Rena Harms in Conversation with Christian Baldini

I recently sat down with soprano Rena Harms to discuss her upcoming performance of Poulenc's Gloria which she will perform as our soloist with the Camellia Symphony Orchestra in Sacramento, together with the Sacramento City College Choirs. The performance is this Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 7:30pm. Below is our exchange:

Christian Baldini: Rena, it will be a pleasure to make music with you for the first time. Tell me, what are some of the moments you love the most about Poulenc's Gloria, and why? What should people listen for in this piece?

 

Rena Harms: I love Poulenc. The first full role I ever sang was Mere Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites in college. Poulenc has such a distinct sound and I love the moments in the Gloria that make me say “wow, that was so beautifully and quintessentially Poulenc.” I also love his use of dynamic contrast. 

CB: How were your beginnings with music? Who have been your most important mentors, and why?

 

RH: I grew up in a musical family and always knew I wanted to be a performer. I did my first play when I was 4 and acted, sang and danced all the way through high school. I went to Manhattan School of Music for my undergraduate degree and fell in love with opera. My most important mentor is Marilyn Horne. She has been my biggest advocate, hero and friend throughout my career. In my early career I was in the young artist program in LA and was hand picked by Placido Domingo. He definitely played a big role in my career as well. He conducted my first Mimi in La Boheme, which I jumped in for with no rehearsal on stage or in costume. It was a life changing experience!

CB: Which composers inspire you the most? And which works suit your voice the best? Somewhat connected to this: how has your voice changed over time, and has that influenced your repertoire choices?

 

RH: I love to sing Verdi and Strauss the most. The way they wrote for the voice is unsurpassed. Puccini sings to my soul and is my favorite to perform. He writes ever emotion into the score. It is an actress’ paradise! I think my voice is especially suited for Czech composers but those operas are unfortunately not programmed so much so I have not gotten to sing some of my most coveted roles (Rusalka and Jenufa!) All voices mature and change but one of my biggest challenges in my early career was having to say not to things my teacher and Marilyn Horne thought were too soon. I said no to 5 Toscas before I was 25! I worked very hard in my career to say yes to things that I could sing with integrity in my voice. 

CB: You are both active in the concert stage, as well as the operatic world. What are some of the main differences in your view, and what are your personal preferences?

 

RH: The main difference for me is that in a concert you get to concentrate much more on the music because that is the totality of what is being asked of you.There is nothing I love more than singing a role in an opera, to tell a story and take an audience on a journey but there are so many other things going on that I find sometimes the importance of enjoying the beauty of the orchestra and voices can be forgotten.  In a concert performance one gets to put all of the energy into the making music together. 

CB: Thank you for your time Rena, I look forward to bringing this beautiful music by Poulenc to life with you as our soloist!

 

RH: I can’t wait! 

Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for a “winningly liquid” voice as well as for her “dramatic vividness and vocal flourish,” Santa Fe native Rena Harms recently brought the role of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly to productions at English National Opera, Arizona Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Current and upcoming engagements, include her role and company debut with Pocket Opera as Mrs. Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor, a return to Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera as Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro and debuts with the Auburn Symphony as the soprano soloist for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at the famed Mondavi Center in Davis, Poulenc’s Gloria with the Camellia Symphony and a series of Holiday Concerts with Music in the Mountains.

In the 2022-2023 season Ms. Harms made her role and company debut at Opera San José as the Stepmother in Alma Deustcher’s Cinderella, returning later in the season for Tosca. She also made a company debut as Nedda in I Pagliacci at the SP&O.

Ms. Harms’ “breathtaking intensity” (NDR Kultur) was on display in her recent French debut as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra at Opéra National de Bordeaux, and in her return to Florentine Opera for a role debut as Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers. She also reprised her interpretation of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Opera Santa Barbara, a role she has performed in Milwaukee, Basel, and San Francisco. Her performance as Nell Gwynn in the regional premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players at Florentine Opera was recorded live for international release and received two Grammy nominations.

Ms. Harms recently joined the Seattle Symphony as the soprano soloist for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and Opera America for their New Works Sampler, and Seattle Opera for Don Giovanni. She has appeared as Helmwige in Die Walküre and covered Freia at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Desdemona in Otello with the Oldenburgishes Staatstheater, and as the title role in Sigfried Matthus’ Judith with Staatstheater Braunschweig and Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg. Additional credits include the Baden-Baden Festspielhaus covering Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Florentine Opera as Micaëla in Carmen and Liù in Turandot, and Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte for Staatstheater Braunschweig. She sang the title role of Fibich’s Sárka, Marenka in The Bartered Bride, and Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, all in new productions with Staatstheater Braunschweig.

Ms. Harms made her English National Opera debut as Amelia in a new Dmitri Tcherniakov production of Simon Boccanegra and joined Theater Basel for Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the High Priestess in Calixto Bieito's Aida, and a Flower Maiden in Parsifal. In the U.S. performances include Micaëla in Carmen with Opera Santa Barbara and Opera Southwest as well as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ericlea in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria with Wolf Trap Opera. She sang Mimì in La bohème with Los Angeles Opera, where she was a member of the company’s prestigious Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. With that same company, she sang Barena in Jenufa, Erste Magd in Der zerbrochene Krug and Zweite Magd in Der Zwerg in a double bill conducted by James Conlon and released on DVD, Sylvaine in The Merry Widow, as well as their Grammy Award-winning production of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Ms. Harms was a participant in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program and was a proud member of the apprentice artist program at Santa Fe Opera.

On the concert stage, Ms. Harms made her Mexican debut with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Orquesta Sinfonica Simón Bolívar in a program of opera arias, and sang Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with the Burbank Philharmonic and Santa Fe Community Orchestra. She twice joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a series of concerts for children, and was the soprano soloist with Music Academy of the West for Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Ms. Harms is a Grand Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, winner of the Hennings-Fischer Foundation Competition, second prize winner of the Marcello Viotti International Vocal Competition.

 

Carrie Hennessey in Conversation with Christian Baldini

On November 5, 2022, I will be conducting the Camellia Symphony Orchestra in a wonderful program featuring a West Coast première by Salina Fisher (from New Zealand), Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs with the superb soprano Carrie Hennessey, and Prokofiev's extraordinary Symphony No. 5. Below is a conversation I had with Carrie about our upcoming performance.

Christian Baldini: Dear Carrie, as always it is a pleasure to collaborate with you. Please tell me, what is your personal history with this marvelous work by Richard Strauss, and what do these beautiful songs mean to you personally?

Carrie Hennessey: Well as a young singer, with an old soul, growing into the big lyric voice, these were always the “one day I hope to sing these!”. I studied every version I could get my ears on.  I never knew if I’d have a chance to sing them with an orchestra so I have performed them many times in concert with piano. Now I am blessed to sing these a second time with an orchestra with the Camellia Symphony Orchestra! The first time was with conductor Danny Stewart. We performed in a venue in the redwoods, so the final movement was overwhelming. Watching the sunset while singing “Im Abendrot” is a treasured memory. It was difficult to not cry!

CB: Could you share with people what each of these four songs is about? What is your take on them?

CH: These songs weren’t originally grouped together as a set until later. The first Song “Frühling” or Spring elicits the trembling feeling of new, intoxicating smells and sights. In nature. In Life. This leads to “September”, summer shuddering and smiling at his dying dream of a garden. The golden leaves taking over and leading  into “Beim Schlafengehen”, or Going to Sleep. A poem of a soul tired, wearied and wishing for sleep, a soul free to live and fly freely into the magic night. Strauss first set the Eichendorff poem “Im Abendrot”, At Sunset, about a couple at the end of their journey together, seeing the sunset and asking “is this death?”, which became the last in the group. This for me, yes, can represent the literal last sunset but more viscerally for me is the sunset of a life gone by, the past leaving and walking through a metamorphosis. I see the people who have walked through it with me until this point, what I need to leave behind to bloom further and what lies on the other side of the incredible shift and change. These last two years have been filled with personal and collective transformation. These songs to me deeply represent that new discovery of who I am and what I have to offer the world, honoring the path I’ve taken thus far as well as letting go of what I don’t need in order to truly step into what lies ahead. 

CB: Which of the four songs is your favorite, if any, and why?

CH: I think I have to say Beim Schlafengehen, because it was the first I ever sang. The composer that helped bring me back to singing after 12 years away played this in a church service. We had exchanged stories of our love for Strauss and he slipped it into the prelude by surprise. I teared up, remembering what it felt like to truly sing with that kind of freedom. To soar freely as the text and music inspires. We performed it at a New Year’s eve service. A time to reflect on the past and look forward to shift and change. I was ever changed. 

CB: What would you recommend to someone who is not familiar with these songs, or with Richard Strauss? What should they listen for?

CH: I think the thing that stands out to me most is the general feeling of longing. Some specific themes to listen for are the “flying theme” violin solo in “Beim Schlafengehen” that is then repeated in the voice with the words “the soul wishes to soar freely” and I LOVE how Strauss truly captures the sunset. The grand gesture at the end of “Im Abendrot” when the sunset has the deepest, fiery orange blazing through the pink sky, followed by the last birds singing their song,  in the flutes and piccolos, before sleep. Stunning writing!

CB: Thank you Carrie, and as always, I know our audience will be in for a treat!

CH: I am thrilled to be back making such beautiful music with you and the Camellia Symphony Orchestra!

Carrie Hennessey (courtesy photo)

Carrie Hennessey is a wayfinder through the deep, spiritual and technical discoveries of the voice.

Early success in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions led to high expectations, but singing after trauma in her early 20s dismantled the ease in her voice and presence. A top artistic mentor once reviewed, ‘This is not the same singer I heard 2 years ago. Go back home’, and a famous singer/coach exclaimed, ‘If you’d just sing like Renata Tebaldi…’ Hennessey left, losing her identity and voice.

Ms. Hennessey has since found her true voice and created a wildly unique and energized career path in theater, opera, symphony work, recital, and education, wearing with pride the hats of trauma-informed teacher and facilitator, producer, singer, actor, innovator and writer.

She is currently most known for her soaring voice and richly nuanced characters onstage, and has sung all over the world. Notable highlights include on the heels of Covid debuting as Kát’á in Kát’á Kabanová. Ms. Hennessey “in a vivid star turn in the title role…brought a wondrous blend of silvery tone and sinuous phrasing to her assignment…Hennessey’s performance touched perfectly on Katya’s anxiety, joys and uncertainty, all through a surge of Puccinian lyricism.”- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

On a vulnerable and delusional ride through the mind of Tennessee Williams and Blanche Du Bois in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Carrie “gave us a Blanche that let us burrow into her character’s soul, even into the darkest crevices…Hennessey, using a one-two punch of music and drama, made it resonate in a way that equaled the finest stage performances of the part I’ve seen.” (Fresno Bee). Carrie captivated audiences of both the Slow Food Movement and opera alike at Sacramento’s own, Magpie Cafe as Estelle in an immersive production of The Stronger, based on the intense Strindberg play.She channeled the physical comedy of Carol Burnett and fearless vocalism and sense of humor of Beverly Sills in the world premiere ballet by Darrell Grand Moultrie “On the Rocks, Please!”, bringing the Sacramento Ballet house to surprised belly laughter and then to its feet. Ms. Hennessey has also debuted with Houston Symphony, St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Budapest, Reduta Hall in Bratislava, Rudolfinum Hall in Prague, the International Mahler Festival, the Concertgebouw in Bruges, Ypres, Belgium and at the Liederhalle in Stuttgart.

Carrie lights a fire in those around her teaching music education through lectures, workshops, Master Classes, and is joyfully dedicated to guiding people to find their true authentic voice in the world. Currently, Carrie is developing her one woman show about her life in singing, quitting for 12 years post trauma and creating from nothing a versatile and vibrant career steeped in authenticity. Want to be a part of this creative adventure? Subscribe to her email list and blog at www.carriehennessey.com and follow on social media @carriehennessey for updates!

Carrie Hennessey in Conversation with Christian Baldini

On June 4, 2022 I will share the stage with soprano Carrie Hennessey, who has been a frequent collaborator of mine. She will sing arias by Verdi and Dvorak, and duets by Offenbach and Delibes with mezzo-soprano Sarah Fitch. All of this will be with the Camellia Symphony Orchestra in a program that includes Holst's masterpiece The Planets. 

Christian Baldini: Dear Carrie, I am always delighted to work with you and to share your amazing voice and musicality with our audience here in Sacramento. This time we get to do a couple of duets with you and Sarah Fitch, as well as two wonderful arias by Verdi, and one by Dvorak. Tell me, what is special to you about this program, these pieces, this collaboration?

Carrie Hennessey: Well, two of the arias are ones that I performed and advanced in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, Merce dilette amiche and Rusalka's Song to the Moon. The Dvorak holds a special place in my heart.  I am currently in the process of writing a one woman show about my singing life, the devastating 12 years away from singing and the coming back to it. This aria has its own tender scene in the show retelling the other worldly experience of my very first Met Audition. I also, of course, love singing with my dear friend Sarah Fitch, so the two duets will have me smiling from the inside out!

CB: How were your beginnings with opera? How did it all start for you?

CH: Growing up in MN, we were exposed really early on to choral, symphonic music and opera. My mother accompanied many local choirs and as a small child I was already memorizing all the parts! In high school I sang in the choirs, the musicals, solo competitions, and one year a famous conductor from the MN Bach Society came to our school to coach our school choir. My choir teacher had me sing a little Italian aria for him and he decided I should work on Handel’s “Let the Bright Seraphim” for the next competition. He accompanied me, brought in a professional trumpet player, and needless to say helped me develop some rather flashy ornamentation! The more I learned about opera, I loved the playful, collaborative nature of it all and the depth of the storytelling that was possible. 

CB: Why do you think opera is relevant nowadays? What would you like to convey to people in the audience with your wonderful artistry?

CH: Opera, by its nature, conveys deep emotional content. It’s larger than life and can truly house the tremendously big  emotions we all feel. Opera allows for the force of these emotions to move through us in a way that everyday life doesn’t allow. The release is visceral. The depth and breadth of storytelling in this tradition is vast and needed, especially now. My intent is always to connect first to the text and music, to find the universal truth and to take risks vocally and dramatically in order to serve it as best as I can. I intend to be the vessel for our communal, musical experience that we have been lacking during the pandemic. To feel the shared vibrations in these concert halls is a moving way to connect as humans. 

CB: Do you have any advice for young singers who are starting out? What are some helpful considerations? How does one deal with frustrations, failure, and hard decisions? (we have all gone through those!)

CH: Oh my goodness, do I! Seek advice and support from those who are doing the work, those you admire. Communicate clearly with mentors and teachers when things are getting frustrating and you find your needs are shifting. Only YOU know the kind of career you want, the only path is yours. Seek teachers who encourage you to look outside their studio, to be curious, to have questions. Don’t be afraid to ask, even if it seems like a risk. Artists want to support one another, and often we forget that.  I left singing for over 12 years because I didn’t have the tools to communicate as clearly as I needed, so I am a huge advocate in teaching my young vocal students to truly advocate for what they need, even if they think that the powers that be might shut them down, embarrass them or never hire them again. It is still so important to communicate needs so that we can be vulnerable in this rehearsal and performing space.

CB: Thank you so much Carrie. I very much look forward to our upcoming performance. I know that people will be in for a treat, as is always the case with you!

CH: Thank you, Christian! This will be a full and satisfying program indeed!

Carrie Hennessey - Photo by @cymberella

Known for her soaring voice and richly nuanced characters, soprano Carrie Hennessey is consistently thrilling audiences and critics in opera and concert appearances around the world. As Kát’á in Kát’á Kabanová,  “in a vivid star turn in the title role...brought a wondrous blend of silvery tone and sinuous phrasing to her assignment...Hennessey’s performance touched perfectly on Katya’s anxiety, joys and uncertainty, all through a surge of Puccinian lyricism.”- Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

 

The 2022/2023 season kicks off with Opera and Interstellar Voices with the Camellia Symphony, the Brahms’ Requiem and Happy Birthday, USA! with the Music in the Mountains Chorus and Orchestra, and appearances with the Bear Valley Music Festival and the Auburn Symphony.

 

Recent engagements include the title role in Kát’á Kabanová by Leoš Janáček and her illuminating the comic, awkward, and vulnerable Rose in At the Statue of Venus accompanied on piano by composer Jake Heggie. Ms. Hennessey performed the  inaugural season of the Capitol Public Radio Garden Concert Series, as soloist of operatic arias with the Cleveland Philharmonic, the world premiere of Bones of Girls by librettist, Cristina Fríes and composer, Ryan Suleiman, with The Rogue Music Project. “And Yet She Persisted” is a visceral and heartfelt recital with long time collaborator Jennifer Reason of all female composers. Debuting as Estelle in a sold out run of an immersive production in the opera The Stronger was a highlight in the Sacramento restaurant Magpie.  Song of Sacramento , a benefit that also amplified the voices of local composers.

 

Notable opera highlights include Blanche Du Bois in A Streetcar Named Desire, Sarah Miles in the Bay Area premiere of Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair and Elle in La Voix Humaine in NYC. Concert highlights include Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder, collaborating in the development and performance of a world premiere ballet “On the Rocks, Please!”, “Bernstein 100” with the Colorado Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 as well as debuts at the Concertgebouw in Bruges, in Ypres, Belgium and at the Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Germany singing the soprano solo in the Verdi Requiem. Alongside the world-renowned composer Ricky Ian Gordon in the fall of 2016, Ms. Hennessey gave Master Classes and performed a recital of his original art songs. 

 

Hennessey has also performed with the Houston Symphony, at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Budapest, Reduta Hall in Bratislava, Rudolfinum Hall in Prague, and at the International Mahler Festival in the Czech Republic.

 

Ms. Hennessey continues to actively support music education through lectures, workshops and Master Classes in the communities in which she works, as well as nurturing a thriving private vocal studio. She is currently in the process of writing a one woman show about her early life in singing, walking away from a singing career for 12 years and coming back to create a unique, versatile and vibrant performing and teaching career. Subscribe to her email list www.carriehennessey.com and follow on social media @carriehennessey for updates in the creative process! 

Meet Our Operatic Rising Stars

March 15, 2020 at beautiful C.K. McClatchy Auditorium in Sacramento. For Tickets and the full program listing, CLICK HERE.

Since 2015, it has been my honor and pleasure to promote and showcase the talent of several extraordinary young musicians as soloists with the Camellia Symphony Orchestra in Sacramento. 

This year, for the first time, we will feature extremely promising opera singers. It's been wonderful to collaborate with Prof. Robin Fisher from Sacramento State School of Music, and to put together a program that creates a platform for these young talented singers to gain valuable experience, and for our audience to be blown away by their remarkable musicianship and beautiful voices. In addition to several Sac State alumni, we are also featuring mezzo-soprano Monica Danilov, who is a native of Sacramento, and lives in Bogotá (Colombia), where she is on the faculty at Universidad de los Andes.

With the goal of getting to know a little bit about each of the seven singers participating in our performance, I asked each of them to provide their answers for three questions. Below are their colorful and illuminating answers:

MONICA DANILOV

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Monica Danilov: I don't really remember a time when I decided, it just happened, in the sense that I had been singing and had been involved with music since I was a child, so when it was time to decided on a mayor to study (around the age of 18), I didn't think twice about studying vocal performance and becoming an opera singer.

 -Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

Opera is important to me because it is an expression of art at its largest form. It includes all forms of artistic expression at the same time: music, dance, acting, visual arts, and so many other art forms. It shows the singer as an athlete in the sense that we sometimes must sing for hours without a microphone using our bodies and our voice constantly. I think this art form is very relevant in todays world because it is just as relevant as reading a novel or watching a movie. We are watching entertaining stories being unraveled before us which cannot be repeated: each show is live and is unique in its own way, no two shows are exactly the same.

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

My anecdotes about being a singer often have to do with the stage itself, not so much the singing. Nobody really tells you while your in school that the set may move while you are beside it, or sometimes on top of it.. As movements are often happening during the show. Sometimes things don´t always go as planned and pieces move when they shouldn't.  So for example, I was working at this Theatre in Bogota, Colombia singing 42 shows of The Sound of Music, and while my cast and I were singing the "concert" scene, pieces of the constructed "theatre" behind us were supposed to come down and be placed on the stage. Well, something happened behind the scenes and the pieces came down, touched the stage and then continued to move forward, looking like it would fall on top of us or the orchestra in the pit. Fortunately this didn't happen, and the show went on, but you just never know what can happen on stage externally to singing or acting that are just out of your control- so its important to always stay alert and in the moment.

AMANDINE EDWARDS

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Amandine Edwards: This is a two-part answer. I first wanted to be an opera singer when I was thirteen years old, I started taking private lessons, but due to extenuating circumstances I stopped after a couple years and turned my attention to medicine. I studied medicine in university for three years until I realized just how much I missed music, and came to understand just how integral music was in my life (also, I was constantly singing to the cadavers in anatomy and physiology labs!).  I switched my major to vocal performance, and I never looked back.

-Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

In the past I’ve heard the argument against opera being “well, it’s in a language I don’t understand, and that’s why I don’t listen to it.” But as we’ve seen with the recent advent of the international K-Pop explosion, a language barrier certainly did not deter the thousands, if not millions, of people from listening to K-Pop artists (and I sincerely doubt that all of these listeners became fluent in Korean in order to understand the songs). The music is felt, the intentions of the song can intrinsically be understood.

Opera, to me, is the ultimate expression of the human spirit, made so by the sheer power of the unadulterated, unamplified, untampered, pure human voice. Opera is vocal athleticism at its finest, dealing with the extremes of dynamic and pitch, from the softest floating high pianissimo to the most bombastic fortissimo; opera uses this immense arsenal to bring poignant emotion to life to its ultimate degree. 

We see all the time in film, even videogames, the utilization of the operatic/classical voice, it is used in moments of extremes, often in scenes depicting anger and sadness. Particularly it is used to convey a sense of “epic-ness,” especially in war films; this vocal quality, its power as well as its delicacy, beautifully serves the emotion of the scene. Opera deals with big human themes just like theatre does: love, revenge, despair, and so on. The operatic medium adds its own gravitas, breadth, and depth to these themes and situations; and is most certainly still relevant to our present day, the old repertoire as well as the new shows being, and yet to be, composed.

Opera is grand and grandiose, larger than life, the emotional stakes are incredibly high; there is nothing quite like it, it is the ultimate art form.

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

In the world of classical music and opera there may exist this veneer of seriousness and sophistication, but all of that goes out the window in the training process. You have to be ready and willing to try anything to get the best sound, or in understanding the optimal internal sensations in order to produce the best sound, from: snorting like a pig, making sirens, singing bent over, singing through a straw, to imagining you have a laser beam shooting out of the top of your head, and many, MANY, more.

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GALINA ORLOVA

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Galina Orlova: When I was a little girl, I remember hearing opera singers on the radio at home.  My mother would take us to performances in Minsk at the Bolshoi Opera House of Belarus. As a little girl, I loved to see the women come to the theater in beautiful evening dresses, and men in tuxedos. Hearing the opera singers seemed to be something fantastic, even unreal. How can a human sing like that? I believed that opera singers were people from heaven, or they had kind of device built into their throats so that they can make such sounds ...))) lol.

Since infancy, I have absorbed beautiful music. My mother was the first one to teach me to sing; we sang together often at church. She passed away a few years ago, and it has been hard to sing on without her.

Despite the fact that I dreamed of becoming a surgeon, I loved music so much. The opera pulled me like a magnet, and one day I embraced the goal to become an opera singer. I knew it is a very complicated art-- just right for me!  I love the challenge of the impossible .... lol. As I began to study opera in more detail, I began to love it even more and more. Opera is not just singing, not just acting or a movie. It is an entire life that the characters experience on stage, a whole era, with all its beauty, pain and passion.  I really love what I do!


-Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

Opera is an elite art.  Out of 50 audience members, only 1 may really love this art form.  The remaining 49 come to the theater to understand this art and touch something high and inaccessible.
We live in the time of fast-food, but opera is like eating in an expensive Italian restaurant, where you will taste the chef's masterpieces.  Of course, opera is a very complex art, and the singer must be intellectual, have an exceptional voice and solid vocal technique, as well as acting skills to portray the character, have a great appearance and have a special talent to convey to the public the plans of the composer.  This is all very complicated...
Opera is an absolute--a thing of great beauty imparted to us, and touching it can only make a person better. Yes, opera is in a realm to itself and remains the highest, sometimes even incomprehensible art.
This is a very solemn, massive, expensive thing! The opera is not designed for a quick effect, but for long contemplation. So a city with an opera company is a high-level city. Theater is something that cannot be carried on a flash drive--it is a live experience with a direct emotional connection between the viewer and the singer.
Nowadays, theater directors offer innovative productions, and they are very modern.  I believe opera will never become obsolete, just like expensive Swiss watches that do not feature new-fangled digital displays, and just like the most expensive supercars that are not intended to be economical, practical or affordable. Just like an expensive classic tuxedo, opera will remain elite and ageless.
Opera unites generations: it will become very popular and prestigious among the younger generation. Therefore, through my love of opera, and my singing, I would like to show the beauty and meaning of this art.

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

-Very often in my life, like in the life of other musicians, funny and curious situations occur during rehearsals, and especially during performances.  I want to share what occurred recently.  A couple of years ago, I sang Handel’s aria, "Rejoice greatly," from  Messiah with an orchestra and choir.  That evening we performed the entire oratorio.  An orchestra and choir were behind me. My professor stood at the end of the auditorium and observed how beautifully the choir sang.  And suddenly, during my singing, he abruptly ran to the stage, to the  frightened response of the conductor and bewilderment in public.  I could not understand what was happening and panicked, but continued to sing all the melismas ...)))) I even thought that I was singing wrong or in the wrong language ...)  ))) It turned out that one of the singers in the choir had fainted.  Thank God all was well with her.  But this moment made me understand how important it is to stay focused in performance, and to be prepared for all situations.
I also want to share one more funny thing. Once at a concert I had exactly two minutes to go backstage and change my dress. I left the stage and quickly changed my dress. I was ready to go out to perform the following song, and I was already on the stage as the musicians played the introduction, when the thought struck me: did I zip up the dress?
Honestly, this thought tormented me during my performance singing, mixed with thoughts about the song and vocal technique.  I will never forget the feelings that overwhelmed me.  So now I check 10 times whether the dress is zipped before going on stage.

KATIE THORPE

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Katie Thorpe: I decided to become an opera singer when I first saw an opera at Sacramento State a few years ago.

-Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

Opera is important to me because through it I have been able to find my own niche, what I am truly capable of. I do think that opera is relevant in today's society because it has been developed as more operas are still being composed. I think that operas can represent the extremes of the world while also showcasing the extreme abilities of the voice. 

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

Opera is an opportunity to make lasting friendships and become inspired by the people around you who are thriving within opera. 

JUSTIN BIRCHELL

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Justin Birchell: I saw my first opera, Turandot, at age 14, and it blew my mind. With 0 training, I used to walk around the halls of my high school singing opera arias. Finally, a friend encouraged me to audition for the local opera chorus and I did. The next year I had my first solo role (Gregorio in Romeo et Juliette) and, after that, I was hooked!

-Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

Opera is just another way of telling human stories and exploring human psychology. Because the art form is extremely stylized and unrealistic, it allows access to more abstract aesthetic realms. For the thinking art-consumer, opera is a fascinating field of interplay between the physical body (which after all is the source of the voice), and the extremely cerebral realm of musical ideas and aesthetic impressions. Opera has the power to be relevant, although to my mind social relevance is not the crowning goal of artistic endeavor.

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

One of my favorite activities in my performing life has been participating in the Gluck Fellows Music Outreach Program, performing opera and musical theatre excerpts for underprivileged school kids and elderly folks in nursing homes throughout the LA area. The engagement of these audiences and their capacity to be enraptured and entertained by this music is more heartwarming than many an opening-night standing ovation.

AARON GALLINGTON

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Aaron Gallington: I decided to become an opera singer my junior year of college while studying with American tenor Henry Price at Pepperdine University. Dr. Price gave me the encouragement as well as the training necessary to continue my vocal studies and pursue singing classically. I am forever in his debt for recognizing my abilities, supporting me with kindness and patience, and giving me opportunities to explore this amazing art form. 

-Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

Opera is important to me personally because it is an art form that allows a part of my soul free. It can be hard to describe but there is something very restorative and joyful about allowing ones voice to soar with such beautiful music. Opera is a dramatic and emotional musical experience that envelopes the audience in the human experience like no other art form can. To hear and feel the human voice as it portrays many of life’s experiences is something quite astounding. I believe that this art form is necessary in today’s world because it allows us to escape our day to day challenges and experiences, but unlike technology or social media, it is experienced as a fleeting moment in time created only for the audience who has come to appreciate it. Opera may not appeal to all people but for those who take the time to experience and appreciate it, it can be a deeply rewarding and wonderful experience. 

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

I began learning the role of Rodolfo for a summer program with my university where we studied in Heidelberg, Germany. Of course as a group we traveled to some of the famous opera houses around Europe. In La Scala in Milan my director pushed me and my counterpart Mimi into singing O soave fanciula in the gilded lobby. The tourists around us all loved it however a representative of the opera house quickly came up to us and told us to stop singing immediately because they were having a rehearsal on stage and the conductor was very annoyed! We had a good laugh and now I can say I have sung in one of the world’s most famous opera houses! 

 MATT HIDALGO

Christian Baldini: When did you decide to become an opera singer?

Matt Hidalgo: I was 15 when I discovered I had a talent for singing. I attended high school in the heart of the "boy band" craze (cerca year 2000) and I have to admit, I was hooked! I loved how "high" these guys were singing and how much emotion they put in to every song. I really latched onto the R&B singers especially. I thought the good artists really knew how to move you, and that's what I wanted to do. I decided then that I wanted to be a pop star/R&B singer when I grew up! I ended up joining the choir at the high school my Freshman year and I loved it! The next year, my Dad purchased voice lessons as a birthday present for me. 

A few weeks later, I started voice lessons with my High School choir teacher; who also happened to be a budding opera singer himself. He let me know during the first lesson, "I don't teach pop, but what I will teach you, you can apply to a wide variety of different styles of singing." I thought, "sure!" I loved that and he knew exactly which song to give me as my first art song, "O del mio dolce ardor," by Christoph Willibald Gluck. It was perfect with all of it's color and melismas that it perfectly suited my transition from pop to a classical music. 

It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I decided to purchase some classical cds, for reference of course. I had heard a lot about this "Pavarotti guy", but really had no clue who he was or how he sounded. I walked into a Borders (when they were still around), went to the classical section and selected three Pavarotti CDs and one Three Tenors CD (I had a gift card). When I got to my car, I opened one of the CDs (Pavarotti's Romantica Album) and fast forwarded to the first aria, "Che gelida manina," from La Boheme. I was immediately transformed, transfixed, memorized, words cannot describe what I felt in that moment. I can still remember the beauty in tone and brilliance of his high notes and I thought to myself, "this is better than any of the pop stars I know!" I decided right then that I wanted to become an opera singer and devote my life to this art form. From that point forward, I have dedicated my life to voice and classical music. I love to perform this genre and count myself lucky every time I have an opportunity. My drive is to turn my love for music into a sustainable career and develop as a full time opera singer. 

-Why is opera important to you? In your opinion, is this art form relevant and necessary in today's world?

Opera is important to me for many reasons. The first and most important, is the music. There are very few art forms which can be considered "timeless" and opera is one of them. With every new generation of performers comes a new interpretation of a work in new and exciting ways. I love to sing arias because there is always a character behind what you are singing, with goals, a history, and trying to get somewhere. As the singer, I have the opportunity to internalize these goals and emotions and interpret them in any number of ways. That's the beauty of opera! Everyone has their own interpretation, and most of the time everyone is right! For example, the aria, "Vesti la guibba," from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, depending on the singer, Canio's aria can be sung contemplatively, angrily, whoa-fully, sarcastically, it all depends on the singer. I love that about opera. 

Opera is also very interactive. There are very few solo operas, so one has to be able to work with others and play off of each other to make an ensemble work. One of the greatest joys for me when I perform opera, is the other talented singers I get to make beautiful music with. Nothing makes me more happy than performing a Mozart ensemble scene, and all players are in-sync...it's magic. 

I think opera can be made more relevant for today's audience, and I think the genre is going more that direction. Opera companies are having to be more innovative. They employ galas, broadcasts, dinners, beer and wine tastings, and a large number of other things to bring the genre to new audiences. Opera is timeless and it is proven in its longevity. Bringing the genre to new audiences and connecting with them takes effort and purpose, but it's completely possible to keep opera thriving. 

-What are some fun anecdotes you can share with us about being a singer, whether in rehearsals, lessons, or professional experiences?

One other thing is I love how music can move some people to tears. One of the greatest joys I get from stage (and this may sound weird) is I love to see audience members crying/tearing up from the music they are experiencing. I know I am doing my job in conveying the emotion of the work and I know they are having a transformative experience. I strive to move someone to emotion in every performance I give as it fills my soul knowing I provided an amazing experience for someone else.