AVA Opera Blog

We'll remember always, graduation day...

Graduation is a joyous event, but I find it a little sad too because I’m losing some of the resident artists that I have come to know and love through their time at AVA.

This was a very large group comprised of third and fourth year resident artists who are going to make their mark in the opera world. So indulge me and let me go down memory lane with the new graduates.

Cody Austin – third year tenor
Cody is that All-American boy with a great tenor voice.  Always smiling and always ready to have fun. I was lucky enough to work with him on some operetta music and he actually starred in an operetta for me when an arts critic said of Cody, “A star is born.” I have gotten Cody to sing from The Little Mermaid to Rigoletto for Concert Bureaus, and he’s comfortable in both camps.

Michael Fabiano – fourth year tenor
I met Michael the summer before he started at AVA. He came that summer to work with Maestro Macatsoris before heading off to a summer sing. He tells me that I scared him the first day of school when he walked in and I told him he was late (which he wasn’t!).  Michael has the charm, charisma, and of course the tenor voice that will take him far. In the 2009-2010 season alone, Michael will be making his debut with English National Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.

Jessica Julin – fourth year soprano
This was Jessica’s year.  She started off with a bang: winning AVA’s Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, followed by being a finalist at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and placing in the Palm Beach Opera Competition, Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition (Wagner Division), Zachary Vocal Competition, and the Lois Alba Aria Competition. Jessica is that “California girl” with the New York City voice, always willing to sing where needed, even In questa reggia after the Asian food course at the last Friends of AVA event, which was four days after graduation.

Zulimar López-Hernández, third year soprano
Zuli, as she is known by all her friends, is one wonderful person. She is from Puerto Rico where she lives with her husband, when not in Philadelphia. That alone had to be hard leaving a beautiful location, and a husband, to work on her craft. She is always ready to lend a hand and is comfortable in everything she sings, from opera ensembles to Norina in Don Pasquale. One year I asked her if she would sing on an Oktoberfest program and we tricked the audience by her performing from a Zarzuela instead of an operetta.

See part two on Monday!

Next stop Italy...

Four of the AVA resident artists had the chance to spend a few weeks in Arrezzo, Italy with the Oberlin Music Abroad Program, and hopped over to Bella Italia in early June. They are still there enjoying their stay while learning about the Italian language, culture, food and wine!

Soprano Michelle Johnson, mezzo-soprano Olivia Vote, baritone Steven LaBrie, and bass Ryan Kuster all joined the program at the suggestion of master vocal coach Danielle Orlando, who is also there as vocal coach.

From the photos I have seen, it looks like the perfect town to work on the Italian language and sing for the residents of the city.

    

Photos:
#1 Michelle Johnson
#2 Ryan Kuster
#3 Olivia Vote in rehearsal
#4 Danielle Orlando and her husband Luis Ledesma
 

Get thee to London...

London is hot, hot, hot – and filled with AVA alums singing with both major opera houses this summer and fall.

The Royal Opera House, aka Covent Garden will host two singers this season. Soprano Eglise Gutiérrez and tenor Stephen Costello will open the season with Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix in concert form on September 7 and 14. Mr. Costello will stay in London to sing Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi from October 17 to 28.

If you happen to be in London this summer, I’m sure one of the hot tickets will be mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato singing her world-class Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia from July 4 to 18.

Across town at the English National Opera, Bryan Hymel is in the middle of his house debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. There are two shows left on July 4 and 10.

Another tenor from AVA will be in town in September. Recent graduate Michael Fabiano will make his ENO debut as the Duke in Rigoletto beginning September 21 through October 17.

A journey in music...

That was the title of this year’s end-of-the-season for the Friends of AVA, a paid membership of lovers of all things AVA. The Friends of AVA is a wonderful group that supports the resident artists in more ways than just purchasing tickets to the operas. They have been known to like AVA singers so much that they will travel across the globe to hear them sing. They also donate close to $60,000 annually to the scholarship fund, which helps to keep AVA as a tuition free program.

I went out on a limb and thought I’d try something a little different, so the event was held at The Restaurant School in Philadelphia. The premise of the evening was to pair off the music and food. It was a stretch when the first course featured The Pear Fisher’s Duet and In questa reggia from Turandot, paired with an Asian noodle dish, but everyone loved it.

  The singers for the evening were Jessica Julin, giving her farewell sing in Philadelphia, mezzo- soprano Cynthia Cook, tenor Taylor Stayton, and baritone Steven LaBrie, under the musical direction of Michele Scanlon.

We packed the place to the rafters with fellow AVA opera lovers, but the best part for me was watching the culinary students and chefs flying out of the kitchen to hear this exquisite music in their restaurant. Many commented how wonderful the performances were, and for many this was their first experience with opera.

We ended the evening with operetta (what else?) and a sing-a-long, actually giving the audience a chance to sing with the residence artists.

We’ve already booked The Restaurant School for next May, so we can do it all again!

 
Photos:

#1 Amilia and Pau Batastini, Bert Hubbard, Dr. Rosalie Burns
#2 Barbara Donnelly (green) with Gene and Nancy Stewart
#3 Evie Minor (right) with Dan Pantano and friends
#4 Adrienne McCauley, Barbara and Sylvan Savadove, Dr. Emmeline Abella

It's good to be queen...

Facebook is one darn good way of keeping in touch with AVA alums and resident artists. I have met some very interesting alums that way, one being Regina Zona. Our paths have not crossed in person, but I really became aware of Dr. Zona when I heard that another alum, baritone Edward Albert, was going to make his debut as the title character in Falstaff at the university where she teaches.
I sent her a few questions and I’m going to let her answer them in her own voice.

DP: When were you at AVA?
RZ: I was at AVA from 1993-1997

DP: What roles did you sing while you were at AVA?
RZ: At AVA I sang Madame Herz in The Impresario (co-production with ArtPark in Lewiston, NY),        Alice Ford in Falstaff, Queen of the Night, Nella in Gianni Schicchi and some ensemble roles in Suor Angelica and Madame Butterfly. I sang in the Russian Recitals, the Spanish Recitals and won the Giargiari Competition. I think that's it.

DP: What opera companies have you worked with?
RZ: As far as groups/companies I've worked with, I attached a link to my website. It isn't completely up to date but it will give you the past highlights.

DP: What are you favorite roles to sing?
RZ: Favorite roles performed: Rosalinda (Fledermaus), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Musetta (La bohème)
Favorite roles partially performed: Tosca, Norma, Marschallin

DP: What did you take your education other than AVA?
RZ: I went to the Manhattan School of Music and received my Doctorate in 2007. After teaching at a small college in Rome, GA for two years, I am now the Opera Program Director/Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I direct two opera productions a year and teach voice to undergraduate and graduate voice majors.

DP: How do you like teaching and directing?
RZ: I've been teaching for over 20 years and I have always enjoyed it. While I have directed musicals, opera scenes, show choirs and the like, this is the first time I have been in charge of an opera program. I love directing opera and teaching young singers about the true joy and depth there is to this art-form. I focus a lot on how a singer needs to prepare a role and interact with the other characters on stage and how to take what the composer has written as the guide to character development. I have no greater pride than to see my students grow in a role and perform beyond their own expectations.

  DP: How did you find Ed Albert to sing in your production of Falstaff?
RZ: I haven't heard from Eddie since I left AVA, but Facebook changed that! Facebook is quite the amazing invention! We were chatting on FB one day in the late summer 2008. I told him about my new job and that I was going to direct Falstaff. I asked him if he sang the role because if I didn't have a student who could sing the role, I just might call him! It turns out that is exactly what happened. He was a hysterical Falstaff!

DP: Do you keep up with any other alums?
RZ: I really don't keep up with a lot of people from AVA on a regular basis because I am pretty horrible at correspondence! However, I occasionally keep in touch with Melissa Parks, Michael Eberhard, Nina Edwards, Indra Thomas, Luis Ledesma, Nancy Herrera....that's all I can think of right now!

She's taking over the world...

I guess by now Angela Meade has had her share of vocal competition wins in the USA, and is starting to take over the world, bit-by-bit.

She started in 2009 by winning the Hans Gabor Belvedere Vocal Competition in Vienna, Austria. This year she is the top prize winner in the Concours Musical International de Montreal, Canada.

In 2008 she was the top vocal winner in the Jose Iturbi International Competition in Los Angeles. Part of her obligation for winning the prize was to sing a recital in the new Queen Mary II crossing from New York City to England. Her accompanist for the recital was internationally known accompanist Martin Katz.

Angela stopped into AVA the other day after almost two weeks of auditions in Europe. I’ll have much news to tell once the contracts are signed, but nothing for print at the moment.

Her next stop for the July 4th holiday is home in Washington State before beginning rehearsals for the Caramoor Festival. On July 31st she will be singing the title role in Rossini’s 1823 masterpiece Semiramide. She shares the stage with AVA alum, and longtime Caramoor singer, bass-baritone Daniel Mobbs.

AVA has planned a trip to see Angela and Daniel that evening in Caramoor.
 

Competitions can be fun, when you win...

And winners abound with the resident artists and alums with the spring set of vocal competitions over. Here’s a partial list of the who’s who in the winner’s circle.

The Metropolitan National Council Awards were held at the Metropolitan Opera House in February with three of our sopranos taking part in the semi-final round; Jessica Rose Cambio, Jan Cornelius, and Jessica Julin. Ms. Julin went on to the final round to be one of the finalists. Pictured is AVA voice teacher Bill Schuman with his three students, Ms.Cornelius, Ms. Cambio, and Ms. Julin.

Tenor Taylor Stayton took the heart of Licia Albanese and the Puccini Foundation by winning the grand prize this year.

The Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition should have been called “Camp AVA”. They awarded two first prizes this year to AVA tenors Michael Fabiano and Bryan Hymel. AVA Alumna Joyce El-Khoury took second place and resident artists Christopher Bolduc, Jessica Julin, Alex Lawrence, and Jeremy Milner all took third place, with Encouragement Awards going to Cynthia Cook, Coleen Daly, Carla Dirlikov, Michelle Johnson and Zulimar López-Hernández.

What fun was had in Los Angeles a few weeks ago with the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition, AVA  singers were up there again with Jan Cornelius taking second prize, Taylor Stayton, wining third prize, and Jessica Julin taking fifth place. Pictured is Ms. Julin, Mr. Stayton, and Ms. Cornelius.

The Giulio Gari Foundation Vocal Competition of NYC also had three winners from AVA – alumna Joyce El-Khoury took second place, with study grants given to Jan Cornelius and Jessica Rose Cambio.

What the heck happened to you...

OK, I’m through with the death threats for not writing the blog, now I’m scared! Not really, but it has been a while since I put anything up and so much has happened with the resident artists and alums from AVA. So the next few blogs will be catch up blogs on what has happened during the spring.
This was a very busy year for AVA, as always and with the end of Lucia di Lammermoor on May 16th you would think that we would have time to breathe. Not true. One seasons ends and another one begins almost on the same day.

We on the administration side wait, as expectant fathers, for the music staff to work their magic and design next season and next season is a big one – AVA is turning 75 years old, and when you think about all the great singers, past and present that have graced our program, it is staggering.

Along with the normal AVA season, every five years we celebrate our anniversary with a  gala concert - BrAVA! Philadelphia,  filled with surprise guests, alumni and resident artists. The last one was in 2005 when guests Licia Albanese and Aprile Millo graced our concert stage.

It’s too early to let the ‘singer-out-of-the-bag’ and the line-up for this year’s gala, but I can spill the beans on the upcoming season for you. The first grand evening is the Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, where 15 AVA singers compete for the top prizes. They are judged by a panel, the live audience, as well as the radio audience, so there are three chances to win.

The first opera will be Verdi’s masterpiece Falstaff, with plummy roles for all voice categories. Following Mr. Verdi will be a concert of Russian opera selections which we call An Evening of Russian Romances, but somehow I’m sure there’s a vengeful aria thrown in for good measure.)

After the holiday break, AVA will present a concert of Opera scenes with full orchestra, followed by Capriccio by Richard Strauss. The wonderful Jubilate! concert of sacred music follows close on its heels, and ending the season with Puccini at his best – La bohème.

So get excited, buy your tickets, hear us on the radio, and enjoy AVA’s 75th anniversary season!

Bravo Stephen...

I was thrilled when tenor Stephen Costello called me yesterday morning to let me know that he’s been named winner of this year's prestigious Richard Tucker Award. (I didn’t want to tell him that my crack reporter, Linda Ginsburg send me an email an hour before his call with the news!) The award recipient is selected by conferral, rather than audition, and carries not only the name of Richard Tucker and a cash prize of $30,000, but also a stellar list of past recipients.

The Richard Tucker Award is awarded to an American singer poised on the edge of a major national and international career, and it is hoped that the award acts as a well-timed catalyst to elevate the artist's career to even greater heights.  Previous AVA winners are mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato (2002), soprano Ruth Ann Swenson (1993) and bass Harry Dworchak (1987).

Mr. Costello was awarded a 2007 Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, as well as a 2006 Sara Tucker Study Grant. He won First Prize in the 2006 George London Foundation For Singers Competition as well as First Prize and Audience Prize in the Giargiari Competition and First Prize in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition. He was also a recipient of the Opera Club Award at the Academy of Vocal Arts. He studies with internationally acclaimed voice teacher Bill Schuman.

That comes with a side of pineapple...

I guess if you had to travel very far, it might as well be someplace warm and beautiful – like Hawaii! That’s exactly what AVA accompanist José Meléndez did last week. This was not a vacation, although I’m sure there was some sight -seeing time; he was there to play a recital, and work with the vocalists at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Mr. Meléndez, in conjunction with his friend mezzo-soprano Maya Hoover, has designed a recital of Latin American Art Songs (Canciones de América Latina), featuring music from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.

Ms. Hoover and Mr. Melendez have been friends since their days as students at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. She is a leading scholar and researcher of Latin American art songs, as well as an active performer, teacher, clinician, music education philosopher, and author. Ms. Hoover and Mr. Meléndez have had a long-time collaboration and regularly appeared in recitals, concerts, and master classes since their first recital together in 1997. Their unique partnership as a performing and teaching team, coupled with their specialization in Latin American art song, has lead to appearances throughout the United States and abroad.

So why Hawaii? In 2008, Ms. Hoover joined the faculty of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (Waimea), and later that year, took over as co-host/producer of "Great Songs" on Hawaii Public Radio, as well as acting faculty member at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

While there, Jose had the opportunity to work with many of the singers at the University, in a master class format, as well as coaching and accompaning them in one-on-one sessions.

I’m also happy to report that Jose will be one of the new additions to the Glimmerglass Opera music staff this summer. He will be the principal coach for their production of La traviata as well as accompanying three recitals in July.