the performers and the audience.  While composer Philidor wrote the music for the opera, he also utilized popular songs from his day and included audience participation.  Mr. Brown wanted to use American folk songs such as “Red River Valley” and “Old Gray Mare”, rather than the original French songs, and Mr. Olcott also wanted to include audience singalong as part of the performance.  Mr. Brown says he has been less inclined to break the wall in the past, but for this production, he told his pardner to go all out.  Thus, OL’s The Blacksmith includes singalongs and local musicians to help provide the music for the songs.  Director Olcott went further and translated the libretto (in his words) into “cowboy English”; the role of the Blacksmith is portrayed as a French immigrant to keep a French flavor and accent.

Leading the singalong are Emilie Faiella as Jeannie and Arnold Livingston Geis as Cody. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

The adaptation of the music might have been even more of a challenge than the libretto.  Philidor wrote his music for a small chamber orchestra.  Besides being prohibitively expensive, assembling an orchestra in Mancos would be logistically daunting given pandemic restrictions. Conductor Brown chose to limit the instruments to one violin, one contrabass, and one guitar (plus the local musicians contributing on the songs).  Working out the harmonies was difficult admitted Mr. Brown.  Fortunately, joining Mr. Brown who plays violin is a world class guitarist, Adam Gardino, two-time champion of the International Finger Style Guitar Competition.  You can hear him play one of his compositions, the Bartender’s Special, in the OL Friday Musical Moments.  Also aiding the adaptation was contrabassist Doug Balliett, who is also a composer.  I can’t wait to hear how this all works out, especially when playing Philidor’s music.

An onlooker taking in the ensemble for this work: Doug Balliett on contrabass, Ryan Brown on violin, and Adam Gardino on guitar. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette. (Somehow this photo reminds me of Picasso’s Three Musicians - check it out and see if you see the resemblance.)

This performance was challenged by the pandemic as well as by the compositional and staging issues.  The switch from the Mancos Opera House to open air, socially distanced seating on the ranch was necessitated by the coronavirus.  The bales of hay for seating had to be at least 25 feet from the stage and attendance was limited to 150 people due to Colorado guidelines.  The performers had to self-quarantine for two weeks prior to joining rehearsal, and like sports teams, each member of the cast had to maintain strict guidelines during the production.  Soprano Sara Shafer who plays Jeannie was unable to meet the guidelines in time for start of rehearsals, and for the first rehearsals she had to sit socially distanced from the stage which necessitated bringing in an additional soprano to cover the role.  Soprano Emilie Faiella was added to the cast, and she performed in the role of Jeannie for the October 11 performance.

The barn as the venue presented some challenges for staging.  First, the barn had to be set up as a backstage and two flat beds had to be brought in the serve as a makeshift stage.  Outdoor performances are subject to weather impairments, and there was particular concern with wind affecting sound quality, especially with seating so wide spread.  The decision was made to utilize microphones for this production.  Clearly, none of this was business as usual for Opera Lafayette, though the venue has the advantage of offering Southwestern sunsets; the performances began at 5 pm and finished at sun down.  If you have been to the outdoor Santa Fe Opera theater, you know the beautiful sunsets are an added bonus.

A sunset behind the Menefee Barn; the performances ran 5 pm until sunset. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Director Brown wanted to engage the local community in as many aspects of OL’s performance as possible. Spectators were allowed at dress rehearsal.  The OL team, assisted by music teacher, Andrew Saletta, worked with middle and high children on learning the songs being used, and had them perform at the barn. Seating-limited recitals were performed in the Mancos Opera House observing pandemic guidelines.  I suspect this outreach very likely contributed to the third performance being added and all three sold out, and perhaps built a bridge to the future.

Audience at educational program with middle and high school students performing. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

My assessment is that Artistic Director Brown is doing what he has always done, display a spirit of adventurousness and make the most of resources at his command.  The company which he founded has constantly evolved under his leadership. Recently, he has collaborated with the cutting edge Heartbeat Opera in updating a work by seventeenth century composer Stradella and in the past, he has taken OL to perform at Versailles. In Americanizing opéra comique, he has potentially expanded the American audience for opera and has turned potential defeat at the hands of the pandemic into an innovative journey offering employment for musicians and singers, fun entertainment for its audiences, and something new to a region of personal importance to him; and who knows what might become of this adaptation and where it might lead Opera Lafayette. Kudos to Director Brown and the entire Opera Lafayette team!

A standing ovation for Opera Lafayette’s Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith). Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Cattlemen, guitars, sing-alongs, opera?  What would Philidor think?  More importantly, what will audiences in DC and NYC think?  I suspect Philidor would approve; he apparently understood the need to innovate and how to connect with audiences (he was also not opposed to putting other people’s music to good use).  I can’t wait to see The Blacksmith, but the question that remains is how will it play in DC and NYC, especially when moved indoors?  No doubt, it is fun, but is there enough there there? You will soon be able to see the movie and next Spring the hoped for live performances closer to home, if the pandemic will allow. 

The Fan Experience: A film of the performance of Le Maréchal ferrant (The Blacksmith) will begin streaming on November 15 and will be available through November 29.  Ticket prices have not been announced as yet but will be available shortly at the OL website.  Opera Lafayette intends to have indoor, live-staged performances in NYC and DC next Spring. The date for NYC has been set for June 22, but the date for DC has not been firmly established as yet.

Opera Lafayette has posted a video clip of the lead up to the performances at this YouTube link.

Virginia Opera’s Adam Turner on the Importance of Stayin’ Alive in 2020

This summer, Virginia Opera’s Adam Turner has been reading dystopian novels describing apocalyptic scenarios, a curious choice of genre for a pandemic, but perhaps he intuitively was choosing to fight fire with fire.  His response to the books shows the positive bent of Virginia Opera’s Artistic Director and Conductor.  In our telephone conversation, he noted that apocalypse is a Greek word whose meaning is revelation, an event that reveals what is important to us and calls upon us to take action.  For him, COVID-19’s devastating impact on the opera world has brought into focus just how important opera is to so many people, singers and musicians, creative staff like conductors and stage directors, lighting, set, and costume designers, all the people necessary to put on an opera performance, from costume and set makers to business and media staff, ticket takers, parking lot attendants, and of course Virginia Opera fans who depend on the company for both entertainment and cultural enrichment.  So, Virginia Opera has set a course to enhance its relationship and continue its service to Virginia even with the constraining limitations wrought by the 2020 pandemic.  This effort is revealed in their new program called “Stayin’ Alive – Virginia Opera’s Alternate Fall” that initiates this month, where the code word is interactive.

Virginia Opera’s Artistic Director and Conductor, Adam Turner.

The term Stayin’ Alive is an attention getter as a disco meme derived from the 1970s Bee Gees hit song featured in the film “Saturday Night Fever” and in an eponymous follow up film.  Hearing only a few notes starts my mind replaying scenes of a young John Travolta in a white, bell-bottomed suit making dance moves on the disco floor.  For VO, “Stayin’ Alive” has been adopted as an umbrella phrase for a constellation of activities the company will use to reach out to its patrons while unable to commune with us in the opera houses in Norfolk, Fairfax, and Richmond; some events will be pay-per-view to help support VO’s activities.  Director Turner also sees the possibility that some of these events may prove so successful that they will continue beyond this season as ways the company can connect with and serve its patrons.  The program kicks off on September 9 with the beginning of a series of “Weekly Wednesday Wind Down”, live 30-min concerts on the lawn of the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk in front of a limited, socially-distanced audience.  Next up:

“Virtual Showcase”

Virginia Opera Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists

September 16, 2020

Stayin’ Alive kicks it up a notch on September 16 with an online concert-and-more program called “Virtual Showcase” that will feature four of VO’s Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists.  Each artist will sing one song or aria with the added interest being that fans are now voting on a choice between two songs that each singer is prepared to sing.  I’ve voted, and voting is open until September 9 at this link - the deadline may be extended.  The pandemic has greatly constrained the budget and activities that Virginia Opera can conduct across the state.  In a normal year, 15-20 Emerging Artists would be brought in to perform at operas and/or in various VO educational and outreach activities.  These artists are selected from 500-700 applicants who would be pared down to 125-200 that would receive auditions in New York City with a final call back of 40-50 artists for final auditions.  The most impressive of that crop would then be invited to Norfolk for training activities.  This Fall, VO could only bring in four Emerging Artists; revenue from the Virtual Showcase will go to supporting the Emerging Artist program..

left to right: Emerging Artists soprano Symone Harcum, mezzo-soprano Whitney Robinson, baritone Nicholas Martorano, and bass-baritone Eric J. McConnell.

The artists to be showcased on September 16 are soprano Symone Harcum, mezzo-soprano Whitney Robinson, baritone Nicholas Martorano, and bass-baritone Eric J. McConnell.  These are already accomplished singers who have chosen to apply some finishing touches to their craft before proceeding with their careers as opera soloists.  I teasingly asked Mr. Turner when an opera singer was considered completely emerged.  With good humor, he said when they have achieved the experience and stature to return to VO as featured artists.  He pointed out that famous diva Renee Fleming was once a VO Emerging Artist.  Ms. Harcum and Ms. Robinson appeared in the VO spring production of La Cenerentola, playing sisters Clorinda and Tisbe.  All of these artists will be singing roles in VO operas planned for Spring 2021 (see below).  Mr. Turner and VO’s Chorus Master and Assistant Conducter, Brandon Eldredge will be accompanying the singers on piano; singers and accompanists will be together in the same space, appropriately distanced – a real concert, not one meticulously threaded together with performers in different locations.

A Facebook screen capture shot of Martinis, Manhattans, and Maestros showing Maestro Turner holding up one of his summer apocalyptic reads while Maestro Eldredge views his selection, connected on a Zoom call.

At the beginning of our conversation, I asked Director Turner, “Why opera?  What does opera offer a community that makes it worth the effort?  He remarked that the company was founded 46 years ago by community leaders in Norfolk as a way to bring cultural enrichment to the Norfolk area and make a statement that the community had “arrived”.  The company expanded to give presentations across Virginia and currently receives support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and grants from several cities and counties, an affirmation of the contribution that opera brings to Virginia.  He believes the special appeal of opera is the magical ability of the unamplified human voice to connect with people and communicate stories in a way that “elevates their lives”.  In the past, I have referred to such experiences as transcendent.  However, for me, it has been an experience encountered primarily by being there; so, it begs this question: in shifting to online programs, is it possible to achieve experiences of that sort?  We didn’t discuss this question explicitly, but I thnk that VO feels the problem deeply and is thereby making their productions for the remainder of the year ones that reach out to draw the audience members in, not just present them with straightforward recitals.  For example, the Wednesdays program above, and the new “Curbside Concerts” project (for $500-1,000, Virginia Opera will bring an opera concert to your location of choice, observing COVID-19 restrictions, of course) seek emotional as well as musical connection.  Perhaps more telling are the informal Martinis, Manhattans, and Maestros online discussions led by Mr. Turner and Mr. Eldredge, where various topics are discussed and include a chat feature for viewers to post questions and have them addressed in real time; there have been two so far.  As noted above, interactivity is designed into the Virtual Showcase by including voting for arias, but also, it won’t have a traditional recital format; viewers of the concert will be able to make comments and ask questions online in real time, and Mr. Turner says there will be a few “surprises”.

Virginia Opera plans to begin its performances of operas in front of an audience in the Norfolk, Fairfax, and Richmond opera houses starting in February 2021.  Virginia Opera is also constantly monitoring and reassessing the situation and is prepared to make modifications as needed.

Virginia Opera’s Spring 2021 season:

La Voix Humaine by Francis Poulenc and Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini – (N) Feb 5, 7, 9; (F) Feb 13, 14; (R) Feb 19, 21

The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – (N) Mar 12, 14, 16; (F) Mar 20, 21; (R) Mar 26, 28

The Pirates of Penzance by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan – (N) Apr 16, 18, 20; (R) Apr 23, 25; unfortunately the Fairfax venue was not available during this time period.

What might the future hold for Virginia Opera beyond this un-normal year?  While part of a team and a company with a board, as Artistic Director, Mr. Turner has the major responsibility for opera selections and charting the company’s artistic future, which means in no small measure, he is also charting Virginia’s cultural future.  Maestro Turner began with Virginia Opera as the chorus master and assistant conductor.  He credits learning on the job as giving him a good understanding of the three principal communities that VO serves, Norfolk, Fairfax, and Richmond, three very different communities.  Pleasing many masters must be challenging.  What he really has hopes for is ensuring that 20th and 21st century composers get heard as well as popular classical works and that Virginia artists and composers, and Virginia-centric storytelling get presented.  He leans toward composers Mason Bates who was raised in Richmond, Gregory Spears who grew up in Virginia, and Adolphus Hailstork, composer-in residence at Old Dominion Univeristy in Norfolk and for Virginia stories, perhaps beginning with Ricky Ian Gordon’s Rappahannock County. 

He’d also like to offer some of the newer works that address the social issues of the day, which he said might draw VO closer to its audiences, though for more controversial operas, audience preparation would be essential – through lectures and meetings with community groups.  While this still relatively new role as Artistic Director is rewarding, he really enjoys conducting, where his focus can completely be on working with the music and the singers.  Still, he has conducted every VO performance for the last two years and envisions having a few guest conductors in the future that will allow him to give more attention to other aspects of a production; as Artistic Director, he ultimately has responsibility for everything.  Mr. Turner’s friendliness and down-to-earth nature belie a very high level of artistry. If you have read my reports on VO performances, and I miss very few, you will know that I am more than happy to have Maestro Turner in the pit and am typically impressed with the quality of VO productions.  We discussed a bit about orchestras employed by VO, but perhaps that is worthy of a report all by itself.  Certainly, orchestras themselves have been devastated by the pandemic. 

Director Turner is upbeat and positive about opera’s and Virginia Opera’s future, but he is not immune to the sadness that we all feel, missing that physical connection of live, in person, fully staged opera, sharing the sense of community and what it means to be human that we get from a fine opera production.  The human voice, live and unamplified, with a full orchestra in the pit, bringing me to joy and tears, and elevating my life is what I truly long for.  I think we are all in agreement on that point.  The coronavirus pandemic has been a spiritual apocalypse and has revealed how badly we need cultural sustenance, and for many of us, that means opera.  I applaud Virginia Opera for forging ahead to explore new directions that this pandemic both allows and requires, and it will be fun to see and sample what they are able to put on the table for us.  Virginia Opera’s website proudly states that the Virginia Assembly has designated Virginia Opera as the Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  And under Adam Turner’s direction, VO is not resting on its laurels or letting its audience be socially-distanced away.

The Fan Experience: A household pass for the Virtual Showcase can be purchased ($20) at this link; the video of the live performance will be available for one week. 

You can find a calendar of Stayin’ Alive events here  and information on the Spring 2021 fully staged operas using the Experience tab at the top of the homepage.

You will need a scorecard to keep track of all of the operas, concerts, festivals, and myriad educational and outreach activities of Virginia Opera.  I recommend getting familiar with their website and signing up for their announcements; you can sign up using the pop-up box on first access of their website or send a request to info@vaopera.org.

Opera Season 2020-2021 in the mid-Atlantic: Phoenixes Taxiing for Takeoff

September 1 is the traditional start date for a new opera season.  So, what are the major players in the mid-Atlantic - the Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Virginia Opera, and Washington National Opera - planning during this COVID-19 decimated year?  And what about the smaller opera companies in the mid-Atlantic region? 

A phoenix depicted in an 1806 book of legendary creatures by FJ Bertuch. Image in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia.

Pittsburgh Opera surprised me with an ambitious 2020-2021 season announcement on Aug 3 that included live, before-an-audience opera scheduled as early as October; so I looked quickly across all opera companies in the mid-Atlantic to see if any other such live performances have been scheduled before the end of 2020.  The answer is no at this point, but it’s complicated, and the coronavirus has not revealed yet what it will permit even in 2021.  Let’s take a look at what appear to be the phoenixes rising from the ashes of COVID-19.

Earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines required all live, in-person opera productions to be shut down.  Opera companies held out as long as possible, but eventually, starting in March, productions were stopped mid-run, and slowly, production after production was postponed or cancelled until it was announced that opera houses would remain dark until the Fall, and finally, for many companies decisions were made in late Spring and Summer, to concede that there could be no performances before a live audience until 2021.  The devastating loss of ticket revenue caused companies to severely cut back their staffs, furlough many, as well as cancel contracts with performers who would have appeared in cancelled performances.  After coming to terms with the likelihood that the coronavirus would still be preventing large gatherings throughout 2020, almost all companies began looking to online streaming of existing opera videos or new, limited online concert performances to keep in touch with and entertain their audiences; most often these have been made freely available since most companies were not experienced in planning and managing online pay-for-view activities at that time.  Perhaps they were also reluctant to grow an online audience and infrastructure, hoping to get attendees back into the opera houses as soon as possible.  That may be changing as companies experiment with online events to raise revenue and maintain contact with their audiences; some mentioned below.

First, I will report on Pittsburgh Opera’s plans.  When the 2020-2021 season was first announced, PO had planned a full complement of six operas, a mix of grand and chamber operas, that included Rusalka, The Magic Flute, Emmeline, Soldier Songs, Aida, and Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.  As it currently stands, only Soldier Songs and Charlie Parker’s Yardbird remain in this season’s schedule; the others have been moved to future seasons and two new productions have been added for this season.  The 2020-2021 season operas will be performed under special circumstances to mitigate concerns with the coronavirus.

Pittsburgh Opera’s 2020-2021 season:

Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Oct 17, 20, 23, 25, 27, 29

Soldier Songs by David T. Little – Dec 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17

Semele by George Frederic Handel – Feb 20, 23, 26, 28, Mar 2, 4

Charlie Parker’s Yardbird by Daniel Schnyder – April 10, 13, 16, 18, 20, 22

Pittsburgh Opera Director Christopher Hahn stated that PO was determined to maintain live opera for its audience, but this will require adjustments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The four operas of the 2020-21 season will all receive six performances in the George R. White Opera Studio at Pittsburgh Opera’s headquarters in Pittsburgh’s Strip District in chamber opera fashion.  Enhanced safety protocols will be employed, such as conducting temperature checks for all patrons, artists, and staff; requiring patrons and staff to wear masks; professional cleaning of the Studio after every performance; strict and structured audience traffic flows; social distance seating so that only 52 of the 195 possible seats will be filled, and more.  

Performances will be staged with sets and costumes.  Casting is almost complete and will primarily utilize resident artists in training, rising professionals under two-year contracts, and some visiting artists; Charlie Parker’s Yardbird will include previously scheduled guest artists.  All performances except for Soldier Songs will be conducted by Music Director Antony Walker; ensemble orchestras up to around 17 musicians can be accommodated behind the stage.  Pittsburgh Opera is contacting their ticket holders to arrange for seating in the newly announced season or make other changes as needed; single ticket availability will not be known until requests from subscribers and donors have been accommodated.  One opera from each performance will be live streamed so that all Pittsburgh Opera fans will be able to see these productions.  PO will also be offering additional programming online during the season.  And of course, in this season of the COVID-19, all plans in the mid-Atlantic are subject to change to be compliant with changing public health guidelines and maintain the safety of patrons.

Opera Philadelphia’s season announcement in February listed three opera productions as part of OP’s season opening annual Fall festival.  Festival O20 was to have included Woman with Eyes Closed (a Jennifer Higdon world premiere), a new production of Macbeth, and El Cimarrón, as well as other opera related events; the second half of the season was to include Oedipus Rex and Tosca.  Most of these productions are now deferred to a later season.  OP will instead offer a digital season from October to April, envisioning keeping Tosca to be performed in the Academy of Music in the Spring.  The Digital 2020-2021 season will be delivered though the Opera Philadelphia Channel, which will be accessible world-wide; there will be single event prices, and a full season subscription price is currently available.   Once placed on the Opera Philadelphia Channel, it is planned that the videos will remain accessible at least through the end of the Channel’s first season, May 31, 2021.

Opera Philadelphia’s Digital 2020-2021 season:

La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi – October (video of 2015 production with Lisette Oropesa)

Cycles of My Being by Tyshawn Sorey – November (recital by Lawrence Brownlee)

Soldier Songs by David T. Little – December (filmed for the OP Channel)

Digital Commissions (four new digital operas) – December to April (filmed for the OP Channel)

El Cimarrón by Werner Henze – March (filmed for the OP Channel)

Opera Philadelphia’s In Person 2020-2021 season (tentative):

Tosca by Giacomo Puccini - April 30, May 2, 5, 7, 9

The Opera Philadelphia Channel will also offer a concert, “Lawrence Brownlee and Friends” in October 2020.  Over the summer OP has offered a Digital Festival O which included videos of previous festival productions, whose viewing ends on August 31.

In April, Virginia Opera announced plans for four operas for the 2020-2021 season around the theme “Love is a Battlefield”.  Scheduled operas had been Rigoletto, The Pirates of Penzance, Cold Mountain, and The Marriage of Figaro; each was to have been performed at venues in Norfolk, Fairfax, and Richmond, as is their usual practice.  With their hand forced by COVID-19, a revised 2020-2021 season schedule was announced at the end of June.  Performances of Rigoletto and Cold Mountain were cancelled; in March they had also been forced to postpone performances of Aida.  The Pirates of Penzance was moved from the Fall to the Spring, however, performances could not be scheduled in Fairfax for workable dates.  In filling out the schedule, a twin-bill of engaging chamber operas was added to lead off the season in February.

Virginia Opera’s 2020-2021 season:

La Voix Humaine by Francis Poulenc and Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini – (N) Feb 5, 7, 9; (F) Feb 13, 14; (R) Feb 19, 21

The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – (N) Mar 12, 14, 16; (F) Mar 20, 21; (R) Mar 26, 28

The Pirates of Penzance by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan – (N) Apr 16, 18, 20; (R) Apr 23, 25

Conductor and Artistic Director Adam Turner will lead the orchestras.  Performers and creative staff are listed on the VA Opera web pages for each production.

Washington National Opera’s 2020-2021 season announcement in January listed 6 operas: Fidelio (in honor of Beethoven’s 100th birthday), Nixon in China, Boris Godunov, Rigoletto, Cosí fan tutte, and La Bohème plus January’s American Opera Initiative premiering three new 20-minute operas.  In June, the Kennedy Center cancelled performances through 2020 which resulted in cancellations for Fidelio and Nixon in China.  Then in July, WNO announced a revised 2021 portion of the season, including the AOI operas and La Bohème and adding performances of Blue (which won the award for new operas in 2020), which was to have received its DC premiere this past March.  Also cancelled back in March were mid-performance runs of Samson and Delilah and Don Giovanni; the May performances of Porgy and Bess were also cancelled.

Washington National Opera’s 2020-2021 season:

Three New 20- Minute Operas, American Opera Initiative – Jan 16

La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini – 8, 9, 10, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22

Blue by Jeanine Tesori - Jul 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

Well, what about the smaller companies?  I am starting to work on that right now.

The Fan Experience: Additional changes may prove necessary.  Sign up for company email updates.

As I have navigated web sites, I find them somewhat unfamiliar and complicated, and even found some expired web pages still running.  But during this period, we have to be patient and be careful.  As you can imagine, all the cancellations and changes have added complexity to each situation and created havoc for web managers and ticket offices of the different companies. 

Companies have been working hard to contact subscribers and ticket holders to refund, exchange, or accept donations of existing tickets and subscriptions.  Best advice is to examine opera company websites carefully and contact representatives when needed.  Also, be patient since we are all having difficulty dealing with disruptions to our schedules.

It is possible that more changes will be required before all this is over.  I recommend signing up to receive email updates from all the companies within your region of interest.  You will get the most up-to-date info, and you will also learn about all the online offerings currently available (operas, concerts, recitals, lectures, discussions), as well as, ticket availability and special discounts being offered by the companies. 

How to sign up for newsletters and email updates:

Pittsburgh Opera – the bottom of each web page on the PO website has a footer with a link to sign up for “E-UPDATES”; simply add your email address to the box provided and click Go.

Opera Philadelphia – the bottom of each web page on the OP website has footer with a link to sign up titled “Hear from us”; simply add your email address to the box  provided and click SIGN UP.

Virginia Opera – When you first access the Virginia Opera website, a popup box will appear titled STAY IN THE KNOW (it only appears the first time you access the website on a given day).  You only are required to fill in your email address although there are slots to also give your name and city and area of interest in Virginia if you wish.  You can also send an email directly to info@vaopera.org requesting to be added to their email list.

Washington National Opera – Send an email to info@kennedy-center.org with a request to be placed on the Kennedy Center email list.  You will receive updates about all Kennedy Center activities, including the Washington National Opera.

Denyce Graves Provides a Learning Activity for Opera Fans: The Master Class

Superstar mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

Wolf Trap Opera has one of the most successful programs in the country at sending emerging professional singers into successful professional careers as opera soloists. Each summer they hold a master class for their trainees, led by the Filene Artist in Residence, a well-known alumni of their program. This year’s class was led by superstar mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, and mainly for that reason, I decided to listen to the first thirty minutes or so, just to see what it was like when first broadcast on July 22. The class, held with four WTO young Studio Artists, lasted just under two hours. I was glued to my computer screen the entire time. Yes, the class was for singers, but WTO recognizes its value for fans as well and makes it open to the public; it is currently available for viewing online.

First, let’s be clear: opera singers are made, not born. A play appeared on Broadway in 1995 written by Terence McNally titled “Master Class”; playwright McNally is also known as a librettist, most notably for Dead Man Walking by composer Jake Heggie. Sadly, Mr. McNally died earlier this year from complications due to the coronavirus. The plot for the play revolves around soprano Maria Callas holding a master class in which she relates stories of her life to the class. The play won the Tony Award for best drama and had a two-year successful run (if anybody wants to put that play on, I will attend, especially if you turn it into an opera). In a master class, established opera professionals listen to and critique singers in early to mid-stage career development; other singers and fans also benefit from viewing the instruction. This passing down of hard-won expertise is crucial to the development of the next generation of opera singers and maintaining opera’s high artistic standards; fans, when the classes are open to the public, get an improved understanding of the technique and art of singing opera. Music schools and opera company training programs make these classes an integral part of their curriculum.

Mezzo-soprano Alexis Peart, first student performing in the master class; all students accompanied by pianist William Woodard. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

Singing opera well is challenging, more difficult than most people recognize; singing opera professionally requires reaching yet another level. Take renowned contralto Marian Anderson for example. She was born a singer, but it was years and years of dedicated training and study that enabled her to become the first black soloist to sing at the Met. Ms. Callas, who was so admired as a singer she was given the tag “La Divina”, was reportedly a dedicated student who worked with a tutor early in her career to change her tessitura (vocal range) from contralto to dramatic soprano and develop that talent. Similar stories can be said for the vast majority of today’s opera singers. The perfection of their craft takes years of intense study, practice, and tutoring and tends to be a life-long commitment. When you are experienced singing at the professional level, you are a master and are prepared to teach master classes for those singers who have not yet achieved your level of mastery.

Class instructor Denyce Graves provides student feedback. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

Well, let’s look at the professorial qualifications for Denyce Graves. During the twenty-year period starting around 1990, she was a rock star in the opera world; today she is a revered diva. She made her Met debut in Carmen in 1995; hers was considered the definitive Carmen, and she played that role in over twenty Met productions. She has performed leading roles in most of the major opera houses in Europe and the US, and still performs today, most recently in Porgy and Bess at the Met and would have played the same role at the Kennedy Center if the production had not been shut down by the pandemic (much to my chagrin). She has hosted her own network television special, and as a popular recitalist and recording star, she has often been called on to sing at major events. I could go on and on about her awards and impressive accomplishments, but I will just add one more that I really like. Tim Page, a highly regarded and tough critic for the Washington Post in the 1990s, said of her, “She is almost too good to be true -- a vital artist, a beautiful woman, and a regal presence.” Hers is an amazing story. She grew up in one of the tougher sections of Southwest DC and later almost had her career ended before it began by a medical problem affecting her voice (an interesting CBS Sixty Minutes segment from 1996 describes her rise to stardom and early beginnings). She currently resides in Leesburg, Virginia. Ms. Graves has given many master classes at different venues; several can be found on YouTube. In her WTO master class, she was focused, interactive, informative, and looked spectacular, as a diva should.

Soprano Brittany Logan next up to perform and be critiqued. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

Watching the four WTO Studio Artists stepping up to perform in the master class was like watching a spring bouquet appear one flower at a time. Studio Artists, rather than the more experienced Filene Artists, are usually chosen as students for the master classes, as WTO tries to meet the particular needs of their trainees, pair them appropriately with specific trainers, and spread the opportunities among all their trainees over the summer. I won’t comment further on the young artists other than to say that each was delightful and highly talented; they were responsive to the suggestions from Ms. Graves, and it was a pleasure to hear them perform. The singers and their arias for this class are listed below; accompaniment was provided on the electronic keyboard by pianist William Woodard, who is also a WTO Coaching Fellow this summer:

Alexis Peart, mezzo-soprano - Venti turbini, Rinaldo
Brittany Logan, soprano - Porgi amor, Le Nozze di Figaro
Justin Burgess, baritone - Count's Aria, Le Nozze di Figaro
Emily Triegle, mezzo-soprano - Simple Child, Grapes of Wrath

Baritone Justin Burgess third up for a performance and a critique. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

I’ve watched segments of a few other master classes online, and the ones I’ve watched seemed to concentrate mostly on the voice being used (chest voice, throat voice, etc.) and breathing techniques. Ms. Graves took a more holistic approach, encouraging each singer to get more in touch with the character they were playing and to be careful how their voices and body movements correctly portray their characters as they see them, in order to forge and maintain a strong connection with the audience. The number of things an opera singer has to think about and control at one time is amazing. Ms. Graves’ approach highlights an important feature of opera: the arias are the same for every performer, but each performer brings a bit of themselves to the roles, and thus each performance is fresh. Ms. Graves was very supportive and positive in her instructional approach. It was easy to see how this class would be valuable to the performing students and those in the audience. I couldn’t help but wonder when the class was over if Ms. Graves might have any ambition to direct opera; she’d be good. I recommend you tune in to enjoy her performance as teacher and meet these young performers for yourself.

Mezzo-soprano Emily Treigle is the last student in the master class to perform and have her performance critiqued by Ms. Graves. Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap.

I wanted to delve deeper into the use of master classes and contacted staff at Wolf Trap Opera. In response to my questions, I was told:

“In some ways master classes are as much a part of the training as voice lessons are. To work with an experienced singing artist and master teacher who has so much professional experience to share is another way in which our singers glean information about their voices. It's often helpful in a few specific ways:
• Getting advice about how their voices might sound (or how they might need to be tooled) to work successfully in the large spaces that the established singers perform in frequently (the perspective from singing in a 2000-seat house with a 70-person orchestra several times a week for years is invaluable to a singer who has performed mostly with piano, or in smaller houses.).
• Bridging the artistic gap between school and profession; most of the best master classes are about breaking through the rigidity that come from intense academic study. There's a time when every artist needs to take ownership of their artistry; at the very best, these classes offer a glimpse into how to do that.
• Connection: making a connection with a professional singer of renown is an incredibly valuable resource and opportunity for these young people.
The public aspect of many of these classes helps just to get the adrenaline up for the performer! But these classes happen without public participation, too - it's not just for the public, but it's an easy way to bring a curious public in to view the process work.”

And you can relax; there is not a quiz afterwards.

Well, it’s a pandemic. Your activities are very likely restricted. Watching Ms. Graves interact with these young singers is both entertaining reality video and a learning experience, and good preparation for watching upcoming Wolf Trap Opera online offerings - see below for some suggestions. I think for the next singing performances I watch I will be more aware of how the singers are portraying their characters and will appreciate it all the more when they are successful at drawing me in. So, I recommend you give this master class a watch, say, for just thirty minutes. I bet you watch more.

The Fan Experience: The video can be accessed at this website; after you click to begin the video (you may have to click twice), be patient because it takes about a minute for the Wolf Trap Opera screen to disappear and the action to begin. The recording is certainly watchable, but I also have to report that the video and audio quality is not as good as it would be if the class had been held in the training center. I assume the master class was held in the open air Wolf Trap Ovations pavilion to maximize airflow as a safety precaution for dealing with the coronavirus. The audio includes some wind noise buffeting the microphones from time to time and one can detect the occasional airplane passing overhead, but not bad, and the singing and conversations come through clearly. I like listening with Air Pods, which have excellent sound . The video is somewhat lightly washed by the strong sunlight in the background, and the social distancing measures give the camera person a good workout switching from singers to Ms. Graves. Ms. Graves had to give encouragement without hugs for this one. Sympathies and gratitude to accompanist Mr. Woodard who had to keep his mask on for the entire class, as did the young artists in attendance.

Wolf Trap Opera’s “Untrapped Online” is providing a smorgasbord of online opera viewing options over the summer with some very attractive new ones coming up in August:

As part one of a program titled “Love: Surrender”, two operas that WTO would have presented this summer in person will have “stripped down” performances by this year’s trainees streamed online.

August 9 - La boheme
August 16 – Eugene Onegin

On August 23, WTO will begin streaming the “Orpheus Project”, that “weaves together three settings of the [Orpheus] myth ranging from 1607-2020 reflecting the traditional themes of the Greek original and the evolution of the myth in response to society as we seek to comprehend mysteries and passions that elude us.”

On Demand Partying: BCO’s Thirsty Thursdays at Home Thru Aug 2

Think of it as opera take out, delivered safely to the internet connected device of your choice, including some fun trimmings.  Baltimore Concert Opera’s Thirsty Thursdays, a cocktail party with opera singers held several times each season, was moved online due to the pandemic.  How you might ask? We’ll get to that in a moment.  A “Thirsty Thursdays Opera at Home” production, shown originally in June by BCO is available now, streaming for free for an entire week until Sunday, Aug 2.  After the concert/party scheduled for May had to be cancelled, the performers agreed to a shift to a digital performance, and their contracts were fully paid; they also agreed to limited repeat showings of the program.  There are three segments or sets, each led off with a suggested beverage; sets 2 and 3 lead off with recipes.  At only about 45 minutes, it will leave you yearning for more, but being online you can pause it to try one of the cocktail recipes and then watch your favored performances again – until Sunday. 

Julia Cooke, Artistic Director and General Director of the Baltimore Concert Opera demonstrates how to make her own concoction. Iris the cow is in the background and off camera was her dog Kevin Bacon and her husband Brendan. Image courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

The video begins with introductory comments made by BCO Artistic Director and General Manager Julia Cooke from her backyard and by Courtney Kalbacker, BCO’s Director of Community Engagement and Education, who also made the first beverage recommendation; the informality of the opening remarks set the tone for the entire program.  As preparation, several Zoom meetings were held to settle the musical issues; then, the performances of singers and pianist were recorded separately and woven together by Nicole Steinberg, BCO’s Director of Operations and Media.  Considering the technical challenges, it is amazing how good the performances sound, especially in the case of duets!  I like very much that BCO chose to use a split screen showing the piano accompaniment as well as the singers.  The broadcast is additionally enhanced by pop up bubbles containing comments, sometimes informative and sometimes just humorous as the performances are ongoing, a nicely put together package.  I might only have wished for smoother transitions between the performers, maybe an introduction before a new singer appeared the first time, though the performers do introduce themselves.

Mezzo-soprano Mariya Kaganskaya sings accompanied on piano by Joy Schreier, while Eddie-the-dog chills, obviously not concerned about that particular lyric in the aria. Image courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

A cast of four talented singers with pleasing voices sing multiple songs and arias selected to please.  Soprano Makeda Hampton, mezzo-soprano Mariya Kaganskaya, tenor Brian Wallin, baritone Trevor Scheunemann, and pianist Joy Schreier provide the arias, songs, and music and some personal comments.  They also provide even more, a visit to their homes where they performed, and provided a glimpse of a family member or two.  First up is Ms. Kaganskaya from her sofa in NYC, who dons a pair of pants (off camera) to sing a delightful pants role aria from Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. The white bobble in her left ear is not an earring, but an Air Pod playing the piano accompaniment recorded by Ms. Schreier in Maryland.  Her dog Eddie took it all in stride, but he likely hears her sing on a daily basis.  The switch to Ms. Hampton in Delaware seemed a bit abrupt with no introduction, but I was quickly charmed by her singing of the popular aria “Chacun le sait” from Donezetti’s La Fille du Régiment.  The guys, Mr. Wallin in Minneapolis and Mr. Scheunemann in Columbia, Maryland, come in singing the famous tenor baritone duet from Bizet’s Les Pécheurs de Perles.  This is one of my favorite two or three duets in all of opera, and they more than do it justice, especially considering they are not in the same room with each other, nor with Ms. Schreier.  A slight bit of reverberation can be detected from Mr. Wallin’s room, but the beauty of his voice comes through clearly.  (He tries to disguise the fact he is a tenor by sporting a full beard; but come on, if you are a pretty boy tenor, you gotta own it - just joking!!!).  Mr. Scheunemann’s solid, stately baritone clearly anchors the performance; he eschews fashion, preferring a wired ear bud to hear Ms. Schreier.  And can we talk about Ms. Schreier?  I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her perform several times now and each time I’ve remarked on how much I’ve enjoyed her performance.  Her beautiful playing supports the performers without being obtrusive.  In fact, one could do a lot worse than spending an entire evening of cocktails listening to her splendid playing.  Overall, this was a very strong cast. Thank you, BCO.

Soprano Makeda Hampton in Delaware accompanied on piano by Joy Schreier in Delaware. She sings a song she says helped launch her on a career in opera. Image courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

I’ve only covered the highlights of the first set, but the pleasure continues in set 2 with more arias and with songs in set 3; we also get to see a couple of kids and another dog, and maybe a cat.  No, there wasn’t a cat, was there?  Ms. Cooke leads off set 2 with a drink recipe and all the singers return.  I suggest that Ms. Cooke has an on-screen presence that might allow her to follow in the footsteps of another famous Julia, only with a cocktail focus; you also meet Iris and Kevin Bacon, though not who you might be expecting.  Have I convinced you it’s a party atmosphere?  Sets 2 and 3 are as much fun as number 1.  Enjoy the singing, the playing, the atmosphere, and maybe imbibe a little, all done safely in the place you choose.

Tenor Brian Wallin on left in Minnesota and baritone Trevor Scheunemann in Maryland sing a duet, accompanied on piano by Joy Schreier in the frame above them, in another area of Maryland. Image courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

The downside to watching this encore video is that I know what it would be like to hear these performers in person.  It would be like being there in their homes with them.  Only we’d all be in the Engineers Club together and the drinks would be served.  Sigh.

We don’t often think about the meaning of what we are doing, but sometimes I ask myself what is opera all about?  Well, how about art, singing, music, acting, entertainment, careers…all true.  Anything else that brings us back time and again to the opera house and leads performers and staff to dedicate their lives to this pursuit?  How about human connection, that feeling that we are part of something together, something good and nourishing to our souls?  BCO’s Thirsty Thursdays is about all those things, but this At Home performance is centered on connection, a reminder that BCO is still there for us, and none of us can wait until we are back together again in person.

The Fan Experience: The premiere of this “Encore” broadcast occurred this past Sunday, and the streaming will continue until Sunday, Aug 2.  You can pick up the feed from BCO’s web page or directly from YouTube. Subtitles in English for arias in other languages are shown at the bottom of the screen.

Recipes for the two cocktails can be accessed through the BCO Thirsty Thursdays webpage, then click on the “Music and Drink Menu” link..  I tried the recipe presented by Ian Clark, Bar Supervisor at the Topside in Hotel Revival at the beginning of the third set; it’s called Kill the Wabbitt and it’s a worthy addition to my repertoire (even though I had to substitute tequila for the mezcal).

Also at the bottom of the screen throughout the concert is a texting number (202-858-1233) to use for making donations to Baltimore Concert Opera.  Think of it as tipping the streamer for your delivery; the money you give returns to you via the performances and performers that it allows BCO to bring to you, and with no ticket revenue coming in for over half a year, the need has never been greater.

Autobiography of Marian Anderson: Nice to Meet You, Ms. Anderson

Marian Anderson, 1920; image in public domain from Wikipedia.

My son, the book lover, bought a first edition copy of Marion Anderson’s “My Lord, What a Morning: an Autobiography” for my Father’s Day present this year; I was quite pleased, having wanted to learn more about Marian Anderson for a long time.  After reading it, I feel like I know her.  Her autobiography is not about all the things she accomplished, though her accomplishments are stunning, nor is it a tell all about the famous people she knew, though she met Arturo Toscanini and was friends with Eleanor Roosevelt.  Let me further make the distinction clear.  I don’t feel that I just know things about her now; presumptuous, yes, but I feel I know her, know the human nature of this surprisingly modest, yet gifted human being.  I think that was her intention in writing the book, and she succeeded.  She explained herself the way she saw herself and believed that whatever prejudices you have about her because of the color of her skin would melt away once you knew her.

Her book proved to be a very easy read.  It is conversational in tone and style, much like a visiting aunt talking to you about her upbringing and her travels and adventures, though Ms. Anderson goes deeper, revealing her thoughts and gently, her feelings about these things.  Some of her anecdotes end with punchlines that were most amusing because they usually caught me off guard, a departure from her reserved, understated style.  An example is her discussion with the head of her talent agency at the time, Arthur Judson, about her desire to seek additional training in Europe.  Mr. Judson told her that if she went to Europe it was only to satisfy her vanity.  She responded, “I will go then, for that purpose.”  She also resisted Mr. Judson’s attempts to turn her into a mezzo-soprano, which she felt was not her natural vocal range, which was contralto, and would shorten her career.  Throughout the book, it is obvious that she knew her own mind; neither pushy nor a pushover, she was assertive when she needed to be.  She also offered praise to Mr. Judson for his help, and frequently expressed gratitude for the many people to whom she felt indebted.

The autobiography was published in 1956 when she was age 59; my comments about her primarily reflect my knowledge of her from her book, though she continued to perform until 1965 and lived to be age 96.  From prior knowledge, I only knew that Marian Anderson was a revered black opera singer who performed in the mid-1900s and was the first black opera singer to appear at the Met.  Even at that I was only partially right.  More precisely, she was the first black “soloist” to sing at the Met, the only fully staged opera production in which she was to appear.  As the book ends, she was considering whether to sing other roles, but she did not feel comfortable with acting, preferring to keep her focus on the delivery of the song.  In fact, she was primarily known as a classically trained concert artist, a contralto gifted with an extraordinary voice, specializing in spirituals and European art songs; Mr. Toscanini said that hers was a voice that came along only once a century.  Through hard work, dedication to her craft, perseverance, and good fortune, she gradually rose to fame as a touring singer, at one point reportedly the number three box office draw in America, and though not a role she sought, events selected her to become a worldwide icon of the American civil rights movement, and she graciously rose to the challenge.  That is a good word to describe Ms. Anderson; she was imbued with grace.

Above is a Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPGEiWAPm1M) of Marian Anderson singing “Casta Diva” from Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma. Listening to this recording I cannot help but feel regret (too mild a word, but keeping with the tone Ms. Anderson sets) that she had not been allowed to appear in opera earlier in her career. A slide show of photos of Ms. Anderson changes as the aria progresses. Remarkable also in that this is a contralto singing one of the most famous arias for sopranos.

Her grace was part of her nature, but it was nourished by a strong family and church support system she received growing up in Philadelphia.  She was singing in the Union Baptist Church choir by the time she was six years old, moving to the adult choir when she was thirteen.  Her talent and determination to sing was in evidence early; she learned and could sing the soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone roles.  She said, “…my heart filled when I sang,” and she loved singing in front of others, sharing her gift.  She was extraordinarily dedicated and hard working in developing her gift, but often ran into roadblocks.  Her church, the Union Baptist, took up a collection to buy her voice lessons that her family could not afford.  Her mom worked and her two sisters helped support the family; her father died when she was a child.  In her early twenties she dearly wanted to attend a school of music, not just for the training, but also for the experience of developing alongside other striving young singers.  She sat in the waiting room of a music school in Philadelphia waiting to be called to turn in her application.  After all the others had been called, she went up to the window and was told, “We don’t take colored.”  She stated that, “It was as if a cold horrifying hand had been laid on me.”  Grace you say, she did not mention the name of the school in her book, though she said it no longer existed.  Even after all her success, she states in her autobiography that she regretted not having had the opportunity to attend a school of music.

She managed to get lessons from private teachers, with the help of her family, friends, and individuals she met who wanted to help her develop her talent. Why did they want to help?  Read this quote from her book, as she was reporting on hearing another singer being tutored before her: “I could hear how perfectly the singer was enunciating the German, making the words so completely a part of the music that they might have been born together.  If I ever reached a point where I could sing a song like that in that way, I thought, I would be the happiest person in the world.”  She recognized that there was no shortcut to get to where she wanted to be.  Ms. Anderson did go to Europe, more than once, and developed her language skills and a substantial following there.  Those trips were part of a slow, steady rise from the Baptist Union church choir to the top of the concert world, eventually landing her a spot in a Met Opera production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera; she was given a standing ovation before she began to sing.  Money was always a problem in the early years. As she became wealthy, she wanted to give her mom gifts, even a new home.  Her mom, however, was quite happy with the family home, having her sisters in the same neighborhood.  She did finally convince her mom to make a trip to Europe with her.

Newsreel of Marian Anderson performing on Easter Sunday, 1939. Video on Youtube at link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAONYTMf2pk&list=PL04C392435D545140&index=2.

A seminal event occurred in 1939 that would make her a household name.  At the time, Ms. Anderson had been signed with famed impresario Sol Hurok’s agency for about five years. Slowly, she was moving up in terms of being able to command the stage of the larger, more prestigious concert halls.  The agency tried to book her in DC’s foremost concert venue at the time, Constitution Hall, but the owners of the hall, the Daughters of the American Revolution would not give her a date; it was later revealed there was a clause in Constitution Hall contracts barring colored performers.  Famously, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the D.A.R. over the affair.  Ms. Anderson would have preferred to avoid the “unpleasantness”, but it became national news.  She was used to being pushed aside; most often when traveling to concerts, she stayed with friends or supporters homes rather than confront the prejudice she encountered in hotels.  However, in this case there was an outpouring of support for Ms. Anderson and against the D.A.R.  A group of Washington elites set her up to do a concert from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday.  As she states, “I had become, whether I liked it or not, a symbol representing my people. I had to appear.”  A crowd of over 75,000 showed up, largely filling the space between the Memorial and the Washington Monument, and the performance was broadcast nationally over radio.  Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes presided along with many other DC dignitaries; among whom was seated her mother.  She was so nervous she felt that she was choking, but her hard-won professionalism surfaced, and she sang.  It was a concert talked about for years, and many black performers who came after Ms. Anderson credited her with breaking down barriers for them. She also later performed at Constitution Hall.

A 1943 mural by Mitchell Jamieson on a wall inside the Department of the Interior Building in Washington DC that depicts the scene of Ms. Anderson’s Easter Concert. Image in public domain; source is Wikipedia.

Ms. Anderson had an impressive strength of character.  She was valued by her mother and sisters.  She cherished her religion and found comfort and support there.  She had learned “…how to share a home with others, how to understand their ways and respect their rights” while the family lived for awhile with their grandmother who took in “scads of children”. Perhaps that socialization and those pillars of steadfast support allowed her rise above the anger she had every right to feel and express.  Instead she says she was saddened by those who displayed prejudice against her, explaining that she thought their behavior was mainly due to ignorance…only rarely combined with meanness.  She sought to live a life of dignity, above reproach, so that those who met her would be won over by her character.  In one of her stories she talks of advising a high school teacher to guide one of her female students who wanted to know more about blacks.  Her suggestion was to have her correspond with a black female student in another school.  Reading Marian Anderson’s biography confirmed one of my own prejudices.  While integration of our schools was a much needed advance, it was guaranteed 66 years ago; true equality will only be achieved when we have integrated our friendships.

A 1934 photo that served as the basis for the Albert Stark painting and the stamp made from the painting in 2005 commemorating Ms. Anderson for her positive impact on justice in America. Image taken from a Smithsonian article on the history of the stamp at https://postalmuseum.si.edu/marian-anderson-a-voice-of-a-lifetime. The stamp can be purchased at Amazon and other online vendors today.

I do recommend her autobiography, both for the stories and it’s humanizing quality.  I have tried to give you a taste of the book.  It contains many more stories – such as, an early failure, winning an important contest, her attempt to swim, her acceptance in Europe, her travels in Russia, her marriage and a decision on children, and her strong feeling of being an American, and more…filled with optimism and good will, ending with “…I have a great belief in the future of my people and my country.”  I wish she had written a sequel.  She went on to accomplish much more and receive numerous accolades and honors.  Perhaps, I will read a biography covering her entire life, but I know her now, and I wish I could hear more of her stories from her. I am grateful to my son for the introduction.

The Fan Experience: “My Lord, What a Morning: an Autobiography” is still available from most book sellers. My copy is by The Viking Press, New York, MCMXVI, 312 pp.

An advantage of technology is that we can in some measure visit the past, and with the streaming services operating now, visit at will.  While I was reading her book, I began to listen to recordings of Ms. Anderson.  Her deep voice – a contralto in pitch is between a mezzo-soprano and a tenor – is quite beautiful and highly distinctive.  I have always enjoyed hearing a spiritual every now and then, but she has made me a fan of the genre; when she sings a spiritual, it is her voice that is telling the story more than the words.  At one point in her book, she states, “There are things in the heart that must enrich the songs I sing.” Honestly, I have not been a fan of art songs, but she imbues German lieder with the same emotionalism as her spirituals, making me realize that classical music is also soul music, at least it is for me.  I might even give art songs another try.

WTO’s Aria Jukebox Live and Online: Vote for Your Favorite Arias Soon

Wolf Trap Opera’s Aria Jukebox, where the audience gets to choose the arias to be sung, is being held live this year. - online.  In past years, a social with refreshments was held immediately prior to the concert to allow attendees the opportunity to vote for which arias the singers would perform; the social also provided the opportunity to meet the young artists who would be performing.  Tickets sold out weeks in advance.  This year, tickets are not required but you will have to provide your own refreshments since, sadly, pandemic restrictions won’t let us gather to party together. However, WTO is maintaining the party atmosphere by adding a raffle with some very nifty prizes, as part of the event.  For, example, would you like a recording by one of their Filene Artists singing Happy Birthday to you or a loved one?

This year’s performances will still emanate live from the stage and/or the floor of The Barns with piano accompaniment, but the proceedings can only be viewed online.  However, you can still vote for which arias you want to hear by making a donation to Wolf Trap Opera, for as little as $10 or as much as you can afford.  Every dollar you donate adds to your chances at winning one of the raffle prizes.  Don’t delay in voting; the voting deadline is July 14, and the concert is July 18.  Fifteen talented and accomplished young singers drawn from this year’s group of Filene Artists will be singing the arias of our choice.  As an aside, one of the advantages of Aria Jukebox being online is that we can also party online using Twitter or Facebook accounts, commenting in real time as it proceeds, such as, “Yippee, my choice won!” or show a little ego, “Well, of course my choice won.”

Photos courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera from a previous Aria Jukebox production in The Barns. On July 18, there will only be the singers and required personnel. The Filene Artists will perform individually with piano accompaniment, and WTO will manage placements and traffic flow so that social distancing is maintained.

Below is the list of scheduled singers and possible arias/songs.  Grant Loehnig, WTO’s head of Music, will accompany the singers on piano, and Morgan Brophy, Assistant Director of Artistic Administration, will host.  I inquired of Wolf Trap Opera how the arias to be voted on were picked and was told, “The song selections come from the artists themselves, in collaboration with Grant Loehnig. They often choose one or two standard things from the arias that they know, and then they’ll add in things that are a little more off the beaten path. Art songs, folks songs, crowd-favorites – these are often the ones that they really want to share with an audience, things that they don’t get to take out very often that come from the heart. If you’re torn between hearing another “Habanera” or exploring a Spanish song you’ve never heard of, go for the Spanish song every time and you won’t regret the result.”  These are great arias and songs, and choosing will be tough, but don’t wait too long and miss your chance.

Christopher Bozeka, tenor
Povero Ernesto, Don Pasquale, Donizetti
A te, o cara, I Puritani, Bellini
La donna è mobile, Rigoletto, Verdi
Dies Bildnis, Die Zauberflöte, Mozart

Jonathan Bryan, baritone
Silvio's Aria, Pagliacci, Leoncavallo
Votre Toast, Carmen, Bizet
The Impossible Dream, Man of La Mancha, Leigh
Rojo Tango, Ziegler/Mora

Chanae Curtis, soprano
Chi il bel sogno, La rondine, Puccini
Depuis le jour, Louise, Charpentier
Musetta's Waltz, La bohème, Puccini
Give Me Jesus, arr. Hogan

Thomas Glass, baritone
Largo al factotum, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini
È sogno? o realtà?, Falstaff, Verdi
Rodrigo's Death Scene, Don Carlo, Verdi
Black Max, Bolcom

Mackenzie Gotcher, tenor
Ch'ella mi creda libero, La fanciulla del West, Puccini
Cielo pietoso, rendila, Simon Boccanegra, Verdi
Durch die Wälder, Die Freischütz, Weber
Ombra di nube, Refice

Megan Esther Grey, mezzo-soprano
Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix, Samson et Dalila, Saint-Saëns
Iris, hence away, Semele, Handel
Stride la vampa, Il Trovatore, Verdi
Sanglots, Poulenc

Shannon Jennings, soprano
Stridono lassù, Pagliacci, Leoncavallo
Vissi d'arte, Tosca, Puccini
I Want Magic, A Streetcar Named Desire, Previn
María la O, Lecuona

Gretchen Krupp, mezzo-soprano
Joan of Arc's Aria, The Maid of Orleans, Tchaikovsky
O mio Fernando, La Favorita, Donizetti
Witch's Aria, Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck
Le temps des lilas, Chausson

Yunuet Laguna, soprano
Je dis, Carmen, Bizet
Marietta's Lied, Die tote Stadt, Korngold
Chi il bel sogno, La rondine, Puccini
Intima, Nacho

Leia Lensing, mezzo-soprano
Where Shall I Fly, Hercules, Handel
Che faro, Orfeo ed Euridice, Glück
Addio Roma, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Monteverdi
King David, Howells

Conor McDonald, baritone
Look! through the port, Billy Budd, Britten
Papageno's Suicide Aria, Die Zauberflöte, Mozart
Possente spirto, L'orfeo, Monteverdi
Catalogue de Fleurs, Milhaud

Brian Michael Moore, tenor
Kuda, kuda, Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky
The Song of Kleinzach, Les contes d'Hoffmann, Offenbach
E lucevan le stele, Tosca, Puccini
O sole mio, di Capua

Nicholas Newton, bass-baritone
Aleko's Cavatina, Aleko, Rachmaninoff
Sancho Panza's Aria, Don Quichotte, Massenet
Vecchia zimarra, La bohème, Puccini
Life and Death, Coleridge-Taylor

Alexandra Nowakowski, soprano
Doll Aria, Les contes d'Hoffmann, Offenbach
Zerbinetta's Aria, Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss
O luce di quest'anima, Linda di Chamounix, Donizetti
Przasniczka, Moniuszki

Wm. Clay Thompson, bass
Sancho Panza's Aria, Don Quichotte, Massenet
Madamina, Don Giovanni, Mozart
Ecco il mondo, Mefistofele, Boito
The New Suit (Zipper Fly), Blitzstein

If you follow Wolf Trap Opera, you will recognize many names on this list as returnees to WTO after previous stints for training as either Filene Artists and/or Studio Artists.   For example, you might recall baritone Conor McDonald’s campy Merlin in WTO’s hilarious production of Merlin’s Island last season, or MacKenzie Gotcher’s beautiful tenor voice as Cavaradossi in WTO’s 2017 Tosca.  You may even have seen soprano Alexandra Nowakowski’s charming portrayal as Papagena in last year’s Washington National Opera’s production of The Magic Flute, in addition to her WTO roles.  While I’m name dropping, might I also point out that quite a few current opera stars did early training with WTO, like Lawrence Brownlee, Christine Goerke, Kate Lindsey, Ryan McKinny, Ailyn Perez, Eric Owens, and J’nai Bridges to name a few.  As always, this year’s singers are a highly talented and accomplished group of early career artists who had to win a competition for these sought-after slots.  You can find brief bios for all the artists at this link.  Just imagine you win the raffle prize for the Happy Birthday song, and years in the future, it turns out to have been sung by the next Christine Goerke or Lawrence Brownlee?  Now, how many chances is that worth?

This is a blog, so I can take certain liberties, and I am tempted to use this report to lobby readers to vote for the arias I’d most like to hear, but I won’t.  Well, allow me one.  I just finished reading Marian Anderson’s autobiography (I’ll be reporting on that soon), and if you vote for soprano Chanae Curtis to sing “Give Me Jesus”, I will be eternally grateful; I’ll even do you the favor of not singing Happy Birthday.  However, Ms. Anderson has made me a new fan of spirituals.  Some of those off the beaten path selections might open up new vistas for you.

It’s tough on us to be denied a live, in person Aria Jukebox this summer, and it is even tougher on Wolf Trap Opera and these young singers who are having their training options curtailed and their performance careers put on hold.  Kudos to Wolf Trap Opera for managing to keep the training alive this summer and having our backs, giving us the opportunity to enjoy the talents that will be on display on July 18, singing our favorite arias.  Hey, I’d be happy to sit and listen to them sing any one of these arias or every one of them.

The Fan Experience: All the relevant info is on the Aria Jukebox web page.  The voting deadline is this coming Tuesday, July 14.  The concert will be the following Saturday, July 18 at 7 pm.  To access the concert, click on the Wolf Trap Opera Aria Jukebox web page or the WTO Facebook page immediately prior to 7 pm. [Addendum 7-13-2020: WTO reports that Aria Jukebox will be available for streaming as part of Wolf Trap Opera Untrapped following the live performance].

To vote: Go to the Aria Juke Box web page and click the Vote Now button.  When you fill out the form and click on the Donate Now button, you will be taken to a web page with a unique link to vote for your favorite arias.  You will have four votes for each candidate to vote for the arias of that candidate.  The form keeps score for you and you will have a chance to review your votes and edit them at the end.  The minimum donation is $10, but the more you donate, the greater the weight that will be assigned to your votes.

Your donation enters you into the raffle with a chance to win one of the four prizes, with every dollar you donate giving you another chance.  Raffle prizes include a WTO swag bag filled with WTO goodies; a backstage Barns tour and a picnic lunch with WTO Directo Lee Anne Myslewski in the Spring of 2021; a pair of free tickets to any summer WTO opera of your choice in 2021 plus $50 at concessions; and the Artist of your choice will sing and record Happy Birthday for you or a loved one.  Those are pretty neat prizes!  If you are a raffle winner, you will have to watch the live broadcast to claim your prize.

Wolf Trap Opera's Streaming Schedule: Keep It in Your Hip Pocket and Refer Often

Why would you want to watch opera online?  Well, what else are you going to do for the next six months?  I’ve been watching a few videos of operas every now and again when I get desperate, and I find that most are better than your average TV fare and can offer their own unique pleasures.  So on Saturday afternoon, with yet again no baseball and no live summer Wolf Trap Opera opera, I dialed up Wolf Trap Opera’s 2017 production of The Juniper Tree, which I had mostly forgotten and which brings me to my first reason for watching Wolf Trap Opera streaming – it’s enjoyable to remind yourself of the many marvelous productions by WTO that you’ve seen in the summers of years gone by, many revived by WTO that you wouldn’t likely have seen elsewhere.  Each year a new cadre of tremendously talented artists-in-training perform, filled with energy and an eagerness to please, making opera fun again summer after summer.  “Untrapped” is the title WTO has given their streaming program, which will also include other events as the summer of the pandemic progresses.  The last few seasons, WTO has had a program of holding Wolf Trap performances at venues off campus, also titled “Untrapped”, which highlights another reason for watching online…the off-campus venue for “Untrapped” streaming is anywhere you want it to be, that has an internet connection, of course.

Wolf Trap Opera’s The Juniper Tree in 2017: Madison Leonard as Daughter, Ben Edquist as Father, and Annie Rosen as Stepmother. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera. Hint: when this scene appears is one of the switch points in the music from Glass to Moran as composer - I think.

My Juniper Tree re-visit gave me several more reasons to watch the WTO productions that are currently being streamed and those planned for later this summer.  First, it is a really good opera, and I found that while I rated it highly when I saw it in person in 2017, some aspects were even better than I gave it credit for on that occasion, especially the music by composers Philip Glass and Robert Moran; each composer wrote the music for half of the six scenes, alternating between them.  WTO performed the opera as one seamless production; see if you can detect the changes in music style throughout.  All the young artists performed well, especially two I will single out.  I have heard soprano Summer Hassan (the mother) and mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen (the stepmother) sing several times, and for this performance, they were at the top of their game; don’t miss them.  I even listened to the music again a few more times after viewing just to enjoy the music and singing. Kudos to Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya and her small ensemble for the vibrant music that merges perfectly with the story on stage.  Watching online also reminded me again of how well the abstract, surrealist staging of this Brothers Grimm fairy tale worked.  Kudos to Director R. B. Schlather for staging the two act opera as a single act, which maintains the tension for the entire opera; this is a chamber opera that is only an hour and fifteen minutes overall.  The Juniper Tree is not only fine opera, it is terrific theater. 

left photo: Soprano Summer Hassan; source. right photo: mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen; Simon Pauly Photography, 2016; source. Ms. Summer played Mother and Ms. Rosen played Stepmother. Both have gone on to successful careers as opera soloists; it’s a little heartbreaking, for them and us, to see all the cancellations for scheduled performances on their websites due to the pandemic. They are exemplary of Wolf Trap Opera’s gifted young artists who come for added training each year.

One final word specifically about The Juniper Tree; the Arthur Yorinks’ libretto (synopsis) is based on one of the Brothers Grimm darker fairy tales, and the opera is very intense; it is not recommended for young children.  As part of a series of events, a jealous stepmom makes a stew of her stepson who reminds her of the late wife of her husband and then feeds the stew to her husband.  Their daughter buries the bones under the Juniper Tree, and the son is reborn as a bird that offs the stepmom and reunites the family.  So, everyone lives happily ever after, except of course for the PTSD.

There are some other advantages to viewing opera on videotape.  One is close ups.  The Barns is a relatively small music hall, but still, unless you are sitting in the first few rows, you don’t really get a good look at faces; you do online.  Those close ups can add to the dramatic impact if a singer is also a good actor and detract if they are not.  You also get a close look at other features that may have escaped your notice.  As an example from The Juniper Tree, check out the son’s exposed genitalia when reborn to his previous size in a natural state; this must have been a hoot for mezzo-soprano Megan Mikailovna Samarin who played and sang the tender role beautifully.  Another advantage of watching opera online is that you control the sound volume.  No, it isn’t as impactful as being there and hearing it live, but being able to adjust the controls is still an advantage.  Lastly, you have complete control of viewing – rewind to hear something over if you were daydreaming at some point; hit the pause button for a snack or bathroom break when you want; and view it as many times as you want whenever you want.

I’d like to end by making a suggestion for whenever we watch opera/concerts online for free.  When I have groceries or take-out food delivered to my home, I always tip the driver.  Why not do that when you watch opera online, if you can afford to?  While closed due to the pandemic, opera companies have no income coming in from performances; so, donations matter more now than ever.  For those of us who can afford it, let’s “tip the streamer”.  I think they will be happy to get even small donations as a show of appreciation, and of course, if you can afford to donate more generously, they would be very happy to receive even more support.  Wolf Trap Opera has a new program called the “Music Moves Us” fund for donations to help WTO progress during the pandemic; find the web page at this link to donate by mail or online.

The Fan Experience: Here is the link to WTO streaming: “Untrapped”. Keep it in your hip pocket and refer to it often. WTO will be adding a new opera every two weeks and an additional array of online offerings will become available over time; so check back for updated links and info. Each web page for a streamed opera includes cast and staff lists as well as other information about the opera.  Each video accessed on the web pages begins with a short introduction and the opera follows. English subtitles can be toggled on or off using the video’s settings button. The Juniper Tree is streaming on demand now until December 1.  Recent Wolf Trap Opera productions of Rossini’s The Touchstone and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos are also currently streaming.  WTO expects to add more events of different types over the summer.  The WTO offerings also appear on the Wolf Trap calender which includes all programs being streamed by all of Wolf Trap.

As an aside, I will also mention you can purchase Wolf Trap memberships and designate that your support goes to WTO. Even at the lowest level, you get invited to the season announcing lecture each year, which includes some of that year’s soloists, a fun event itself.

There are many ways to watch online from smart phones to smart TVs, but give some consideration to sound quality.  I have good speakers connected to my large screen TV, but I often prefer to listen using my Air Pods.  Try it different ways and see which sound works best for you.  Also thankfully, the video image resolution for these videotapes is excellent, and they display clearly on my large screen as well as smaller devices.

Operavision’s Free Online Summer Gala: Stellar Performances in an Opera Homecoming

Recommendation - Sometime in the next month, preferably in the evening, with a bottle of champagne chilling, a good bottle, put on your tuxedo or evening gown, just joking, pajamas are fine, but your good ones; you are about to enter the presence of beauty.  Then, pour your glasses, sit back and dial up Operavision’s Summer Gala, which will be available on demand for free until 7/21/2020.  Begin your journey to eight grand opera houses of Europe where outstanding opera stars will provide the nourishment you need.  They call it a “gala”, but what it really feels like is a “homecoming”, a homecoming for the beauty that is opera.  Enmesh yourself and feel it. Let go of the last four months.  The European opera community is offering you a preview of what is to come, of what we still have to look forward to.  You can hit the pause button and clap as long as you like after every performance.

The Summer Gala trailer video (Youtube).

The Summer Gala, streamed live on Sunday, June 21 was a celebration of World Music Day.  Kasper Holten, CEO of the Royal Danish Theater and the evening’s MC, led off by explaining that eight companies across Europe came together to open their doors, most for the first time in months, to give audiences a mid-summer concert, perhaps a way of announcing that the re-opening of music in Europe lies just ahead, or at least ahead.  The concert bears added interest for the glimpses of the grand opera halls, seen without fans and with social distancing measures observed by the performers.  It is a tribute to Operavision that each venue and performance felt connected, as though they were different scenes in a larger whole.  Each venue seems to be saying, “Look, this is opera; we miss you too!”

The participating venues -

Rome, Teatro dell’Opera

Sussex, Glyndebourne

Paris, Opéra-Comique

Warsaw, Polish National Opera

Berlin, Komische Oper

Amsterdam, Dutch National Opera

Madrid, Teatro Real

Stockholm, Royal Swedish Opera

I will only highlight a few of the performances, but so hungry for live opera was I that I lapped up each and every performance with relish (for the full list of performers, go to the Summer Gala web page and scroll down).  Most performances were straight forward concert presentations with singers and piano accompaniment, but Berlin threw in some fun and Amsterdam even gave us a bit of drama, while wedding bells could be heard in the distance in Warsaw before Stockholm provided the big finish.  Each new venue and group of performers were introduced by Mr. Holten.

The first performance was from Italy, appropriate as the birthplace of opera, where baritone Roberto Frontali gave an impassioned aria from Andrea Chenier and soprano Rosa Feola sang the famous “Caro Nome” from Rigoletto with accompaniment by pianist Enrica Ruggiero.  The scene then shifted to Glyndebourne in Sussex and the mood got lighter when the soprano with the big beautiful, infectious smile and gorgeous voice, Danielle de Niese, joined the concert.  It is not only the great music and arias that make opera so enjoyable, it is also the different vocal timbres, singing and acting abilities, and personal intangibles that different singers bring to a role.

The traditional concert formats were working fine, but then at the Komische Oper in Berlin, Artistic Director and pianist Barrie Kosky gave us something different and quite a treat.  He accompanied soprano Alma Sadé on the piano while they performed songs from Yiddish operettas.  That was followed up by another highlight in Amsterdam from the Dutch National Opera.  Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek, baritone Oliemans, pianist Ernst Munneke, and violinist and concert master Vadim Tsibulevsky gave a suave one-act romantic scene in presenting their arias, very cool (I hope by that time you still have champagne to give them a toast)! 

After a marvelous stop-over with the Teatro Real in Madrid, we headed to the big finish in Stockholm with the Swedish National Opera where international diva, Nina Stemme, gave us two arias with piano accompaniment by Inese Klotina and then the evening’s climax with an ensemble of about 20 players from the Royal Swedish Orchestra.  The orchestra members may have been six feet apart, but remember this is Sweden which has followed a different set of guidelines for containment of COVID-19.  Regardless, Ms. Stemme was tremendous and ended the concert singing the Liebestod beautifully. 

Curtain down.  All that’s left is to pour yourself an evening-closing measure of cognac.

The Fan Experience: The Summer Gala, at a little over two hours, will be available for free viewing on Operavision’s website until noon, CET on 7/21/2020; it is also available on YouTube.  Subtitles in different languages can be turned on or off as desired.  Subtitles were not available during the live broadcast, and frankly, I found it more enjoyable without them.  I suggest you watch first without the subtitles to soak in the beauty without thinking, and then, return to view the concert with subtitles turned on if you wish to know the arias better.

I recommend getting to know Operavision’s website, even signing up for their newsletter. The cooperative mainly offers operas performed in Europe, streamed for free on demand (for a limited period of time), in a substantial collection.  It is a collective effort of the European Union involving 29 companies from 17 countries.  I have watched some of these.  They are most often recently-staged and of high quality, in excellent video recordings, and the productions often display wildly creative approaches to both traditional and modern operas.  And it is all free.

The Met Opera’s Agrippina: Sex, Lies, and Streaming Videotape

Agrippina early on says, “Blessed are those who use deceit to rule,” and it’s wink-of-the-eye funny. Met Opera’s Agrippina is opera’s version of Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove”.

Joyve DiDonato as Agrippina. Photo by Paola Kudacki; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Ok, got your attention?  Most modernized versions of operas advertise themselves as having themes still relevant to modern day.  Agrippina, composed by George Frederic Handel in 1709, practically grabs you by the throat with its power games, sexual politics, and unbridled ambitions…just like today, except the opera, a drama per musica, is comedic; the Messiah’s composer was obviously a complicated man.  Mainly because I love listening to mezzo-sopranos Joyce DiDonato and Kate Lindsey, I watched the Met Opera video recording of its 2020 production, and I watched it cold; I did not know the plot, nor had I heard the music previously.  I knew from my mostly forgotten Roman history that the characters in the opera are actual historical figures, and so, I was rather expecting a tragedy.  The story line is fictional, and the opera is cleverly staged.  The ending caught me completely by surprise.  The music is sublime, but it helps if you like baroque opera, at least a little; Agrippina gives you over three hours’ worth.  This is the oldest opera presented by the Met.  In days of old, to help you get through three to four hours of opera, you could eat, drink, and chat with friends during the performance, but humorless composers (I’m talking to you, Richard Wagner) finally did away with those options; happily, streaming opera returns those advantages.

PBS is playing the Met’s Agrippina in its Great Performances at the Met series – in DC, you can see a broadcast on WETA on Sunday, June 21 at 2:30 pm; I also discuss other ways to see it in The Fan Experience section below.  My advice is to stop reading now and enjoy the opera’s plot freshly unfold.  Then, return here afterwards to compare your thoughts to mine.

Agrippina cast photo. Photo by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Although the characters are historical figures from mid first century AD Rome, the satire was designed to take potshots at Venetian leaders of its day.  The librettist and developer of the plot, Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, was not only a priest, he also was a theater impresario and a viceroy of Naples.  He gave Handel one of the best librettos he would ever have to orchestrate, and at only 24 years of age, he was up to the task.  Agrippina was the German-born Handel’s second and last opera composed during his stay in Italy, and it premiered in Venice; it was an immediate success, Handel’s first opera success.  His next opera, Rinaldo (1711), was also a success and premiered in London where Handel relocated for the remainder of his life.  In addition to orchestral works and oratorios, he composed over forty operas, all with Italian librettos.  Interestingly, Handel’s operas fell out of favor for over 200 years; Agrippina was in hiatus from 1719 until 1943.  His operas reentered the repertoire in the second half of the 20th century and are currently enjoying a rebirth of interest in the US and Europe.

A moment of motherly love between Nerone (Kate Lindsey) and Agrippina (Joyce DiDonato). Photo by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Agrippina the Younger was a Roman empress known for being ambitious and ruthless.  Grimani’s story revolves around Agrippina’s attempts to have her son Nerone (Nero; Handel uses the Italian version of the Roman names) placed in line to ascend to the throne when her husband Emperor Claudio dies.  She enlists military man Pallante and politician Narciso in her deadly plots, and when initially Claudio intends to give the throne to his rescuer Ottone, she ensnares Ottone’s lover Poppea in her plan to block that move, which then set off a series of darkly comedic counterplots.  In the end, everyone gets what they want for a happy ending, except we know the unhappy history of what came after.  Thus, the opera’s surprise is that the joke is on us. 

Agrippina (Joyce DiDonato) ensnares Poppea (Brenda Rae) in her plot. Photo by Marty Zohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Several aspects of this production, which got rave reviews when performed, stand out.  First, the plot is brought to modern day with carefully thought-out cleverness by director Sir David McVicar.  He felt that the story is timeless and fits especially well with what is going on in seats of power around the world currently.  He wanted to keep the audience firmly rooted in present day.  Next, he used cartoon style characters and simple staging to focus on emotions and the motivations of the different characters.  He first produced this staging in Europe twenty years ago.  One of his interesting updates to that production is changing Poppea to be more assertive, another impact in response to #MeToo.  In staging, each character has a statue base with their name on it used as props throughout.  He uses a nightclub scene where Bradley Brookshire delivers some fine  harpsichord playing on stage and also an apartment scene with two closets; who is behind door number one?  Door number two?  And a mobile stairway leading up to a golden throne.  Suggestive, no?  This is the graphic novel version of Agrippina, and it works to both add comedic effects and engage us in the darker undercurrents.  Honestly, at first, I thought the cartoonishness was silly, but then, I found myself becoming absorbed in the drama and realized Mr. McVicar knew what he was doing, and more was afoot than entertainment.

Iestyn Davies as Ottone. Photo by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

To handle the music, the Met brought in a baroque music expert, Harry Bicket, to conduct a Met Orchestra ensemble, from the harpsichord no less.  The music is excellent.  Concerns that baroque opera was too intimate for cavernous opera houses the size of the Met were ill founded, and watching by videotape, you can adjust the sound to your liking.  Baroque operas allow for creativity in staging since the stories are mainly set to allow each singer to have the stage for themselves a few times to show off their voices and singing ability.  Handel filled Agrippina with beautiful arias; he even included some of his best from earlier works.  There is also dancing to keep your interest from wavering.

left photo: Agrippina (Joyce DiDonato ensnares Pallante (Duncan Rock) into her plot. right photo: Agrippina (Joyce DiDonato ensnares Narcisco (Nicholas Tamagna) in her plot. Photos by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Speaking of arias, Joyce DiDonato plays the role of Agrippina with devilish charm and sexuality.  At one point, she places her hand in Nabiso’s crotch while he is seated beside her with official papers covering up said action; he agrees to give her what she wants.  Her acumen for baroque singing has been praised before and is amply displayed here.  Her second act aria, “Pensieri voi me tormenta” where she sings of her determination to make her son emperor even though events have gone against her is a show stopper.  If narcissists experience torment, this aria could be their anthem, and the close-ups allowed by videotaping let us enjoy Ms. DiDonato’s expressions missed by attending in person.  She radiates will and determination.

Poppea (Brenda Rae) ensnares Nerone (Kate Lindsey) in her own plot. Photo by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Agrippina also serves as a showpiece for the enormously talented Kate Lindsey who plays Nerone as a young, scary, tattooed narcissist, barely in control of himself.  I have had the opportunity to see Ms. Lindsey perform twice in DC (WNO’s Dead Man Walking and WCO’s Sapho).  In the first instance, I did not think she quite lived up to her billing, but in the second she owned the stage.  I recently saw her performance in the Met’s Les Contes d’Hoffman on video and saw her talent as an actress come into focus.  In Agrippina, she is difficult to take your eyes from, turning in a beautiful singing performance as well as an amazing physical performance; at one point she sings while doing a full arm extended side plank!  This is a performance you will remember.

Nerone (Kate Lindsey), the wanna be emperor in a photo op, stands atop his plinth handing out food to the poor, of course wearing gloves so that he doesn’t actually have to touch them. Photo by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

As if that wasn’t enough, soprano Brenda Rae plays Poppea, a more assertive, awoke Poppea, who is also a schemer.  Her beautiful coloratura adds a different layer of enjoyment to this performance, and her comedic acting stands up to that of Ms. DiDonato and Ms. Lindsey, especially in the bar scene.  This was Ms. Rae’s first appearance at the Met; I previously saw her in 2018 as Lucia in Opera Philadelphia’s Lucia di Lammermoor.  This is a powerful female triumvirate.

Agrippina (Joyce DiDonato) watches husband Claudio (Matthew Rose) practice golf; what other modern leaders that we know play golf? Photo by Marty Sohl; courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Countertenor Iestyn Davies as Ottone, countertenor Nicholas Tamagna as Narciso, baritone Duncan Rock as Pallante, and bass Matthew Rose as Claudio all gave enjoyable comedic and vocal performances.  I will only single out Mr. Davies for comment. Mr. Davies plays Ottone with restraint, emphasizing Ottone’s sincerity, making him easily manipulated, but in fact that makes him the perfect foil for the remainder of the cast who are schemers.  He also delivers several heart touching arias beautifully.

Agrippina and Sir McVicker’s staging, something old enlivened by something new, are a marriage made in heaven, or at least in the Lincoln Center, the opera equivalent of heaven.  While many programs on TV and the movies portray dystopian futures, Agrippina gives us a view of our dystopian past, while Mr. McVicker reveals it to be very much like our dystopian present.

The Fan Experience: Agrippina played at the Met earlier this year before it was closed by the pandemic.  Public Television is playing Agrippina as part of its Great Performances at the Met series. In some areas, it has already played. In the Washington DC area, it will be broadcast on WETA TV on Sunday, June 21 at 2:30 pm.  It’s Father’s Day; you might want to set it to record or just watch it with Dad.  The opera is in Italian with English subtitles.

Agrippina is also part of Met Opera’s On Demand collection.  “Met Opera On Demand” can be accessed by subscription; a seven-day free trial is offered.  The operas can be played on computers and mobile devices and on smart TVs using Apple TV, Roku, and other such devices.  The speakers I have attached to my TV are good ones, but I prefer linking my AirPods to Apple TV and listening that way.

Heartbeat Opera’s Lady M Virtual Soirée: We had a beautiful time

Heartbeat Opera’s Lady M is planned as a modern, adapted, shorter version of Verdi’s Macbeth told from Lady Macbeth’s point of view and was to have premiered this Spring; it’s the sort of thing Heartbeat Opera does, changing operas and creating new ones to better communicate with today’s audiences.  Then, the pandemic closed all theaters.  The company’s leadership could simply have postponed or folded their new production.  Instead, they marshaled their spirits and their creative energies to remain engaged with their artists and to offer something new to their audiences.  Voila, an online Lady M Soirée, or a fantasia as Director and Adaptor Ethan Heard calls it.  It is a virtual drawing room party devoted to introducing the concept behind Lady M and giving us a sampling, but also ncludes us as part of that process.  It’s something new and fresh, and we need that!

A Zoom room snapshot of the creative staff and performers for Lady M; photo courtesy of Heartbeat Opera.

The Lady M Soirée was born out of need, theirs and ours.  Let’s let Merle Haggard provide the context before I discuss details.  (I have finally started watching the Ken Burn’s series “Country Music” that I recorded on PBS some time ago; this somehow started me listening to Merle Haggard).  Mr. Haggard always seems to have the right song to articulate emotional longings; country music has been described as three chords and the truth. For the Lady M Soirée, I offer his song “I’ve Had a Beautiful Time” (with my annotations):

We met downtown in the barroom (substitute Zoom room)
Both of us needing a friend (true I think)
And you brought me home to your doorstep (all was recorded or live-cast in performers homes)
And it was there you invited me in (I got to see the Movement Director’s vacuum cleaner)

And more (no annotations needed) -

We talked about what we been needin'
Discussin' our ups and our downs

And I've had a beautiful time
Holding your heart next to mine

And finally (which will require a little discussion) -

And I can't say I found any answers
But you listened while I rattled on

The Soirée offered a mix of intros among the staff and attendees; a behind the scenes video discussion of artistic issues with the creation of Lady M and the technological issues in pulling together the virtual Soirée; a few aria performances (one live, one I’m not sure, and one recorded); finishing with the group splitting into chat rooms to mingle with the staff and artists for a Q&A. 

A sampling of current offices/performance venues for Heartbeat Opera; photos courtesy of Heartbeat Opera.

Highlights for me: I think it was real; it seemed real.  I was in a Zoom room with twenty to thirty other homo sapiens or that appeared to be homo sapiens, including artists, staff, and audience members. That was kinda cool.  Some of the presentations were recorded, and the mix was not always entirely clear to me.  I’m always harping on how much better live performances attended in person are; the Soirée inched somewhere in between recorded and in person (I might also note that my twenty-something son tells me that hearing performances in person isn’t nearly as preferred by him as me; worries for opera’s future?.

Soprano Felicia Moore as Lady M and mezzo-soprano Sishel Claverie as a Weird Sister; photos courtesy of Heartbeat Opera.

The whole affair maintained my interest, but it was the excellent singers that doled out the afternoon’s desserts.  Soprano Felicia Moore as Lady Macbeth has a captivating voice, powerful and rich with color.  Her early Lady M aria sung in her childhood bedroom, and the video of the sleepwalking scene (Maledetta) were excellent, giving her the chance to fully display the colors, texture, and emotionality of her voice. Wow.  It was interesting in the Q&A that Ms. Moore said that perhaps the most difficult part of her bedroom performance was singing with accompaniment that was recorded. Mezzo-soprano Sishel Claverie appeared live where she lip-synced part of the Witches chorus, transformed in Lady M to the three Weird Sisters, all solo sopranos.  The weird sisters look like they are going to bring the fun in the staged production.  Ms. Claverie brings infectious energy and excitement to the role.  The other singers appeared for a few seconds in the different video clips. In the short time allotted, there was a brief appearance of Beauty led by the singing. 

Screenshots showing some visual effects in the Sleepwalking video; photos courtesy of Heartbeat Opera.

The music arranged by Music Director and Co-Translator Jacob Ashworth with new arrangements by Daniel Schlosberg was played by a six-piece ensemble and had to be sewn together from audio/video files. The music in Maledetta added to the eerie mood and shifts in the scene and had me wanting to hear more of the new arrangements.

Performances, live and recorded, were done in interesting ways; visuals were usually engaging if sometimes baffling.  Movement Director Emma Jaster, who owns an excellent vacuum cleaner, along with Ethan Heard and Jacob Ashworth did a twenty-minute Zoom tour of each of the performer’s homes to help the singers deal with moving and performing in their individual circumstances.  The visuals in Maledetta were eerie and appropriately disturbing for Lady M’s nightmare, though for me, had more of a collage than flowing effect. 

My only disappointment with the virtual Soirée is that, at an hour, it was all to brief.

When I think about what distinguishes opera, it is Beauty.  Opera has the ability, more so for me than other art forms, to achieve Beauty and when it does, a wormhole in the universe opens up connecting the audience to each other and to the universe itself with the feeling that we are all part of a larger truth.  But opera companies are also in the entertainment business.  I have the feeling from this brief introduction to Lady M that it will be entertaining when staged.  I was certainly happy to drink from the Soirée’s cup.  The question in my mind is will it attain transcendence through Beauty.

Most opera companies are striving to remain connected to their audiences via offering concerts and operas via streaming, but Heartbeat Opera stands out for injecting creativity into an online performance, using the medium to not just sustain their audience, but to draw them closer with fresh, personally engaging experiences.  It turns out that Merle Haggard’s friend in the song was not his wife.  Were we sort of cheating on live and in person opera, In the spirit of if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you are with?  One risk with cheating is that sometimes those relationships blossom; then what?  We don’t have answers, but for the future, one can envision a complementarity for virtual soirées and staged performances.  I think technology is moving into staged performances as well.  Pittsburgh Opera is now providing interactive experiences using smart phones during their staged performances which I like, but as a separate experience from traditional viewing.  Classical opera performances aren’t going away, but new, perhaps younger fans may well be gravitating towards technology-enhanced experiences.

Heartbeat Opera is planning to move ahead with staged performances of Lady M next Spring.  After the introduction to her in the Soirée, I want to see Lady M, and I wonder how these virtual experiences might lead Heartbeat Opera to adjust what is finally presented.

The Fan Experience: There are 12 remaining online Soirée performances scheduled, May 28-June 6, sometimes two evening performances or a matinee and an evening performance; the run was extended due to its popularity.  As an interactive opera experience, each Soirée will likely be slightly different. You need to have a computer and a good internet connection sufficient for streaming audio and video, and you must download the Zoom app if you haven’t already. Heartbeat Opera sends you all the instruction you need.  If you are uncomfortable being part of a group, you can participate with your video feed and/or microphone turned off.  It will cost you $30 for a one-time entrance to the Soirée, but the whole family can watch.  Not bad for possibly a glimpse of opera’s future.  There were a couple of technology clunkers, but no harm done.  At the end, there was an appeal for much needed support for Heartbeat Opera’s Tomorrow Fund. 

National Philharmonic at Strathmore’s Inspirational Tribute

Composer Aaron Copland, 1962; photo in Public Domain, wikipedia.

National Philharmonic at Strathmore has released a virtual performance of composer Aaron Copland’s classic “Fanfare for the Common Man” that is both heartfelt and a gem among music videos.  I found it to be a touching, emotional tribute to hospital workers and common Americans on the frontlines dealing with the coronavirus pandemic crisis.  Copland gave his work its name because he was inspired by a speech given in 1942, the year his work was to premiere, by Vice-President Henry Wallace.  The speech came to be known as the “Century of the Common Man”.  It was given shortly after America’s entrance into WWII.  Wallace gave tribute to the common men and women of America, everyday people, who would carry the burden of that great war and be essential to our victory and who he felt should reap the benefits of victory.  Earlier, President Roosevelt had presented the nation with his Four Freedoms; one was the Freedom from Fear.  We are again in a battle for freedom from fear.  Kyle Schick, Director of Artistic Operations, had the idea for a virtual performance of the Fanfare and then realized the relationship to the medical care workers in today’s struggle against the coronavirus pandemic.  He pitched his idea for a video to leadership at the National Philharmonic at Strathmore, an orchestra that has served its community for over three decades, and now, like all orchestras today, has lost access to the performance stage.

Henry A. Wallace’s 1942 speech proclaimed the “Century of the Common Man”; photo in Public Domain, source - wikipedia.

Arts performance groups very much want to stay in touch with their audiences and make contributions in these constraining times, yet they are unable to give public performances.  Director Schick correctly noted that we all are feeling scared, all experiencing fear and needing uplifting messages, messages of hope and connection, looking to see the good in our society.  We can all agree that those on the frontlines dealing directly with individuals who have or might have contracted the disease are putting themselves at risk on our behalf and thereby, exemplify Americans at our best, sacrificing for others.  This is also a unique and strange time for musicians who can’t be on stage together.  They continue to develop music and art, but any recording done presently must be made at home, by individuals.  The NP leadership felt that a virtual performance on video by the National Philharmonic honoring our frontline workers would be welcomed by music fans as an effort to overcome adversity, and that the tribute to common American heroes would be embraced by music fans and appreciated by the frontline workers. 

NP video, YouTube: The performers in the video are Peter Gajewski (conducting), Michael Hall (french horn), Chris Gekker (trumpet), David Sciannella (trombone), Willie Clark (tuba), and Tom Maloy (percussion, timpani).

There are many artistic and technological challenges in making a virtual performance.  One can find many examples of virtual orchestral performances on YouTube.  Most of these use multiple frames highlighting different performers at the same time who are playing in isolation and recording their parts in isolation and later have their audio tracks merged.  Getting all the performers together on the same tempo and pitch is an immediate challenge.  Director Schick has a background in audio editing and knew he could use a click track (audio files with a metronomic pace added) to enable the performers to play their parts with the correct tempo before mixing.  There are also some advantages to this process; Schick knew he could use this technology to be able to present Copland’s fanfare with just five performers with the same performers playing more than one part, simplifying the task.  As the tempo for the piece changes, slowing down, using the click track file becomes problematic.  To assist the performers in overcoming this challenge, NP Founder and Conductor Piotr Gajewski filmed himself conducting the piece.  Schick combined the trumpet/percussion pieces with Gajewski’s video and gave it to the other performers to address both tempo and pitch issues.  Each performer recorded their parts in their homes using iPhones.  Final mixing was overseen by Schick and Patron Services Manager, Quinton Braswell.

To make NP’s tribute more effective artistically, they decided to employ photographs of hospital workers who are on the frontlines.  The photos are outstanding! They were taken by professional photographer Sinna Nasseri, whose work is known for revealing human emotion in his photographs (you can see more examples of his photos in this NYTimes article, which includes some of the photos used by NP), and also friends and donors to NP who shared their work.  Director Schick and the NP team have blended these into a highly effective presentation, beautifully coupled to the music, and this unique element greatly enhances the emotional appeal of the performance.

A fanfare is a short, lively, loud piece of music by brass and percussion instruments used to introduce something to come, a musical work or even a person, such as a king.  It can also be included as part of a larger work.  Copland later used the Common Man Fanfare in the final movement of his Symphony No. 3.  However, it was written for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at the request of conductor Eugene Goossens.  Along with Copland’s Billy the Kid ballet and the Grand Canyon Suite, the Fanfare is among his most popular works.  Aaron Copland is one of America’s greatest and most influential composers.  The National Philharmonic at Strathmore has put together a fine virtual performance that honors both Mr. Copland and the common Americans serving us during the coronavirus pandemic.  It also serves as a reminder that Copland wrote the Fanfare to honor the common men and women serving us in WWII. Finally, It is an enjoyable short, piece of music. 

If there were a classical music TV network, like MTV for rock, I think the NP video would be on their hits list.  Personally, I’d like to see more virtual performances of classical music and opera where the opportunities for creative visual expression are explored; this is certainly being done with lighting and video effects in live stage performances.

The Fan Experience: The video is about four minutes in length. There is a short opening statement of purpose on the screen followed by a quick start to the music. The sound is bold and crystal clear; I recommend doing a sound level check on your device before listening.  The orchestra plays at the Music Center at Strathmore, but has not announced their 2020-2021 season as yet. One item of interest I found on their website is that young people ages 7-17 may attend any of their concerts at Strathmore for free, a very good deal for families. 

Maryland Lyric Opera: A Regional Hometown Opera Company Gives Back

Let me start with a list of organizations who have recently received donations of surgical face masks from Maryland Lyric Opera (list provided by Marianna Gray, Director of Marketing and Communications):

Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore

St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore

Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring

Holy Cross Germantown Hospital

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital

Adventist Healthcare Germantown Emergency Center

Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Rockville, MD

The ARC of Montgomery County

The ARC of Prince Georges County

AFSCME Maryland

INOVA Fairfax Hospital

George Washington University Hospital

BayWoods of Annapolis Retirement Community

The Kensington in Falls Church, VA

Interfaith Works Women’s Shelter in Rockville, MD

Cobbdale Assisted Living in VA

Medstar Montgomery Hospital National Center for Children and Families Men’s Homeless Shelter on Taft Court, Rockville, MD

Bronx Lebanon Hospital

NYC Nassau University Medical Center, NY

The list is not exhaustive at this point.  My communication from Ms. Gray stated that over 300,000 masks had been provided and another 200,000 were on hand for distribution.

Members of the Maryland Lyric Opera team delivering their donations of surgical masks; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

All of the arts, including opera, are going through a potentially disastrous period.  The second half of the opera season had to be cancelled to meet social distancing guidelines, and frankly, we still don’t know when performances can begin anew.  Singers and musicians are greatly limited in even their ability to practice and hone their crafts.  Careers are paused and the future is uncertain.  Companies, performers, and staffs do not have income coming in from performances; they must survive on the generosity of donors.  You might think opera professionals would be closing up shop entirely or simply hunkering down in their basements.  In reality, most companies are working hard to offer online streaming of concerts and opera performances, both recorded and live in the limited ways they can, and trying to maintain contact with their devotees through social media.  Check out Maryland Lyric Opera on Facebook to get timely postings of upcoming opera performances across the globe that can be accessed online.  Such efforts are much needed and greatly appreciated by their fans. 

Maryland Lyric Opera also deserves a shout out for a special effort they are making.  We’ve all read about the shortages of PPE’s (personal protective equipment) since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and other medical personnel have been having to perform their jobs without adequate supplies of PPE’s.  During the early days of pandemic, the US Coronavirus Task Force downplayed the importance of masks for the general public, instead emphasizing that the in demand, start-of-the-art N95 masks should be reserved exclusively for medical personnel and other at risk workers.  On April 3, the CDC announced a new policy recommending that cloth face masks be worn by the general public.  The supplies of secondary-defense surgical masks made of cloth had already begun to dry up. 

Brad Clark, Founder and Artistic Director of Maryland Lyric Opera; photo courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

Maryland Lyric Opera decided to do something about this, extending their reach as far into Maryland and the DC area as possible.  At the beginning of last season, Founder and Artistic Director Brad Clark made a generous donation to MDLO’s Student Initiative “Hello Opera” which allowed Maryland Lyric Opera to offer students tickets to its performances at nominal cost.  When the remainder of the MDLO performance season had to be cancelled due to this pandemic, Director Clark and the MDLO team decided to re-purpose those funds to provide surgical three-ply cloth masks to medical facilities and facilities with at risk populations in the area; they were able to use their world-wide opera connections to acquire masks.

For this important work, they have been acknowledged in articles in Bethesda Magazine and in the Baltimore Sun newspaper.  In the Bethesda Magazine article, I am impressed by a statement from Susie Sinclair-Smith, CEO for the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, who said that they were struggling to find PPEs for a men’s homeless shelter in Rockville. She reports that the situation turned around on April 9 with support coming in from surrounding communities; the first donation they received that day was 4000 surgical masks from Maryland Lyric Opera.   INOVA Health Systems gave MDLO this praise: “We are incredibly grateful for their support in providing face masks for our #InovaHeroes!” Their efforts have also been written about in Operawire.

Maryland Lyric Opera describes itself as a regional opera company. I think of it as a hometown opera company.  Here are the opening lines from OperaGene’s blog report on MDLO’s performance last September of Il Tabarro and Cavalleria Rusticana: “Suburban Maryland now has a hometown opera company (I’m talking to you Bethesda, College Park, Kensington, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Wheaton).  And folks, the hometown opera company can bring it!”.  I noticed in their list above that their masks donations even made it to Northern Virginia and DC facilities. Okay, it’s a regional opera company that feels like a hometown company in bringing high quality opera to local communities.  They see themselves as serving a regional community. Lucky community.

The Fan Experience: Looking back, I see over ten entries during the last two years in OperaGene on Maryland Lyric Opera, a still-young opera company.  A main activity of the company is providing world-class training and enhancing the professional develop of young artists.  I am always impressed with the quality of their young artists and their superb orchestra led by Conductor and Music Director Louis Salemno. Some of their performances have been season highlights for me.  Their 2020-2021 season is scheduled to start on September 23, but has not yet been posted on their website, so I suggest you get on their email list to receive notices of their concerts and opera performances. 

Connecting to Opera’s Beauty, Connecting to Each Other

I enjoy most genres of music, but for the last seven or eight years, opera has been my go-to genre.  Why do I connect so much more strongly to opera now, what is different about opera?  The answer I keep returning to is opera’s beauty.  When I was a young boy, watching the 1933 movie “King Kong” on television made quite an impression on me.  I have never forgotten the closing lines.  The airplanes had just killed King Kong, shooting the creature down from the top of the Empire State Building where he was trying escape having captured the object of fascination, the beautiful actress Ann Darrow.  I felt such sadness for the beast; I felt like taking a swat at the airplanes myself.  Having observed the action, a police lieutenant says to the movie producer Carl Denham, who was responsible for bringing the captured beast to NYC for display, “Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.”  Denham answers back, “Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.” 

Beauty may not be an irresistible force, but it is a powerful one.  I also think that opera has a unique type of beauty, a beauty that stops you in your tracks, lifts you up, connects us to each other as humans to something larger than ourselves.  Perhaps you know the scene in “The Shawshank Redemption” where a rogue inmate plays an opera duet over the loudspeaker in a prison.  The inmates stop in their tracks and listen, momentarily transfixed by the beauty of the sound.  Had a pop song been played instead, the inmates would have grinned, maybe swayed or danced to the music, and enjoyed, even shared in the experience.  But Mozart’s aria provided the inmates with a transcendent experience.  I think that perhaps without knowing it that this is opera’s goal, to use the human voice and music enhanced by a story and staging to share with its audience a transcendent experience that connects us to each other and to something greater than ourselves.

During my journey with opera, I find there are a few recordings of arias and duets that I go to for comfort that consistently draw me into opera’s spell and the beauty washes over me like warm, soothing water.  I’d like to share two of these, both duets, one by the ladies and one by the gentlemen.  I find the blending of voices in duets can be especially beautiful.

The first is the Flower Duet from Léo Delibes’ opera Lakmé.  I ran across this duet searching opera arias on YouTube early in my love affair with opera.  I have not seen Lakmé and am only vaguely aware of its plot.  I have listened to the duet being performed by several different sets of performers, but I have never felt the desire to look up the libretto or to find out what the song is about.  The music and the voices speak to me very clearly what the aria is about, though I can’t put the meaning into words, reminiscent of Morgan Freeman’s voice over during the opera scene in “The Shawshank Redemption” when he says that he doesn’t know what the ladies were singing about, but liked to think it was about something too beautiful to be put into words.  Here is a performance of the Flower Duet sung by coloratura soprano Sabine Devieilhe and mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa that I especially enjoy:

The second is a duet from Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers for tenor and baritone, performed in this case by the world famous singers, tenor Jonas Kaufman and baritone Dmitri Hvorovstosky.  I heard this duet first while watching a video of the opera, and in fact, felt there was a disconnect between the music and the words.  I think it’s best heard like the Flower Duet, without knowing what it is about.  Let these extraordinary voices and Bizet’s extraordinary music tell you what it means to you.  This is an overt example of how opera brings us together – a German tenor and a Russian baritone sing a duet written in French – as the audience add your own nationality.