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.