Category: 2017 Festival

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Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen

[/et_pb_slide] [/et_pb_slider][et_pb_testimonial admin_label=”Testimonial” author=”Laura Nielsen” url_new_window=”off” quote_icon=”on” use_background_color=”on” background_color=”rgba(244,171,171,0.83)” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” quote_icon_color=”#e02b20″ body_text_color=”#000000″ border_style=”solid” body_font_size=”20″ body_font=”Lobster||||” _builder_version=”3.0.51″ quote_icon_background_color=”#f5f5f5″]

 

“I can’t lie and say it isn’t a blast being a soprano, but I really think I am a secret baritone. ”

 

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Where are you from? How did you first get interested in opera or musical theatre? 

I was born and raised in London, Ontario and grew up in a very musical family. My mother grew up singing and playing piano as well as studying voice at Western University, and my father also had a musical family growing up and plays the guitar and sings. They both really gave me such a wonderful musical upbringing and encourage me to this day. My dad’s father is also incredibly musical and played the guitar and sang in a band in Denmark in his youth. I am very fortunate to have an incredibly supportive family who are actually coming to see the festival this summer!

When did you start studying voice? Where are you studying now?

I first started singing when I was young. My mom noticed I had a strong voice and suggested I audition for a choir and orchestra program. I studied there and then graduated to a high school in London with a strong music program as well. I studied at Western University and completed my bachelor’s in performance and later an artist diploma. I am not currently studying at an institution but would love to do a Master’s of Music one day! I will be auditioning in the spring and I am looking forward to new adventures!

What came first for you, theatre or music?

Music!

What are your dream roles?

I have so many dream roles… too many to think of all at once. I love romantic music and would love to sing larger operatic roles one day. I absolutely adore Mimi and Musetta (La Boheme), Violetta (La Traviata), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin) and Floria Tosca (Tosca). I also love Il Trovatore, Faust and Werther and would love to sing in any of those operas one day.

 What arias, songs or entire roles belonging to other voice types would you like to perform?

I can’t lie and say it isn’t a blast being a soprano, but I really think I am a secret Baritone. Sopranos often are the good girls in opera but let’s be honest… I WANT TO SING SCARPIA (Tosca). He is the perfect, delicious, evil villain. That, and “Recondita Armonia” (the tenor aria from act 2) would make me want to switch voice types to EVEN be a tenor… the tenor paycheque wouldn’t hurt either I’m sure. I am also completely in love with Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. His musical lines are so beautiful and they weave in and out of the music so stunningly…. I have a pretty long list of repertoire I would love to swipe from our male counterparts, but Figaro (the aria), Papageno (the quintet), Don Giovanni (THE FLAMES) and Rigoletto are definitely on the list.

Who are your favourite performing artists?

Anna Netrebko
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Roberto Alagna
Mirella Freni
Beverly Sills
Barbara Frittoli
The Arkells
Rihanna

What’s the most embarrassing song on your phone/tablet/streaming playlist?

I am really trying to find something embarrassing but i really can’t! I love everything and even if it were a little embarrassing I would wail along to pretty much anything on the radio. Let’s say it’s probably something from “Burlesque”.

How should we as interpretive artists deal with works that are racist and/or sexist? What can be done to make opera relevant to the next generation?:

It’s important to acknowledge that these two things are a reality in the modern world. It would be foolish to exclude them from, say, Verismo opera. That makes no sense. We obviously also want the cast members to be respectful of one another (another conversation altogether), and I think we have to open a dialogue and be respectful to all of the people involved. Racism and sexism on stage can be moving and jarring at the same time. It really depends on the context of the show.

What are you most enjoying about this summer?

I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent here at HSOF so far and would love to come back another year in the future! I love spending time with people who are as in love with opera as I am.

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Thanks, Laura!

Are you a participant or staff member this year? Why not submit your own answers to our questionnaire!

 

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Vicar Gedge in Britten’s Albert Herring

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“I saw my first opera when I was 14 and have been hooked ever since.”

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Where are you from? How did you first get interested in opera or musical theatre? 

I am from England originally but have lived in Cape Breton Nova Scotia for 19 years. I saw my first opera when I was 14 and have been hooked ever since. My Mother was very musical so I had piano lessons and for a short while cello lessons.Music was definately encouraged.

When did you start studying voice? Where are you studying now?

I only started studying voice about two years ago, seriously since last September. My voice teacher is the very talented Robyn Cathcat in Cape Breton.

What came first for you, theatre or music?

Probably music , though we went to the theatre as a family from a very early age. I saw my first pantomime at about age 10, my first ballet at 13. I was very fortunate.

What are your dream roles?

Falstaff so funny, Peter Grimes and Billy Budd so tragic or any Wagnerian role, so heroic and often doomed!

 What arias, songs or entire roles belonging to other voice types would you like to perform?

Any of the female voices from Der Rosenkavalier, in my mind some of the most gorgeous music composed for the female voice.

Who are your favourite performing artists?

Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, Angela Gheorgiou.

What’s the most embarrassing song on your phone/tablet/streaming playlist?

I have to admit I only play music that I am learning.

How should we as interpretive artists deal with works that are racist and/or sexist? What can be done to make opera relevant to the next generation?:

We should deal with life as it is now, trying to obliterate history. Opera has to be seen as not elitist. Shout from the roof tops that there are very cheap seats in the Opera houses. Take opera into the schools .The performing arts are as important as sports in developing a child ,or adult for that matter.

What are you most looking forward to about this summer?

In my wildest dreams I never thought this opportunity would arise. Learning in a supportive atmosphere and walking 5 minutes to a reheasal and not driving one and a half hours .

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Thanks, Ian!

Are you a participant or staff member this year? Why not submit your own answers to our questionnaire!

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Amore in Cavalli’s L’Egisto

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“My family has supported my education and encouraged me time and time again to pursue my dreams of having a career in music performance!”

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Where are you from? How did you first get interested in opera or musical theatre? 

I am from Simi Valley, California, which is a small town about twenty minutes outside of Los Angeles. Thanks to my love of Disney movies as a young child, I always had a love for music, story telling, and for the arts in general. My parents saw that I was always singing or putting on little performances for them, so they often took me to see musicals at the both the community theatre and at larger venues in Los Angeles too. When the opportunity arose, my parents encouraged me to participate in my elementary school’s choir. Ever since joining choir in second grade, music has been a large part of who I am. I continued singing in high school, which is where I fell in love with musical theatre, and where the opera bug started to hit through study in private lessons. My passion for music and performing continued to grow through each production I participated in, and eventually lead me to majoring in Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance at Biola. Although no one else in my family is a musician or really listens to opera, I am beyond blessed with their support. My family has supported my education and encouraged me time and time again to pursue my dreams of having a career in music performance.

When did you start studying voice? Where are you studying now?

I started taking voice lessons when I was 13 years old. I began to study classical singing, musical theatre, jazz, and pop voice with Heidi Yost when I was 15. I then attended Biola University, where I studied with Dr. Jeanne Robison and earned by Bachelor’s of Music Degree in Vocal Performance. I now study with Joel Balzun.

What came first for you, theatre or music?

Music definitely came first for me! As it kid, it was rare if I was found not singing something, whether it be a commercial’s jingle, a Disney song, or some pop song from the radio. I didn’t start studying theatre until my first musical theatre production when I was 12.

What are your dream roles?

I have so many dream roles, but I would have to say that the one at the top of my list would be Susanna from Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro.” I love the music in this opera and the plot in general, but even more than that, I adore Susanna as a character. I have always loved that she is three-dimensional and very relatable, having moments of wit, will, and strength throughout the opera.

 What arias, songs or entire roles belonging to other voice types would you like to perform?

If I could be a mezzo soprano, I would love to sing the role of Angelina (Cenerentola) in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola.” After all, who wouldn’t want to be Cinderella for a day?

Who are your favourite performing artists?

I love listening to Dawn Upshaw, Diana Damrau, Anna Netrebko, and Joyce DiDonato! While they are all quite different from one another, I really appreciate the way that they all phrase and include so much emotion and story-telling when they sing.

What’s the most embarrassing song on your phone/tablet/streaming playlist?

Oh my goodness, I have far too many guilty pleasures! I hate to admit it, but I do have “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus currently on my iPod. I can’t bring myself to take it off – it always makes me smile and want to dance!

What are you most looking forward to about this summer?

I’m really looking forward to meeting other singers, getting to explore a new city, the process of putting on a production, and getting to focus on music more than work.

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Thanks, Kaitie!

Are you a participant or staff member this year? Why not submit your own answers to our questionnaire!

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