The HGO Studio / Wolf Trap connection

On reading Kim Wittman’s blog posting here a couple of weeks ago, I have to admit that my first reaction was one of envious amazement that she has time to write posts for OTHER PEOPLE! It’s impressive enough that she’s such a religious poster on her own blog, considering the many varied demands on her time, surely she can leave my blog alone and stop making me look bad…

Once I got over myself, I got to thinking about the similarities between Wolf Trap and HGO Studio. I’ve often been asked whether there’s an official link between the two programs – the answer is a clear no, but the question raises some interesting issues.

HGO Studio only operates September-May – and therefore HGO Studio Artists are only paid for that nine-month period, even when they’re returning for the next season. It’s a definite part of our philosophy that performance experience is a valuable training opportunity – so while HGO is not performing over the summer months, we encourage our Studio Artists to go out to the places which are. They need to ply their trade in other places, learn other systems, make other contacts, and experience different worlds.

There are many summer jobs out there for young opera singers – Aspen, Chautauqua, Glimmerglass, Merola, Ravinia, Santa Fe, St Louis, Tanglewood – and those are just the first ones to spring to mind. Each is very different – some places are geared more to training than performance; at others, there’s very little formal training but you’re on stage every night for months singing in the chorus. Some give recital opportunities; some concentrate on opera. Each has huge strength. So, when there are so many choices out there, why is it that there’s a perceived connection between us and Wolf Trap? Why is it that four of this year’s 11 Studio Artists have chosen to head there this coming summer?

In short, I think the answer is one of ethos. HGO Studio’s stated aim for its Artists is to help them develop their individuality as performers – to become inspired and inspirational artists as well as highly-trained musicians. Wolf Trap responds to the fact the HGO Artists have something to say – remember the WT panel has to be inspired enough in an audition to want to program an opera for the person in front of them! You’ve got to make a unique impression for that to happen – it’s a rather different audition mindset than “we need ten tenors for the chorus of Tosca”.

So I am excitedly making my travel plans for the Summer, to try to take in all three Wolf Trap productions – Zaide, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Il turco in Italia – to watch Catherine Martin, Nathaniel Peake and Michael Sumuel take center stage and tackle the sort of roles which are still a few years off on the HGO stage (and to catch up with Stephanie Rhodes who will be working on music staff there). I know they will each return to HGO in September different, and better, because of those months working away. For those of you who are interested in opera as theater, music as communication, and Studio Artists as the stars of the future, I encourage you to join me.

-LC

Opera pianists are actors

Opera pianists are actors, and the role we play is that of an
orchestra. Whether in a musical coaching or staging rehearsal, one of our most important responsibilities is to reflect what the orchestra will sound like when they join the singers towards the last week of rehearsal. To that end, we spend an enormous amount of time doing score and listening work. We spend hours reconciling the orchestra score with the piano arrangement. We'll listen to as many different recordings as we can, comparing and internalizing the sounds of various orchestras.

All of that preparation is vital yet abstract. Ultimately we are
not imitating notes on a page, nor digital music from a speaker, but the
live sound of a great orchestra in a grand hall. Fortunately, as an HGO
Studio member I get to hear the HGO orchestra in many rehearsals and
performances in the Brown Theater. Everything I hear in those sessions
translates into my playing. As I listen in the hall, I ask myself all
sorts of questions."When I hear the string players play pizzicato, is
the plucked sound short or does the hall give it a slow decay? What is
the character of this melody when a single clarinet plays it, as opposed
to the full violin section? In a very busy passage, what instruments
come to the foreground?"

It's good for an actor to research a role through observation.
But even better is to do some musical Method-acting and become part of
what you are observing. I got this chance by playing the celesta in our
performances of Tosca. There's nothing like sitting in the middle of an
orchestra for a run of rehearsals and performances to soak up the
orchestra's many sonorities in the piece. Yet as important as
internalizing the "What" of an orchestra's playing is internalizing the
"How" of that playing. How does an orchestra respond to a conductor? How
do they rely on their section leaders? How does the way that an
orchestra make sound differ from that of a piano? How is music-making
different when you are playing a part as an orchestra player instead of
the whole as a rehearsal pianist? These questions have fascinated me for
the whole process. During the long stretches I have between celesta
passages, I often occupied myself by comparing the different speeds at
which the orchestra would respond to Maestro Summers's beat, depending
on the tempo, character, and instrumentation of the moment. When I
translate my orchestral experience back to the piano, I achieve a more
detailed and colorful sonic palette, and a sense of the warmth and
spaciousness that comes from 71 people making music together.

When I joined the Studio, I was gobsmacked by the quality of the
singers I would be working with in rehearsal. It never gets old
accompanying the likes of Christine Goerke, Patricia Racette, or Laura
Claycomb. But it's just as exceptional an opportunity to make music
within a group as accomplished as the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra.
When I study a new score and ask myself "What would it be like to hear a
world-class orchestra play this? What would it be like to be in a
world-class orchestra playing this?" I'll have had the benefit of
first-hand experience.

Voice Lessons

I had my first voice lesson when I was a senior in high school getting ready for auditions for Texas All-State Choir. The auditions were and are taken very seriously in Texas with 4 rounds of auditions. My teacher told me he wanted to check my breathing and made me lie on the floor for the entire lesson with a book on my stomach. Needless to say I thought the whole voice lesson thing was a waist of time and money.

I then went to college at The University of North Texas and began having voice lessons that quickly changed my opinion of the whole voice lesson idea I had. It quickly became one of the things I looked forward to each week. After my undergrad I went to Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and worked with another teacher that really gave me tools to enhance my voice and become more comfortable as an artist. I will never forget the teachers that have spent so much time and energy into helping me achieve what I have.

One of the greatest things about being in the HGO studio, among many, is the fact that we have an amazing teacher to work with. Dr. King has taken over right were I left off with my last teacher at CCM and I feel I have grown exponentially as a singer. There is no easy way or easy fix to learn how to sing. It takes time, paentience, dedication and a teacher that will invest in you and believe in your talent. We, the studio members, are lucky enough to have a company back us up along with a teacher who cares about us and keeps us vocally healthy. As singers you are asked to sing roles that are not always what you may think you will sing. In Elixir, for example, I never thought I would have to learn that opera because there wasn’t a mezzo role….but when I received a call from the Studio Director about an opportunity to sing main stage it didn’t take me long to say yes. The role was out of my comfort zone because of the high tessitura but I worked through it, with Dr. King and others, and learned how to sing it. Sometimes we grow the most when faced with a challenge that we were at first not ready for but in the end conquered.

Special thanks to Dr. King for the one of my favorite hours of the week!

From the Other Side of the Curtain

“Kiri, these are the men who will be carrying you out of the window. Would you like to practice this a few times before the show begins?”

We had never rehearsed with the chorus or orchestra before the first performance. So here I was with my hair in rollers being carried down from the window on stage just a few minutes before show time! What a way to prepare for my mainstage debut as Adina in Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love …

I could hear students entering the theater as I returned to my dressing room to put on the rest of my costume. The entire cast was abuzz with adrenaline! I was nervous as I stood off stage waiting for my entrance … I could hear the audience talking in their seats and the orchestra beginning to play. At that moment, I remembered my elementary school days when I wished with all my heart that one day I would be an opera singer. I thought of all the students who would see their first opera today and be hooked just like me! Somehow, I found strength and tranquility in that thought. As I walked out on stage I expected to get even more nervous. I looked out into the theatre, and I could feel the audience’s presence. I took a deep breath, and I had an overwhelming feeling of peace. This is where I belonged. I knew that this was the chance I had been waiting for all my life. Today I was performing on the Houston Grand Opera stage, and no matter what happened afterward, no one could take that away from me. This was the chance of a lifetime.

As we began the show we were a little hesitant until the first outburst of laughter. As the audience began to respond to the actions on stage I could feel myself relax and just enjoy performing. I don’t really remember too many specifics about the show. I just know that we were all trying as hard as we could. It was all a blur up until the last scene. I told Nemorino that I loved him and then he dropped to his knees and hugged me. The entire audience gasped and began to clap. In that split second I realized that the students understood our story. They were with us on our emotional roller coaster. We had made a connection—that is what this is all about.

As we finished the last note and waived good bye to the audience, Nathaniel Peake and I looked at each other with eyes of relief and congratulations as we waited for our turn in the curtain call. He grabbed my hand as we ran out to center stage, and the reception we got was breathtaking. That was a day I will remember forever!

Kiri Deonarine- First-year HGO Studio Artist

Be Ready for Anything

This upcoming Friday night marks the opening of Wagner’s Lohengrin one week after L’elisir d’amore opened the entire 2009-2010 season in brilliant fashion here at Houston Grand Opera. The principle singers and chorus alike bring such mastery to this poignant opera but it certainly has not been without trials. There were and will continue to be many great lessons learned from this experience.
“I’m going to be in a Wagnerian opera!” That was my initial reaction after learning about my assignment as Third Noble in Lohengrin. After seeing the cast line-up which includes Adrianne Pieczonka, Simon O’Neill, Richard Paul Fink, Christine Goerke, Ryan McKinny and Günther Groissböck, I couldn’t wait to start! But everything would not unfold as smoothly as we would have liked.
A few days before our Elsa (Adrianne Pieczonka) was scheduled to arrive in Houston, she suffered a back injury and was doubtful to return to action in time to join our production of Lohengrin. Fellow studio member Rachel Willis-Sørensen stepped in for the rehearsal and staging process as she is the cover for Elsa. Soprano Marie Plette was hired to come in with short notice but health issues forced her to cancel. Shortly thereafter a meeting was called for the principle cast members to discuss the status of our Elsa situation among other topics. Adrianne Pieczonka made great progress with injury treatment and would perform Elsa as originally scheduled. Richard Paul Fink (Friedrich von Telramund) learned of a family emergency and would be out for a few days. Simon O’Neill (Lohengrin) also had a family emergency earlier in the rehearsal process and had to travel back home overseas. After the dust finally settled, we were ready to fine tune this updated production of Lohengrin.

So what have I learned from this process?
1) You must always be ready to step-in when called upon. Rachel stepped in as Elsa with much more poise and than most 24 year old sopranos would have displayed. I commend my studio mate for how well she executed when called upon during this production period. Adam Cioffari, fellow studio member and Fourth Noble in Lohengrin has also been on call as he is not only Fourth Noble but the cover for Ryan McKinny (Herald). Ryan and his wife recently welcomed their second child, so not knowing when or if Ryan would need to leave rehearsal could only make for Adam being prepared at all times.
2) Flexibility is the name of the game. Director Daniel Slater made it here to Houston weeks into the process after everything was staged by assistant director and choreographer Leah Hausman. It was to be expected that certain things would have to change. As an artist you have to be willing to try things and quick to adjust to changes which will evidently happen. I’ve always heard that complacency is the death of an artist. I’ll also add that rigidity goes right along with complacency. Two very important lessons that can carry into any project I undertake in the near and distant future.

Michael Sumuel

Working with Idols

Here it is the middle of the seventh week since I began my incredible journey as an HGO Studio Artist. I’m that kind of person who finds meaning in experiences, seizes opportunities, and is grateful for everything in his life. I have to say it, even though it may sound trite, but I honestly, never thought I would be here, in the studio of one of the world’s best opera companies. Many Houstonians are surprised to find that their opera company is one of the top in the country, with great companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and San Francisco Opera. Some of the biggest stars have had their debuts here, and the Studio has been a home for some of opera’s biggest stars. It is humbling and exciting for me to have walked where so many of my idols have walked.

I remember our week of auditions like it was yesterday, and I think I’m still on cloud nine from the whole experience. I was nervous about our week of auditions, and yet, I felt strangely at home. Even if I had not been granted a spot in the studio, the company is a place of southern hospitality and most importantly a family. The music staff is world renowned. The company’s long history shows it is a company that not only survives floods and fires, but a company that grows and thrives within its community.

Week seven, and while I have been having the time of my life, I’m ashamed to say that I still have boxes I’ve yet to unpack in my apartment, only because we’ve been so busy getting ready for this season’s opening shows, L’Elisir d’Amore and Lohengrin. Being busy is a definite perk for the life of an artist. I would much rather not have time to do anything but work, and my parents and friends would say the exact opposite about their lives, but my work truly is my life’s passion. I eat, sleep, breathe opera.

Around week 4 of the program, I got the incredible opportunity to rehearse with the main cast of L’Elisir. I am performing the role of Nemorino in the student matinees and high school night performances of L’Elisir, but I got to jump in and get my feet wet in what is a new role for me, with the best possible situation. John Osborne (a phenomenal tenor!), the principal Nemorino, could not be at rehearsal until October 2nd, but staging rehearsals for the show started on September 21st. All of the other singers were here and ready to rehearse, but there was no Nemorino. This was my opportunity to help out the cast, and to learn from incredible stars and musicians. Eduardo Müller is one of the most famous conductors in the world, especially in the world of Bel Canto (the style of music/singing of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore). Ekaterina Siurina is the Adina in the show and performed the role in Glyndebourne, where the production originated. Alessandro Corbelli, is quite possibly the most famous Dulcamara of opera today. Liam Bonner is Belcore, the egotistical-ladies-man Sargeant, who is Nemorino’s rival for Adina’s affection. Mezzo-soprano, Catherine Martin, who is also a fellow studio member, sings Giannetta (usually cast with a soprano). The cast was complete minus a Nemorino, who, if you know the show, is quite central in most of the drama.

For two weeks, I got to rehearse and absorb as much as I could in the best of all possible casts for this show. I would be lying to say I wasn’t sad to bow out when John Osborne arrived to take his place as Nemorino, but I will forever be grateful for that opportunity. Now, I get to watch John work in this role. One of the fantastic things about opera is that different people bring different qualities to a character, and those differences can change often, sometimes from show to show. I love live theater for that very fact. Working with the cast as Nemorino, and now watching John work with those same people, I feel as though I have a well-rounded perspective of not only this role and this opera, but how opera companies produce a show.

This week we begin rehearsing the music for the alternate cast of L’Elisir d’Amore. Having worked with all of those fantastic people for that short period of time, has really prepared me for truly exploring this role and this opera. I am so excited to get to work with my fellow studio members. I am sure it will be a great show. Hope to see you there!!!

L’Elisir d’Amore opens on October 23rd, and if you can find a way to get tickets to the matinees (Nov. 4th and Nov. 6th) or the high school night (Nov. 9th), come see a cast of HGO Studio members. This is a fantastic show for first time opera goers. It is a comedy of a boy who loves a girl and will do anything to just get her to notice him.

Nathaniel Peake - HGO Studio Artist

Ah, veglia donna

Well ladies and gentlemen, I'm smack dab in the middle of doing two shows at once. One, is completely new: Brief Encounter by Andre Previn (more on that later), and the other, Rigoletto (by Giuseppi Verdi), is a standard. Almost everyone coming to see this or stepping into rehearsal has seen and heard Rigoletto for years. It's just one of those operas that, if you're in this career or if you're an opera fan, you just know it. Its definately one of those that you could hear a snippet of the music and be able to identify it.

Except for me, of course. I'm one of those weird opera singers that had yearly subscriptions to Rolling Stone Magazine and flat out refused to commit to opera and singer-geared magazines until somewhere in the last year. (I still read my RS.) And, I don't come from an opera background, so I don't automatically know the plots of these time honored operas that thousands of people have already fallen in love with. But, there's no time like the present, and in my opinion, there's no better way to fall in love with an opera than coming at it from a completely fresh point of view.

I'm performing a very small role in this production at Houston Grand Opera, and her name is Giovanna. I've done a lot of maid/servant roles (and I'll do many more yet as a mezzo), but this is the first one that shows a truly nasty side. Forget this mezzo being the soprano's best pal from years of living in the same house... Giovanna, as small of a sing that she is, plays an important role in moving the plot along: she lets the Duke into the house, which in turn gets Gilda abducted. You know the rest. And, if you don't, I'm not going to tell you! :)

The other show that I'm doing right now, Brief Encounter, is a brand new opera by a wonderful team of creators. Andre Previn, as previously introduced, is the composer. John Caird is our director and librettist. These two men, with countless others, are leading the way to making something that only exists on paper into something living and breathing on stage. I've done several world premieres before, and I have to note... to me, it's not very different from doing a standard rep opera (mostly for the reasons above). There are a few key differences though... for one, the composer is living. Which means that, in a sense, so is the score. I workshopped this piece about a year ago, and from that time until this point, this score has undergone probably hundreds of changes. And that was probably just before the singers got into town. A real luxury in having a live composer and a librettist who also happens to be the director is that when something doesn't work, it gets changed. If a note is too high, or if a word just doesn't work in a certain spot, the problem is discussed, and in most cases, fixed right there in the rehearsal. Of course, that makes for an interesting challenge in remembering all of the changes and unlearning what you put a lot of time in the first place to learn, but it's worth it for the ending product.

So, as you can see, it's quite busy around here right now! But, I'm looking forward to opening Rigoletto on April 17th and to getting into dress rehearsals with Brief Encounter. Both shows should result in one heck of a sending off for the end of my time in the HGO Studio!