Meet our Young Artists: AMANDA OPUSZYNSKI, Norina

Her role as Norina in Don Pasquale will wrap up soprano Amanda Opuszynski’s two seasons with the Young Artists Program, which included several wonderful performances in YAP productions, and a mainstage debut as Frasquita in Seattle Opera’s fall production of Carmen. Today we speak with Amanda, who tells us about her role (she’ll perform Norina on March 31 and April 6, alternating with Lindsay Russell who sings on April 1 and 7), the most important things she learned as a Young Artist, and what’s in store for her future.

You’ve previously sung Adina in L’elisir d’amore. She and Norina sing almost the exact same entrance aria, mocking romantic fiction and letting us know you’re too clever to be a Lucia di Lammermoor. What are the differences between Adina and Norina, as you play them?
The way I approach Adina is her power is intellectual. She’s very clever, very smart, but not so much aware of the power of her feminine wiles. Also, she is reading this book and thinking, “I wish this fairy tale could happen to me.” While neither Adina or Norina think the fairy tale is true, Adina wants it to happen, and Norina knows it’s never going to happen. So Adina takes her whole opera to figure out what it is she wants, and to realize the man of her dreams is right in front of her, begging for her attention, the whole time. She doesn’t realize until almost the end of the opera that she’s in love with him and that she has the power within herself to make everything happen that she wants to happen. On the other hand, Norina knows that immediately. She’s reading the book and saying, “This isn’t how it really works in the real world.” She spends all of Don Pasquale making things happen, and she’s a more active character. Things happen to Adina to make her realize how strong she is, but Norina knows that already, and just goes for it.

Do we, as the audience, ever get to see who Norina really is?
Norina is who she really is 100% of the time—but you see different facets of her personality shining through at different moments. She has a lot of sass and can be very matter-of-fact and nagging, but that’s who she is, and she’s not apologetic about it all. I think in the duet with Ernesto toward the end, she’s maybe at her most vulnerable, and there are glimpses of that throughout the opera in different pieces. But I think the best thing about Norina is—unless she’s playing another character, which she does for a big chunk of Don Pasquale—she’s definitely all about being who she is, and she doesn’t apologize for it.

Andrew Stenson (Ernesto) and Amanda Opuszynski (Norina) in rehearsal for Don Pasquale.
Photo by Alan Alabastro

Which part of her personality do you think Ernesto is most attracted to?
Their relationship is interesting because you don’t really see the two of them together; their whole love story happens before the opera takes place. But I think he loves the things about her that she shows in the aria. Her sexuality, her power, her assertiveness. I’m sure she also has a softer side that only he gets to see and maybe she doesn’t show anybody else because she has her guard up a little bit.

Do you have a favorite moment in this opera?
I’ve thought about this a lot, and everything I come up with is not a scene I’m in. [Laughs] I love the duet with Pasquale and Malatesta in Act 3; I think it’s so funny. Michael Uloth (Don Pasquale), David Krohn (Dr. Malatesta on March 31 and April 6), and Joseph Lattanzi (Dr. Malatesta on April 1 and 7) do it so well, and it’s hilarious. I think the reason I love that duet so much is because it’s not something I would ever get to do. It’s a lot of patter singing, and as a soprano I never sing stuff like that, or at least I very rarely do, so I like watching and listening to it. And it’s a very funny moment, too, because Pasquale at that point is fully immersed in this scheme that Malatesta and Norina have concocted, so he has no idea what’s really going on. He’s coming up with his vengeance and the way he’s going to trap her, and he has no idea he’s the one being trapped.

Michael Uloth (Don Pasquale) and Amanda Opuszynski (Norina) in rehearsal for Don Pasquale.
Photo by Alan Alabastro

I have a favorite part to perform, though, and it’s in Act 2 when Norina is paying Sofronia. It’s me playing a character playing a character, and it’s so fun to do because Norina forgets herself and shines through in different moments and then has to quickly get back into character.

You’re about to wrap up your second year with the Young Artists Program. What lessons will you be taking away with you?
When I started this program, I was 23 and just out of grad school. I’d sung professionally a little bit, but this was sort of the first big thing I’d done, and I came into this program still in a scholastic mentality, thinking there was always a right answer and I always had to get an A. Of course, there are no grades here, but that meant still being perfect all the time. But I learned that while you need a strong point of view in your singing, there isn’t necessarily a right answer; two different people can play the same role in different ways, and it can be equally good. You see that really well in this Don Pasquale production because almost all the roles are double-cast. When I got here two years ago, that was a concept I hadn’t quite worked out yet.

I also think that, though I had a lot of really great voice teachers growing up, I really learned to sing opera here. I definitely knew how to sing before I got to Seattle, but in terms of style and the demands of singing an entire opera the way it’s meant to be sung, I think I came into my own with the Young Artists Program. Of course, YAP Director Aren Der Hacopian, Artistic Director Peter Kazaras, and Music Director Brian Garman have had a lot to do with that. And in terms of opera as a business, I guess I didn’t realize how many people can technically sing what I sing, so I had to start to figure out what makes me special and different, and what will ultimately get me a job. That became a lot clearer here.

Young Artists Amanda Opuszynski (Frasquita), Andrew Stenson (Remendado), David Krohn (Dancaïre), and Sarah Larsen (Mercédès) with Anita Rachvelishvili (center, as Carmen) in Seattle Opera's October 2011 production of Carmen.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

What’s next for you, once you leave Seattle?
This summer I’m going to the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY, and I’m covering Elizabeth Futral as Marian the Librarian in The Music Man. I’m really looking forward to that because I started out in musical theater and this is a weird full circle thing for me. And at Glimmerglass, they do it unamplified, with full orchestra, and mostly opera singers, so I’m really excited. Then I’m actually coming back to Seattle next summer to cover in the Ring cycle! I’m covering Woglinde and Wellgunde, two of the Rhine daughters. The Ring is such a key part of this company and it’s really cool to be involved in that in any sort of way. I never thought I would sing Wagner, but it’s great to find out there are roles I could sing. I’ve never actually done a German opera, either, so the Ring will be my first one!

Sharing Ideas at Opera Europa

It’s time for another update from France! When last we left them, Andrea and Alicia were off to a concert and a networking dinner for Opera Europa attendees. Here’s the latest from their adventures in Lyon.

It is 1:15 a.m. and we are back from our networking dinner after the Wagner concert. It was a wonderful program that included the Overture and Bacchanal from Tannhäuser, a passage of Brünnhilde's from Götterdämmerung, and the Overture to Meistersinger. The opera house is amazing, with six levels of balconies along with the orchestra level.

The Opéra Nouvel, home to the Opéra National de Lyon.

After the concert we were ushered into the ballet studio for our networking dinner. It was the first chance I had to showcase a new tool we created, to market our productions, which works on an iPad. Since this is a conference with no booth or centralized work area, we created an iBook that would allow us to show our work—which we had previously showcased in two 35-pound binders! Showcasing our information this way not only saved us hundreds of dollars on shipping, but also allowed prospective clients to navigate the information quickly and ask questions. The iBook contains all the information a client may need when shopping for a production; brief media clips, costume and set photos, drawings, and other technical information, all available at their fingertips. This new platform worked incredibly well in allowing us to show as much information as possible in a small amount of time and in a tight space. We hope to soon publish the rentals iBook on iTunes, so stay tuned for that.

I had wonderful conversations today with people from all over the world, including representatives of Opera Krakowska—with whom we discussed their Young Artists’ Program, and smaller rentals we have available—to the Royal Opera House and the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society. With so many amazing people, so many creative solutions, and such passion for the art form, it’s impossible not to be invigorated.

One really interesting fact we became aware of is that the Théâtre du Châtelet recently decided to open its own production facility and build its own productions. They are confident that by controlling the build process, from conception to realization, they can retain artistic vision and control costs—both of which are integral to the sustainability of any performing arts organization.

Tomorrow promises to be another busy and fruitful day with more new friendships made and partnerships forged. (And I’m enjoying practicing my French!)

--Andrea Reay

Meet our Guest Artist: KENNY ENLOW, Notary

Our Young Artists open their production of Don Pasquale on March 31, and it marks the first time the YAP will sing at University of Washington’s Meany Hall—but that’s not Pasquale’s only connection to the school; Kenny Enlow, a first-year UW graduate student studying vocal performance, will appear as a guest artist in the role of the Notary. Today we get to know Kenny, who moved from Florida to the Pacific Northwest just for the opportunity to work with Seattle Opera.

How did you get involved with this production of Don Pasquale?
Actually, I was given an opportunity through my voice teacher at University of Washington, Thomas Harper [Mime in Seattle Opera's 1991, 1995, 2001, and 2005 Rings]. Aren Der Hacopian [Seattle Opera’s Artistic Administrator and Director of the Young Artists Program] asked Tom about UW voice students, and that's how I heard about it and came in to audition for the role.

What is your background in music? When did you first become interested in opera?
I didn’t start singing until college, while I was studying at Florida State University. I was originally a trombonist for about 10 years and I’d always sung but I’d never actually pursued classical singing or opera until then. I was involved in a spring production of A Rake’s Progress during my freshman year, and the following summer I auditioned into the voice program.

What is it that you liked so much about opera?
When it comes to acting, some actors and actresses just can’t get into a role because it lacks substance. But you don’t come across that very often in the opera world; there’s just so much that you could fall head first into. It’s amazing to be able to emote using your voice. It’s probably one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had the opportunity to take part in.

Why did you pick University of Washington as the place to earn your master’s degree?
Actually, I had hopes I could work with Seattle Opera. So when this opportunity came along, I jumped on it, because it’s what I originally set out to do here, along with going to school. Seattle Opera has a wonderful reputation for having great artists and great productions. Also, I did a production at Florida State with Peter Kazaras [Artistic Director for the Young Artists Program, and Stage Director for Don Pasquale]. He guest-directed Der Vampyr when I was in college and I loved working with him, so when I found out he was directing this Don Pasquale production, I was like, “Oh, yes!” He’s great.

What other work have you been involved in since moving to Seattle?
I have to hold down a full-time job while going to grad school—so that doesn’t offer me a lot of time do much else outside of school. But at UW I was Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors for our fall production, and we just finished Benjamin Britton’s Albert Herring at the beginning of this month, I sang the Vicar. This spring, we’re doing L'enfant et les sortileges and I’m the Grandfather Clock in that, as well. So I’m getting good experience at school, but I’d also like to open doors whenever possible with the major houses.

Where do you hope your career in opera will take you?
I would like to build up my resume singing wherever I can. I’ve thought about moving to Europe and giving that a go, and eventually—like everybody else!— I’d love to sing at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Met, and here at Seattle Opera.

Finally, can you tell us a little about your character in Don Pasquale?
The role is the Notary, and he’s basically a friend of Malatesta’s, who is coming in to play a “notary” for this “marriage” that is going on between Don Pasquale and Norina. He’s hired to act like a notary and get the fake union going on. That’s really all that I’m doing, but it’s great because it’s a role that is comically expressive in the face, which is something I really enjoy doing.

First Report from Lyon's Opera Europa Conference

Last week, we heard from Production Administrator Andrea Reay, who was headed to France (along with Alicia Hall, Seattle Opera’s Technical Financial Services Coordinator) for the Opera Europa conference. Here’s another update from the road, about her first day at the conference.

Andrea and Alicia arrive in Lyon!
Photo by Andrea Reay

After a long flight, we arrived in Lyon for the first day of the Opera Europa conference. There are over 200 participants from over 26 different countries, and not only European countries--there are representatives from opera companies as far away as Hong Kong. (So I guess I shouldn't complain about our long flight!)

Opera Europa is similar to Opera America in that it is an organization that exists for the betterment of its member companies, and to serve the art form as well. The conference began with a welcome from the host company's general director, Serge Dorny. He spoke on the theme of the conference (“Sustainability at What Price?”) and focused on the commitment European opera companies have to their audiences, both culturally and from a fiscal perspective, as it relates to the subsidies many European opera companies receive from their governments. As government subsidies have decreased with the economic crisis, our need for dialogue has increased, both within the institutions and without. He encouraged everyone to gather, share ideas, and debate.

Alain-Gerard Slama then spoke on the need for opera as an art form to never lose sight of its artistic integrity. In these times of crisis it can be tempting to try and reinvent opera, to make it more “popular” or ”modern,” but Slama said opera is always modern when we view it through the lens of modern sensibilities and society. He also spoke of the need for European companies not to stay locked as strictly national and historical institutions, but rather to have cross-cultural dialogue with each other, as opera is an art form that transcends cultural barriers.

Alicia and I then took part in a technical/production forum on labor costs. Eleven opera companies answered two questions: How many performances do you perform in a year/season, and what are your labor costs of the stage technicians? These questions prompted a lively debate on relevancy, our ability to compare costs accurately, and socioeconomic differences across Europe. The session was moderated by Philippe Agid, author of a book about opera production management, which I am anxious to add to my personal library.

We are now off to a Wagner concert with Ann Peterson conducted by Kazushi Ono, followed by a 10:30 p.m. networking dinner. On a cultural note--people eat dinner late in France!

--Andrea Reay

Seattle Opera Staff Head Off to Opera Europa

Today we hear from Andrea Reay, Seattle Opera's Production Administrator (pictured, right, at a pre-Carmen "Insider's Tour"; photo by Alan Alabastro). Andrea headed to France this week, where she'll be representing Seattle Opera at this year's Opera Europa conference, in Lyon. Read her first update, below, to learn more about Andrea's job, her travels, and what she hopes to accomplish while at the conference!

If you would have asked me 10 years ago, when I took my first Production Assistant job with Seattle Opera on Eugene Onegin, if I thought I would ever consider traveling overseas for the Opera, I would have said you were crazy. I was 22 years old and totally committed to a career in stage management. I loved being in the rehearsal hall, close to the work, helping to make sure all the people and ideas came together on any given production. As I worked as a freelance stage manager in town I began to discover my true passion was in Production Management, where the work is every bit as integral to the success of the show as we strive each day to find creative solutions to practical problems.

My current position as the Production Administrator allows me many opportunities to be innovative in our approach to the business of producing opera. Case in point: I am currently waiting to board a flight that will take me to France, where I will be participating in Opera Europa, a conference for opera professionals in Europe. This year the conference is in Lyon and it will be the first time I will be participating—and I am very excited. My colleague Alicia Hall, from our Tech Department, will be accompanying me. Together, we are honored to represent Seattle Opera on the international stage, to engage in the conversation, and promote our costumes and sets rental program. (Visit our rentals page on our website to get a sense of what the program is.)

Many people may not realize that our costume and set rental program accounts for a significant amount of Seattle Opera's income every fiscal year. We have over 50 productions available for rent, and a large part of my job as the Production Administrator is ensuring that we meet our income goals. Ieva Ohaks, our Costume Rental Coordinator, and I work very closely to meet all of our clients’ needs and deliver the outstanding designs and craftsmanship that have graced our stage to other companies around the United States and the world.

The rentals program allows our productions to have a life outside of Seattle, and for other audiences and companies to share in our success. The theme of this year's conference is “Sustainability, at What Price?” Europe is struggling with the same economic challenges that we face here in the U.S. It will be interesting to see the approach and models they are exploring to retain the art and maintain budgets. We'll be there to advocate for and facilitate rentals, which can be an artistically viable, less expensive alternative to other models.

Opera companies all face economic challenges, but it's important to remember that every challenge is an opportunity—an opportunity to be innovative and creative problem-solvers, something that we do every day in the Production Department.

--Andrea Reay

Meet Our Young Artists: ANDREW STENSON, Ernesto

Andrew Stenson as Don Ottavio in last season's Young Artists production of Don Giovanni.
© Rozarii Lynch photo

Andrew Stenson received a wild roar of approval from the crowd after the Sunday matinee performance of Orphée et Eurydice a week and a half ago, when he sang Orphée, as cover, because William Burden had been injured at the previous evening’s performance. Melinda Bargreen, who reviewed that performance for KING FM, agreed with the surprised and delighted audience: “Stenson commands an apparently limitless range, a highly developed vocal agility with remarkably good trills, and a passionate conviction that reaches right into the house,” she wrote. Stenson, who’s starring as Ernesto in our upcoming Meany Hall performances of Don Pasquale, spoke to me the other day about how crazily high the role of Orphée is, about his recent Metropolitan Opera debut, and what he’s learned from two years in our Young Artists Program.

First, tell us about about your experience in Orphée et Eurydice.
Covering Bill [Burden] in Orphée was fantastic. Bill is amazing, he’s able to get up there and do it once, and it’s brilliant. That takes years and years of training, and a lot of discipline and talent. For me, just to be able to be around that really pushed me to be better. He’s so natural and comfortable in his body, that really challenged me. When he takes this kind of posture, or does certain things with his body—you can pick those things up after observing. A lot of little things, and how he’s able to turn on a dime.

There’s a moment—I think it was just before intermission, where he literally sang while lying on his side, with one of his legs curled up—the weirdest position I’ve ever seen anyone sing from!
Yes, in the Elysian Fields scene.

Did you use the same posture?
I did, but I remember, “God, that’s really hard!” (laughs) I took that blocking directly from him, but he just...did it. It’s actually really fun to be able to challenge yourself like that. Like with the aria at the end of Act One, “L’espoir renait”—singing coloratura while holding a lyre above your head. After a while, that gets tough.

Andrew Stenson as Orphée.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

Because your arm gets tired?
Yes. The first time I sang the role, my arm was so sore the next day!

Try being a conductor! Now tell us about the tessitura--the vocal range—of Orphée.
It’s brutally high. It’s the highest thing I’ve ever sung, or for that matter ever seen. That’s my wheelhouse, though. Fortunately, when I was in New York in January, I got some great lessons from my teacher, Gerald Martin Moore. That role lives where a lot of “money notes” are, where the peaks of the phrase would be in most other operas. But in this opera, a high note (G to Bb) is not an event, it’s just another note in a phrase. I’ve always been able to sing high, and they must have heard something in me, I guess, because they gave me the opportunity to do this...

Andrew Stenson (Ernesto) and Amanda Opuszynski (Norina) in rehearsal for Don Pasquale.
Photo by Alan Alabastro

Had they [Seattle Opera’s artistic staff] heard you sing “Ah, mes amis” from Daughter of the Regiment, with its famous 9 high Cs?
Yes, I’ve coached that with Brian [Garman, Music Director of Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program]. I like to use some of these really high arias, like that and “Languir per una bella” from L’italiana, as vocal etudes. You know, “If I can sing these, then I’m fine.”

You’re like a male version of those Queens of the Night who warm up with their aria. If you’ve just sung a high F, then a high C isn’t so high!
The first time I sang the Daughter of the Regiment aria in public was at the Tucker Foundation auditions, and it that was the best audition of my life—I actually won one of the study grants.

That’s very exciting. As was your recent Met debut, back in January, when you were covering a singer in The Enchanted Island and ended up going on. That’s happened to you twice this year! Tell us about that role.
Yes, the character was simply called Quartet # 3. It’s an haut-contre role, like Orphée.

Andrew Stenson, with blue hair, backstage at the Met with David Daniels, who sang Prospero (Andrew Stenson, photo)

That opera is a pastiche by a bunch of composers. Who wrote the music you sang?
I sang in a quartet by Rameau, “Tendre amour,” look it up on YouTube, it’s really beautiful and harmonically quite ahead of it’s time. Originally it was supposed to be really high, that’s why I got hired. But then our Maestro, William Christie, decided to transpose it down a major 3rd, so I thought, “Oh, the singer I’m covering could sing this cold, I’m never going to go on.” But then he ended up with tonsilitis, and they call me the day of the show—early, it wakes me up, I’m like (groggy voice) “Hello?” And they say: “You’re going on tonight,” but I fall back asleep for two hours and when I wake up I’m not entirely sure whether the call came or I dreamed it. So I call back, and they say, “You can’t back out on us now—you’re going on!” I’d already been fitted for the costume, and then during intermission the Assistant Director showed me where I needed to be onstage when, I ran it the quartet musically with the other three—we’d never sung it together before—and then I went out and did it.

Crazy.
Funny story, in Seattle I live with Lindsay Russell and Sarah Larsen, two other Young Artists, and when they heard I was going on they called another friend who was in that show and they told him to leave cured meats in my dressing room, because they thought I would appreciate that more than flowers. They were Face-Timeing in the Met Green room through his phone, watching it on the monitor, and I came offstage and there they were, it was really sweet.

Sarah Larsen (Charlotte) and Andrew Stenson (Werther) in Werther.
Photo by Alan Alabastro

Moving on to Don Pasquale, how does the role of Ernesto sit in your voice?
It’s high, but it’s different. Here, the Bbs are events! The phrases are longer than those in Orphée, the gestures are bigger. I’m glad I did Orphée first!

How seriously are we to take Ernesto during the sad aria “Cercherò lontana terra?”
The way we’re doing it, the comedy comes from how seriously Ernesto takes himself. He’s a bit melodramatic. But it can go either way, you could take him seriously or no, and I leave that up to the audience. I hope to portray the character honestly. It could be funny, it could be heartbreaking. I relate him to Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother—he gets so riled up!

For you, what’s the difference between playing tragedy and playing comedy?
The unfortunate things about tenors in comedies is we’re usually the straight guy in the comedy. Pasquale is the ridiculous one, Norina is quirky, or sassy, and Ernesto is the straightforward one of the bunch. I discovered this last fall when we were doing Viva la Mamma!. You can’t play for laughs—compared to Mamm’Agata, you’d never win. That was a very good experience, in terms of preparing me for this.

Daniel Scofield (Mamm’Agata) and Andrew Stenson (the Tenor) in Viva la Mamma!
Photo by Bill Mohn

Speaking of that fall 2010 tour of Viva la Mamma!, you’re now wrapping up your second year in our Young Artists Program. What have been some of the highlights, so far, of your work at Seattle Opera?
It’s been so much fun, I’ve done so much with this company. Right now, it’s home. I feel like the company has my back, and I can’t thank Seattle Opera enough. I’ve learned so much, I feel like I’ve been taking leaps and bounds forward with all the opportunities I’ve been given here.

Officials from China's National Centre for the Performing Arts Visit Seattle Opera

Seattle Opera recently received several distinguished visitors from China's National Centre for the Performing Arts, host of last summer's World Theatre Forum.

Above, Ms. Wei Lanfen, Deputy Director of the NCPA Programming Department and Mr. Deng Yijiang, Vice President of the NCPA, greet Seattle Opera Board President William T. Weyerhaeuser and General Director Speight Jenkins (Alan Alabastro, photo)

Last June, three members of Seattle Opera's staff traveled to Beijing for the NCPA's third annual forum. Four staff members from the NCPA visited Seattle last weekend: Mr. Deng Yijiang, Vice President; Ms. Zhu Jing, Director Department of Brand Promotion; Ms. Wei Lanfen, Deputy Director Programming Department; and Mr. Wang Dayu, Director Department of Education and Outreach. The group from the NCPA toured McCaw Hall and met and dined with several members of Seattle Opera's staff and board. Ms. Wei Lanfen, who is fluent in English, acted as translator.

Time for Comedy! Seattle Opera's Young Artists Take On DON PASQUALE

Now that we’ve wrapped up Orphée et Eurydice, it’s time to put the spotlight on our 2011/12 Young Artists! On March 31, they'll open their fully-staged production of Don Pasquale at University of Washington’s Meany Hall for the Performing Arts, with additional performances on April 1, 6, and 7. This is the first time our Young Artists Program production will be at Meany Hall, and we’re excited for this appearance in a new venue that will beautifully showcase this talented group of singers.

Costumes, in progress, for the Young Artists Program production of Don Pasquale.

“The roles of young lovers, mastermind, and old curmudgeon offer opportunities to act with gusto and credibility, and the gorgeous melodies of Donizetti’s score demand beautiful singing,” says Peter Kazaras, the Young Artists Program’s artistic director, and stage director for this production. “The story, which is as old as time, is one of the world’s great comedies. It will play wonderfully in Meany Hall.”

Starring in all performances as Don Pasquale is bass Michael Uloth, who will make his Seattle Opera mainstage debut in May as the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly. The March 31 and April 6 performances of Don Pasquale feature a trio of returning Young Artists: soprano Amanda Opuszysnki as Norina, tenor Andrew Stenson as Ernesto, and baritone David Krohn as Dr. Malatesta. Audiences will recognize these talented singers from Seattle Opera’s recent production of Carmen, in which they sang the roles of Frasquita, Remendado, and Dancaïre, respectively. Stenson had a recent triumph when he sang the demanding title role at the March 4, 2012, performance of Orphée et Eurydice, covering for an injured William Burden. On April 1 and 7, soprano Lindsay Russell sings Norina, tenor Jason Slayden is Ernesto, and baritone Joseph Lattanzi portrays Dr. Malatesta. Slayden recently made his mainstage debut as Uldino in Attila, and Lattanzi sang the role of Moralès in Carmen. Sets are designed by Donald Eastman, lights by Chris Reay, and costumes by Deborah Trout.

Keep an eye on this blog over the next few weeks, as we'll be sharing Q&As with our artists, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and Don Pasquale production photos and video. In the meantime, enjoy this clip of Young Artist Lindsay Russell singing the national anthem at a recent University of Washington basketball game:

Upcoming Opera-tunities for Children

Looking for some fun activities for your children this spring? How about having them perform in their own mini-opera…or on the McCaw Hall stage as part of Seattle Opera’s season-ending production of Madama Butterfly? Have a look at the following exciting opportunities for young people to be involved with opera, and keep an eye on our calendar for new activities and events for people of all ages.

Madama Butterfly Audition

Timoney Moyer and Sheri Greenawald in Seattle Opera's 2002 Madama Butterfly.
© Gary Smith photo

Seattle Opera is holding auditions for two child supernumeraries to portray Butterfly’s child in the upcoming production of Madama Butterfly.

We’re looking for two Asian children, 3-5 years old, who are small for their age and have good focus and concentration. The two children will alternate between the 8 performances, which run from May 5-20, 2012. This is a volunteer position, with rehearsals beginning April 9.

For more information or to sign up for an audition, please call Paula Podemski, Seattle Opera's Production Supervisor, at (206) 676-5812.

 

March 16: Opera Time Day Camp for 1st-3rd Graders

Is your child or grandchild out of school on Friday, March 16th? We’re offering a one-day Opera Camp that includes singing, acting, arts and crafts, and movement, which culminates in a mini-opera performance that your little one helps to create! The camp costs $40 and runs from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., with aftercare available for an additional fee. For more info and to register visit our website.

Other Upcoming Opera Camps

In April, we’re offering two Murder... and other Foul Play opera camps: April 9–13 with Bellevue Youth Theatre for grades 4–10, and April 16–20 with Seattle Public Theatre for grades 6–12.

Planning ahead for the summer? Young people grades 4–10 are invited to take part in a Youth Opera Chorus Camp, held at McCaw Hall from July 9–13. From July 30–August 25, we partner with Seattle Public Theater for a Sweeney Todd camp, targeted at grades 7–12.

Info on all these camps is available here, or contact Barbara Lynne Jamison at 206-676-5564 or Barbara.Jamison@seattleopera.org.

Kyle Johnson Dances in Three Seattle Opera Productions

Our blog today is by dancer Kyle Johnson, who carries Julianne Gearhart (Amour) on his shoulder in the final moments of Orphée et Eurydice. Photo, left, by Elise Bakketun.

When I auditioned to dance in Seattle Opera’s Don Quichotte last season, I never imagined the adventure I would have with the company over the next year. I have had the privilege of dancing in three different productions, with three different choreographers, first in Don Quichotte and then in this season’s productions of Carmen and Orphée et Eurydice. From the studio to the stage, each opera was a unique experience.

Last season’s Don Quichotte brought the pleasure of working with the acclaimed Spanish choreographer Sara de Luis, one of the leading experts in Classical Spanish Dance. This style was a whole new skill for me, and it was such an amazing experience to learn it from Sara.

Sara de Luis in Don Quichotte.
Photo by Rozarii Lynch

Having never choreographed this particular opera before, Sara was not only teaching the dancers a new way of moving, but creating a brand new original choreography for us. She collaborated with director Linda Brovsky, who had a clear vision of the dancers' place in the opera. Linda didn’t want the dancers to be a novelty act, but really to be incorporated into the action. So rather than coming forward and performing to the audience, Sara had us facing into the crowd onstage, performing for the chorus or the principal artists. So the dancers really became a part of the story. We were street performers, gypsies, and friends to the characters of the opera.

Kyle Johnson (far right), with Principal Dancer and Choreographer Sara de Luis in last season's Don Quichotte.
Photo by Rozarii Lynch

This season’s Carmen was a very different experience. Although Carmen, like Don Quixote, is a Spanish-themed opera rather than traditional Spanish dance, the dancing was far more theatrical, with Spanish accents flavoring the choreography. Choreographer Peggy Hickey, who regularly choreographs for opera, musical theater, and television, had choreographed Carmen many times before, so we were for the most part staging her existing choreography. Peggy had also collaborated with director Bernard Uzan on a previous production of Carmen, and it showed in the final product: a cohesive, polished opera. The dancing in this production was far more grandiose than in Don Quixote last season (including a dream ballet prior to Act 4) but didn’t distract from the action on stage; it added another layer to the overall picture, and was a pleasure to dance.

Carmen Choreographer Peggy Hickey (with Kyle Johnson dancing in the background) during a rehearsal filmed for a KING 5 HealthLink segment (click here to watch).

Orpheus and Eurydice, which is currently on stage at McCaw Hall, has been an entirely different process. A completely different style of opera, and a completely different style of dance. Choreographer Yannis Andoniou comes from a background of ballet and contemporary dance, having performed for years with Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet. He is also no stranger to opera, having danced for 15 seasons with the San Francisco Opera. And he’s intimately acquainted with Orpheus and Eurydice, having collaborated with director Jose Maria Condemi on a past production. But rather than restaging the choreography from that production, Yannis created brand new movement for the brand new dancers in this production. Yannis and Jose Maria have mutual respect for each other’s process, and Yannis created movement to suit Jose Maria’s vision for the opera: that the dance should propel the story forward, rather than be a separate spectacle.

Kyle Johnson (center) in Seattle Opera's current production of Orphée et Eurydice
Photo by Elise Bakketun

[The SunBreak sent their dance critic to Orphée last week, and he wrote about the production HERE. Also, you can still watch Kyle and three of the other dancers--Kate Chamberlin, Roxanne Foster, and Daniel Howerton--dance an excerpt from the opera on KING-5's "New Day Northwest".]

The dancers play many characters throughout the opera, but each character is key in the development of the story. As Villagers, Furies and Spirits, it is our job to lead Orpheus and Eurydice through their journey.

Dancers for Orphée et Eurydice work with choreographer Yannis Adoniou (right, in orange) during rehearsals.
Photo by Alan Alabastro

For each of these operas, it was the choreographer’s job to make sure the dance never pulled focus from the story, but moved the story forward instead. Each choreographer brought something new and fresh to their respective productions. And I have learned so much from each of them. It has been such a pleasure working with each of these choreographers, and having the opportunity to work with the prestigious Seattle Opera. Until last year, I had always considered dancing in opera to be more history than present day, but over the past year I have learned that it is alive and well. Dance still has a place in opera today, and these productions have each demonstrated that to great effect. I’m so glad that I could take part in it.

Kyle Johnson and Kate Chamberlin dance in Seattle Opera's Orphée et Eurydice.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

Meet Our Instrumentalists: DEMARRE MCGILL, Flute

I had a chance before the performance on Sunday to speak with Seattle Symphony’s new principal flute player, Demarre McGill, who plays the gorgeous flute solo that opens the Elysian Fields scene of Orphée et Eurydice. Demarre, who was chosen by Ludovic Morlot, the Seattle Symphony’s new music director, moved to Seattle in the fall from San Diego. We spoke about the meaning of this amazing solo, how he first played it as a small child, and his exciting upcoming plans.

Demarre, now that I’m down here in the pit and can see your flute up close, I’m struck by its color.
Yes, it’s 14 karat gold, made by Powell Flutes, a company out of the Boston area. I bought it new a couple of years ago.

Built just for you!
Well...it was built and I bought it. (Laughs) I like to think it was built just for me! It’s a beautiful instrument.

Does it sound noticably different from a standard silver flute?
Yes, the different kinds of metal each vibrate differently, which changes the sound. Gold flutes tend to have a warm sound, a bit darker than a silver flute, which sounds...silvery.

How many flutes do you own?
Two, I own a silver flute as well. But I never play it, ‘cause I’m in love with this one.

Do you remember the first flute you ever played?
Of course, I was about 7 years old, it was a used flute my mother bought for my father when they were dating in the early 70s. It was silver-plated and we just found out that the flute was put out by Sears.

Okay, let’s talk about the solo in this opera. Have you played this piece before?
Yes, it was the first solo I ever played. With piano.

When you were a little kid?
Yes. By the time I was 9, the music director at my elementary school would have me play a solo at the choir concerts.

And you played the “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from Orphée et Eurydice!
Yes.

Did you choose it, or did somebody give you the music and say, “Here, play this!”
Uh...I don’t remember. But I do remember I was obsessed with it.

So what are you thinking when you play it now?
In the first couple of rehearsals, I was just trying not to play it the way I did when I was a kid! That was the last time I played it.

You haven’t played it for every audition ever since, that kind of thing.
No. Right now, I’m just in it—it’s a very easy piece of music to get involved in, emotionally. It’s so simple, so gorgeous—even though I’m playing, I’m just feeling.

Why is it so melancholy? If that’s the right word...
Well, it is.

I mean, this is music for paradise. And, upstairs, onstage, we’re like, “Whoa, she’s in heaven!” But the key signature, you know, is D minor, and there are all these odd harmonic twists and turns...
But melancholy doesn’t have to be a negative thing. It feels introspective to me...very intimate. I’ve never been to heaven. (Laughs) But it doesn’t have to be a party. For me, this is beautiful because of its intimacy. It’s very, very personal, and haunting...but I don’t think it’s necessarily a negative thing.

During Demarre's solo, dancers including Marissa Quimby and Kyle Johnson cleanse their hands in bowls held by chorus members such as Craig Grayson (Elise Bakketun, photo)

Does it help to think of it as an aria? It looks to me like it’s got the structure of an aria--
It’s A-B-A.

Right, the da capo form that most opera arias took, when this opera was written. Does that affect what you do in terms of pacing...
Not in terms of pacing, but to go back to that opening section, which I think is just glorious, to return to that, it completes the picture. You don’t end in the minor. So that first “A” section is part of what makes it heavenly.

On opening night I was sitting next to somebody who had clearly been getting standing room tickets for this opera for decades, he knew it by heart, and he tried to applaud at the end of the solo. But you don’t really stop...you link it, musically (hums) to the return of the opening music.
Well, I can’t just stop...it isn’t done yet. It’s done when the A section is finished.

What’s the best opera for flute?
There’s the famous solo in Lucia, that’s a big flute moment.

That one’s fun, because you get to improv a little bit--
--with the singer, yeah.

What’s your favorite opera?
I love opera, the standards, the newer works. I’ve played Peter Grimes a couple of times, and I love it, I love it.

Your brother Anthony also plays operas.
Yes, he’s principal clarinetist for the Met.

Do you ever go listen to him play?
I do. Or I can just listen to him on the radio or go to the movie theater!

How did it work out that you became a flutist and your brother a clarinetist?
I’m four years older, and by the time he started playing I had already been playing for six years. At that point, I was in it, I was practicing all the time and I loved it, so it kind of made sense that he would do something. And he’s great, he’s had great success.

Demarre McGill photographed for The Stranger by Kelly O

You’ve worked in Florida, Santa Fe, and San Diego...how are you liking your first winter in the cold north? Although you grew up in Chicago, so—
--so this is nothing! I’ve been in warm climates for about 11 years, but coming up here, whatever I developed growing up in Chicago has kicked in, and this is nothing.

Your first winter here hasn’t been too dark, too wet...
No, I love it up here. I’ve met so many wonderful, interesting people, great restaurants, I love the cultural vibrancy, I love the orchestra, I love the opera.

Your debut with Seattle Opera was—
Last fall, we did Carmen.

Will we get a chance to hear you playing chamber music in Seattle?
Hopefully soon. I run a chamber music non-profit in San Diego, Art of Elan, and I want to start a branch here. It’s been a pretty good success in San Diego, and I think the cultural climate here is such that it would work really well.

Do you concentrate on new work?
We do anything and everything. We’re not a new music organization, we’re not an old music organization, we program short concerts that we would want to listen to and we wouldn’t be bored at.

Where do you perform?
We have a series at a renovated warehouse space in San Diego, and another at the Museum of Art. Our programs are always short, and consist of a lot of music you haven’t heard before but we know you will love.

Meet Our Instrumentalists: STEPHEN STUBBS, Guitar and Theorbo

I had a chance yesterday morning to speak with Stephen Stubbs, who is playing, in the orchestra for Orphée et Eurydice, two instruments you don’t always hear in an opera house. The Artistic Director of Pacific Musicworks, Stephen also wrote the interview with William Burden featured in our in-house program. Pictured below, Stubbs with the theorbo and Phil Kelsey at the harpsichord, in the pit at Orphée et Eurydice (Elise Bakketun, photo). I found out a bit more about why the tenor role in this opera is so high, how the choice of instruments follows Gluck’s harmonic color palette, and what’s going on next at Pacific Musicworks.

Stephen, what can you tell us about your history with this opera?
I first became familiar with Gluck’s Orpheus because I was invited to conduct the Italian version in Bilbao, Spain, about 10 years ago. I’d spent my career in Baroque music, so it was a jump into a wild new age of classical to do Gluck. The opera house in Bilbao is a little jewel box, about 800 seats, and we did that earlier, Italian version with a Slovakian orchestra, a Spanish cast, and me, an American conductor! What a fantastic experience—the singers understood the style, the orchestra, from Bratislava, I had worked with them before, they had specialists in period horns, the whole thing. My wife played the big harp solo on a Baroque harp. We don’t actually know what kind of harp was used at the first performances; the modern, pedal harp was just coming into use at that time, so we did it with Baroque harp. My first initiation to the piece was happy on many counts; it was a beautiful-looking production by Emilio Sagi.

Stephen Stubbs with Baroque Harp and theorbo (Bill Mohn, photo)

I did notice that conducting all the recitative in the third act was one of the biggest challenges of my life. It can be difficult to get the orchestra to act as one person, one piano accompanist, when you have the flexible rhythm of recitative. Italian delivery encourages people to be more free, and I’ve noticed, working on our current production, that declamation in French tends to be more precise. This is my first experience with the French version of the opera, and I do feel that it’s the real thing—that Gluck must have had the form of French tragédie lyrique, the form of Lully and Rameau, in his mind even when he wrote the Italian version. And that the opera really came into itself, for the first time, in this French version.

Now, lots of people at our performances have been asking about pitch, A=440 and all that.
There’s a book by a friend of mine, he’s passed away recently, The Story of A by Bruce Haynes, that tells the comprehensive history of pitch. Generally, we can say that in France around 1700, the pitch at the Opéra was about a whole tone lower than modern pitch; they used A=392. We know that for a fact because we have wind instruments form that period, and they fix the pitch. With stringed instruments you can tune them this way and that, but not winds. Such a low pitch makes sense of why the actual notes, the tessituras in so much of this music, look sky-high: they aren’t, it was that those notes were actually a whole tone lower than what they are today. By the time you get to the 1770s, when Orphée was written, things had been moving up all century; but you don’t get A=440, modern pitch, until the mid-19th century, and even that wasn’t made official until the mid-20th. We think in the classical period A was generally around 430, which took the edge off but wasn’t so huge a difference. All the way along, in France, there was this special voice-type: the ‘haute-contre,’ a very high tenor, the French cultivated that kind of sound and that’s what prompted Gluck to write this role for that particular voice.

It was sung by a castrato originally, and then Gluck switched the range to tenor when he reworked the opera for France.
Yes, the French never accepted castrati, they found it ridiculous. When the Barberini popes fled Rome in the 17th century—they’d spent too much of the country’s money on opera, and other vices—they went to Paris and introduced opera there. The French were thrilled by the idea of opera, but they couldn’t accept the idea of the castrato; it was anathema to them. So they established a different type of leading man, this ‘haute-contre,’ and in Lully and Rameau, you get these high-voiced tenors. They weren’t trying to imitate the castrato sound; but high voices have this ability to project out over an orchestra and command the attention of an audience, whether you’re talking about tenors or sopranos.

Stephen Stubbs conducting (Lee Talner, photo)

Tell us a little about your history with Seattle Opera.
I grew up in Seattle, went to the University of Washington, but the first opera I did here was Giulio Cesare, that first year when I moved back to Seattle after living in Germany for about 30 years. It was my luck at that time to play for Gary Wedow, who conducted that production, and we’ve since become good friends. He asked me to play in this Orphée, and I love to make music with him.

You have a couple of remarkable instruments on hand during these performances, and I remember you were auditioning several instruments during our rehearsals...
Yes, I was trying out a guitar from around 1800—it sounded beautiful, but I decided to use a modern guitar because it has more power. When the music is up-tempo and charming, like the scenes with Amour, I’m playing classical guitar. But when it’s darker and more serious, I’m playing the chitarrone or theorbo (you can use either name), an instrument that was typically used to accompany recitative in the 17th and 18th centuries. It has a compact, lower sound, a mid-range instrument. Who knows what Gluck had in the pit in 1774? They still had theorbos, and Baroque guitars, and the modern classical guitar was just coming in.

Are either of those instruments amplified?

You know, we tried amplifying both instruments but Gary decided it sounded perfectly fine without it, so no, they aren’t amplified.

You mention these instruments being used, originally, to accompany recit. But in Orphée and Eurydice the recits fade into concerted numbers without stark boundaries. Do you stop playing when we get the ‘official’ arias in the score?
I play in about 2/3rds of this opera. In the Dance of the Furies, and the big ‘Intro to Hell’ scene with all the trombones, the orchestra is very loud and I’m not going to make any impact whether I play or not, so I rest at those points. But in the Elysian Fields scene I play throughout. I’m just hoping to add some charm to the overall sound there. Generally, I’m using the chitarrone to accompany the more serious dialogue scenes, which is what people did at the time: they estimated the better instrument for the color of the scene, what would best fit the key signature. The chitarrone is better for scenes with flat key signatures, the classical guitar for sharp keys.

That’s fascinating, he really does assign key areas based on the mood of the scene—those darker scenes in flat keys, accompanied by chitarrone, the lighter scenes (the ones with Amour) in sharp keys. And sometimes the must pungent, unpredictable harmonies!
Yes, Gluck goes outside his normal harmonic range in piquant ways, sometimes it’s even brutal—like the sudden interjection of the horns, in an obliquely related key, underscoring the Furies’ cry of “No!” when Orphée is appealing to them. It’s almost like polytonality—he’s in one key and they’re in another. It’s not sophisticated, but it confronts the ear with something unmissable. Even 240 years later it’s easy for us to hear; his harmonies still have the power to shock.

Stephen Stubbs leading a Pacific Musicworks performance at St. James Cathedral in Seattle (Lee Talner, photo)

Tell us a little about what’s next for Pacific Operaworks.
Yes, we have an exciting project coming up at the end of March: Il trionfo del tempo, The Triumph of Time, an oratorio Handel wrote when he first went to Rome, when he was 22, just bristling with his youthful genius. Unlike his most famous oratorios, like Messiah, there’s no choir—just four virtuosic roles who take on allegorical figures: Beauty, Pleasure, Time, and Truth. So it becomes very operatic: it’s a battle for the human soul between these four characters. (Time and Truth win out over Beauty and Pleasure, in the end!) Handel came to Rome and was able to write for the best singers in the world, and our ambition has been to assemble the best possible cast as well. We’ve got Amanda Forsythe from Boston, she just made her Covent Garden debut, a first-rate soprano who’s starred in several shows with the Boston Early Music Festival. Our second soprano is Dominique Labelle, known all over the world for Handel. She sang Donna Anna on the famous Peter Sellars Don Giovanni set in Harlem. Our countertenor is Lawrence Zazzo, an American who’s had a big success in Europe. He’s sung at the Met, but this may be his West Coast debut. And Ross Hauck, our tenor, is the only one who’s actually living here; he’s starred in many of the things we’ve done. We’ve assembled a fantastic Baroque orchestra, with string and wind players coming from all over the place. The program will be March 30 and 31 at 8pm at Daniel’s Recital Hall, right there at 5th and Marion, formerly the Methodist Church. It’s a wonderful place to hear music, it has a large capacity, but everybody feels close to the performers. For more information, visit us at Pacific MusicWorks.org!

ORPHEUS ODYSSEY - Week 4 (Final) Clues!

UPDATE: The final tickets have been claimed! Paula J. just picked them up at Velo Bike Shop, which means our four weeks of treasure hunts are officially over. Thanks to all who participated! We had a blast and hope you did, too.

3/06 Update: Although our bonus tickets were won yesterday morning by a zealous decoder of the four passwords (see below), this week's hidden tickets are still awaiting the bold Orpheus who will claim them. Here are the clues for Week 4's Orpheus Odyssey:

CLUE #1 (Posted 3/5/12)
And now it’s time for another episode of “Is It On Pike, Or Is It On Pine?”

CLUE #2 (Posted 3/6/12)
Elysium to the north of me! Elysium to the southeast of me! And I, the hub.

WEEK 4 PASSWORD
"Liquid Silica"

Know which business this is referring to? If so, a pair of tickets to the March 10 performance of Orphée et Eurydice await, available for claiming this week from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. this Monday through Thursday, or 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

If you're stumped, come back to this blog every morning this week (or check out our Facebook or Twitter pages) for a NEW CLUE, until the tickets have been won.

May the gods smile upon your quest!

03/05 Update: Wow!! That was fast! Greg B. has just claimed our special bonus pair of tickets, by coming to our box office and performing his mini-opera about four composers who have written Orpheus operas--which is what our weekly passwords were referring to: Monteverdi ("Green Mountain"), Gluck ("Luck [forgot the umlaut!]"), Offenbach ("Open Brook"), and Glass ("Liquid Silica").

Greg's cast of characters:

And his performance:

_____________________________________________________________

Originally posted on Monday, March 5, 2012, at 10 a.m.

Orphée et Eurydice plays for two more performances, Wednesday, March 7 and Saturday, March 10. And we have two more pairs of tickets to the March 10 performance available to those brave enough to undertake our final Orpheus Odyssey!

On the first week of our Orpheus Odyssey treasure hunt, Nick G. claimed the hidden tickets at That's Amore! cafe in Mt. Baker--after only one clue! The second week, Stona and Safia Jackson deciphered the second clue and picked up the second-week tickets at Dusty Strings. And last week, Emma L figured out the riddle from the second clue and persuaded Jacob (below) at Utilikilts in Pioneer Square to give her the week's tickets.

Photo courtesy Utilikilts

This week you have TWO chances to win. Another Seattle business has a free pair of Orphée et Eurydice tickets, and will give them to the first person to to decipher the clues below, go to the business, and give them this week's password. And if you've been following these hunts all month long, and have figured out the dread mystery of the passwords--that is, what connects these four enigmatic phrases--you'll win the bonus tickets, provided you're the first to present your answer, musically, to the wise sages of the Seattle Opera Box Office, at our 1020 John St. ticket window, M-F 9-5 this week. If you need a refresher on the rules, go here.

Meet our Designers: CONNIE YUN, Lights

Today we get to know Connie Yun, our lighting designer for Orphée et Eurydice. She's previously lit Attila and Don Quichotte for Seattle Opera, and has been working with the company going back to the 2001 Ring. In our Q&A with her, she tells us from where she drew her inspiration for her Orphée design, why she prefers the original myth to Gluck's take, and about some of the special challenges posed by this production.

Orphée et Eurydice prominently features dance. Is lighting dancers different from lighting singers?
It is. If you have a lot of dancing or body movement on stage, it’s very helpful to have the lighting come at it from a much lower angle, so you have a more sculptural quality to the shapes on stage. Dance is more about the shape of the body. But that can be tricky for singers, because it means the light is much more on the plane of their eyes, so it can be harder for them to see their surroundings. So you definitely need to find the right balance between how much of that body-sculpting light you can use while still having people navigate the stage safely.

Dancers Marissa Quimby and Demetrius Tabron in Seattle Opera's production of Orphée et Eurydice.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

Do you prefer lighting something more realistic, or something more dreamlike?
I think they each have a different quality and role in opera. I don’t think I prefer one over the other, necessarily, because I think you can do both in a beautifully-designed way and facilitate the show. Certainly, a more abstract, dreamy kind of scene gives you more license to do different things—but that’s not necessarily better or worse. I think it’s more about finding the right quality of light in each circumstance that tells the story best, and both types of scenes ask the same questions, though you may come up with different answers.

Where did you draw your inspiration from for this production of Orphée?
I feel that the research we did helped us delve into the emotions. I won’t say I took any visual inspiration from looking at interpretations of Orpheus in film or images, but it helped develop a sense of how I felt about the characters. Visually, all the designers took a lot of inspiration from various photographs of nature. There’s definitely a strong component of a heightened sense of nature that we’re all drawing on for this piece. So Andy Goldsworthy was a big inspiration for us, and I feel like I spent a lot of time on the National Geographic website looking up photos. We were looking for strong, simple, minimalistic, bold choices. When we first began our design meetings, stage director Jose Maria Condemi brought a ton of images that we sifted through and we talked about what compelled us to those images.

The opening scene of Seattle Opera's current production of Orphée et Eurydice.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

Because we haven’t set it anywhere specific, we have a lot more license to be expressionistic in our design approach to Orphée. There isn’t anything in this opera where I’m trying to evoke ancient Greece in a certain time of the year, for example, but we certainly are drawing on elements I think the audience might find recognizable. For instance, we wanted to couch the first scene in a funereal quality, so there are colors and textures that evoke something like a gray November morning. But that’s me trying to latch onto an emotional quality that we might get from that sort of day, and not, “Oh yeah, that looks like the Pacific Northwest or Greece during this specific time period.”

What role do projections have in your work, both in Orphée and in your work as a lighting designer, in general?
We do have projections ready for the show, and if we use them at all, they will be much more a lighting and textural effect. The nice thing about projections is sometimes we can use them to do a graphic image or a full-stage picture of something—for instance, in Attila quite recently we used projection to show the logos of various factions that were fighting, or we’d overlay a completely different visual scene on top of the existing scenery; what was an architectural wall now looks like forest trees or Roman ruins. That’s definitely a more obvious use of projections. But here we might use them to lay on top of the deck surface so we have the ability to take it into a different textural quality. Or we could lay an abstracted version of fire for the Hades scene, or an abstracted version of the roots and tangles during a later scene. There are some options we can play with. That’s not to say we will use projections for every scene, but it’s one more tool in our tool box that we can add onto the show if it’s something that’s appropriate.

Orphée (William Burden) descends into the underworld.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

Tell us about your musical background. How has it helped your work as a lighting designer?
I studied classical violin for nine years as a child. That was great for me, because it definitely immersed me in the culture of classical music and opera. My violin teacher was the wife of one of the violinists in the Metropolitan Opera’s orchestra at the time, so she’d sometimes give us tickets to go see the opera, which was great. Being able to read music has been a great asset for me now, so that’s been helpful.

Did you ever want to pursue a career in music?
No, no, not at all. Learning the violin was something my parents put upon myself and my brother. They insisted we both take music lessons, and I was always a very reluctant musician. I was never very good at it, mostly because I didn’t practice very much. But I did learn a lot, so—much to my chagrin—they were right. [Laughs] It was actually a very useful education for me, and now I sort of wish I had taken more time to become a better violinist, because sometimes I miss being able to play. Maybe one day I’ll go back to it.

Eurydice (Davinia Rodríguez) in the Elysian Fields.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

How did you first become interested in lighting?
I sang in a couple musicals in high school—but I wasn’t very musical, so I started heading backstage. In high school, the drama teacher had a falling out with some of the members of the senior class who had been involved in some of the productions, and she basically promoted a lot of the new people into higher positions. When I came in as a freshman, she threw me right onto the lighting console and said, “You’re going to run the board for the next show.” So it started right there in high school. After that, I went to the University of Virginia and I originally thought I was going to study drama, but I ended up switching to English literature. It was nice to have a combination of experience, because I also worked in the drama department’s shops and did summer internships. That, along with the academic background of learning how to read something carefully and how to analytically look at a piece of literature, or a script, or an opera score, was definitely a good for me.

We’ve been asking several of our artists this question, and would love to hear your thoughts: What does the story of Orpheus mean to you?
Well, I like the original Orpheus myth where Eurydice does not come back, because I think that’s a much more honest telling of what happens in life and death. What I really get out of the story is that there’s a cyclical nature to life and death, and you’ve just got to go on and persevere. I feel Orphée et Eurydice kind of has a Hollywood ending—but even with her coming back to life, there is still a sense that death is a part of living and you have to learn to deal with it. And the music is very glorious at the end, so you do come out of this opera feeling kind of rejuvenated and reborn, which is a marvelous thing. Still, I’m just a sucker for tragedies.

Seattle Opera's production of Orphée et Eurydice.
Photo by Robert F. Reynolds

For more with Connie Yun, read our Staff Chat with her here.

Photo of Connie Yun by Alan Alabastro

Andrew Stenson to Sing Orphée at Today's Matinee Performance

Because of a minor injury sustained during last night's performance of Orphée et Eurydice, William Burden will not be singing the performance this afternoon. Instead, Andrew Stenson will be taking on the role of Orphée. (Photo of Andrew Stenson as Orphée by Elise Bakketun.)

A member of Seattle Opera's Young Artists Program for the past two seasons, Stenson made his mainstage debut at Seattle Opera as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor last fall, and has since sung Don Ottavio in last spring's YAP Don Giovanni, Remendado in last fall's mainstage Carmen, and Werther in the touring production of Werther. There's a clip of him singing "Dalla sua pace" from last season's Don Giovanni here. Last week, he began rehearsals for this spring's Young Artists Program production, Don Pasquale, in which he'll be taking on the role of Ernesto.

Andrew Stenson as Werther (Alan Alabastro, photo)

Stenson, who made his Metropolitan Opera debut in January in a performance of The Enchanted Island, is quickly building a reputation as one of the United States’ most exciting young tenors. He is the recipient of a 2011 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation. In the summer of 2011, he returned to the Glimmerglass Festival as a Young Artist, performing Jimmy O’Keefe in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening. In previous seasons, Stenson appeared as Martin in The Tender Land with Glimmerglass Opera, and as First Jew in Salome with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. Stenson was an Apprentice Singer with the Santa Fe Opera in 2009 and received the Donald Gramm Memorial Award. He was a Regional Finalist in the 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Andrew Stenson as Remendado in Carmen, center, with Amit Mital (left) as Lillas Pastia and David Krohn (right) as Dancaïre (Elise Bakketun, photo)

Meet Our Designers: Phillip Lienau, Sets

Our current production of Orphée et Eurydice means a lot to Seattle Opera, because it shows off the talents of three designers who have stewarded their skills as part of the company’s Tech and Production Departments: Phillip Lienau (sets), Connie Yun (lights), and Heidi Zamora (costumes). We’ve already chatted with Zamora about her company design debut with Orphée, and now is our chance to speak Lienau, who also makes his debut with this production. We ask him about his history with Seattle Opera, what the Orphée design process was like, and what this powerful myth means to him.

Orphée et Eurydice marks your company debut as set designer. Can you explain what your role has been with Seattle Opera prior to this production?
I started as a technical draftsman at Seattle Opera Scenic Studios. In that capacity, I’ve produced the technical construction drawings for anything that’s built in the shop, and I work in conjunction with Dave Crouse, who is the Assistant Technical Director. I started that job in about 2008, and about a year in, Technical Director Bob Schaub allowed me to be an assistant set designer for Robert Israel on our production of Tristan und Isolde in 2010, because he knew I had an interest in set design. I had a great time doing that, and then assisted Bob and Robert Dahlstrom in their co-design of The Magic Flute in 2011. At the same time, I expressed a general interest in helping the company as a designer—not necessarily doing a mainstage show, but also helping with shows that we would rent or shows that we want to add to or modify in some way. So when Porgy and Bess came up and they wanted to redo the Kittiwah scene, Bob asked me to come in and help the redesign and I worked with Projection Designer Chris Reay to redesign that scene in a way that was useful for the show.

Some scenic studios might balk at the natural, organic shapes you’ve designed for this production, but Seattle Opera Scenic Studios, with their experience working on the Tom Lynch Ring, must be old hands at it.
In my experience, they leap at the chance to make some challenging organic shapes. And what is so interesting is they make it look so easy! They’re working hard, but there’s such a pleasure and joy they take in coming up with creative, affordable, light, safe ways to do all this. These are people I love dearly as friends, but also respect immensely as masters of their craft, and I really mean that quite seriously. Yes, they have experience with the Ring, but the tree that shows up in Orphée is a different construction than the Tristan tree, the Lucia tree, the Ring trees. All are different modes of construction. They have similarities, of course, but each one, each beautiful example of a tree, is built differently because it is specific to a show. I hope audiences will be delighted in recognizing that craftsmanship.

The design team discusses Orphée et Eurydice. Left to right, Set Designer Phillip Lienau, Lighting Designer Connie Yun, Costume Designer Heidi Zamora, Costume Shop Manager Susan Davis, Director Jose Maria Condemi, Technical Director Robert Schaub, and Production Director Vincent Feraudo.
Photo by Alan Alabastro

How much of the design for Orphée did you come up with independently, and how much was a part of any collaborative process with Director Jose Maria Condemi, Costume Designer Heidi Zamora, and Lighting Designer Connie Yun?
At the very beginning of the process, I did work somewhat independently. That is to say, Jose Maria and all the designers talked about ideas and the kind of story we wanted to tell, but we didn’t talk about very many scenic specifics. So there was a great deal of design freedom on my part, to discover what physical representations of those ideas I might find. But that was only really the very beginning. Very rapidly after the first month or two, everything became intensely collaborative, in the best way. It’s really been a dream situation; I have such fantastic access to my fellow designers because we’re all on staff, and to the director who has made himself very available. So really there’s nothing on stage that isn’t a group effort. I feel a great deal of pride and authorship, but part of this business—certainly as a designer—is embracing the idea that you’re part of a team. And I think it’s worked very well here.

What was the inspiration for some of the imagery you’ll be using in this production?
The inspiration was, first of all, emotional. We were looking for ways to express deep sorrow and longing and joy and uncertainty in the human condition. That can be extremely vague—how do we do that? Well, what we did is we looked at the various images of grief and joy and sorrow and loss and so on, to find anything that spoke to us, on a really deep emotional level. Then we tried to discover how we could express those images in three dimensions, on stage, in a way that makes sense for the action.

The opening scene of Seattle Opera's current production of Orphée et Eurydice.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

We start the opera in a scene I would call close to our world. It’s not exactly our world, but there are scenic elements on stage that may be familiar to us: a grassy hillside, a tree, a large slab of granite. We’re almost in a dreamscape, but people are wearing real clothes, there’s real weather, if you will, and the elements are behaving in a way we recognize. From that opening scene, however, we go into the underworld, and all bets are off. We go into a deeply mythical place, and the first scene in the underworld is all about the barriers Orphée must overcome on his way to find Eurydice. These barriers, as you’ll see, are created by other creatures in the underworld, which was the wonderful province of Jose Maria and choreographer Yannis Adoniou. But there are also scenic barriers. We have some cocoon-like surfaces all across the stage that Orphée must find his way through, and it’s as much an emotional barrier as a physical one.

The Furies in the underworld.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

In the following scene, he has succeeded and he’s made it to the Elysian Fields—but there’s actually another barrier he must overcome here, and that is the extreme perfection of this world. We see elements of the real world, like the grassy hillside we saw in the beginning, but it’s perfected. Everything is almost too perfect—there’s something not quite right. I think this is a chance for everybody, either on stage or in the audience, to ask themselves: If we ever found utopia, if we ever found perfection, would we actually be happy? Is there something in the real world, as we know it, that requires us to work and to strive that is actually more attractive to us? I don’t have the answer, but I think that scene asks that question.

Blessed Spirits stroll through the blissful Elysian Fields.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

Once Orphée and Eurydice are back together and starting their journey back home, they go into what I would call the darkest scene—scenically, and nothing to do with the lighting, necessarily. For me, it’s a simple, single image of blackness. A void all the way across the stage, and a single strange image on stage right, of some huge object that’s maybe roots of a tree, or a creature, or maybe more of the cocoon stuff from the first underworld scene. In any case, it’s malevolent, something alive that is threatening to pull them back, to make it so they will not succeed. But besides that, the main obstacle is the blackness. Again, it represents a spiritual barrier. Orphée and Eurydice must contend with themselves, with their trust in their own abilities and in each other, to make it through to the other side. Their love is tested, their trust in the gods is tested.

Eurydice (Davinia Rodríguez) and Orphée (William Burden) on their journey out of the underworld.
Photo by Elise Bakketun

When they make it through to the other side, they are back in the world that we recognize from the first scene, but it has changed. It is more alive, it is essentially springtime. There is still plenty of death and sorrow evident, but there is now hope. It has transformed in subtle ways, because the idea is that this isn’t the Elysian Fields. We haven’t made it to paradise. There’s still work to do, but as long as we have hope, anything is possible.

Obviously, a lot of thought has gone into designing this production. So, what does this story mean to you, personally?
Oh, where do I start? For me, it’s about hope for a life beyond death. And by that, I do not mean an afterlife or reincarnation or heaven. No, what I mean is, can you believe in an essential good in this world, in the midst of loss and death? Can we find a way forward, can we find a strength in ourselves and in our communities to put one foot in front of the other in the face of tragedy? For me, Orphée’s journey is about discovering that he does actually have the power in himself to move on to the next point in his life. He comes very close to committing suicide in this story, and for me that’s not a good answer to loss or grief. I can understand that impulse, but we have to fight for life, and I believe life is worth fighting for.