NOT JUST ANOTHER COMPETITION

Singers and Judges in Premiere Opera Foundation's International Vocal Competition Finals Concert

This was a great week for vocal competitions; we attended three of them! Truth to tell, there is nothing we enjoy more than these events. We get to hear a wide variety of material sung by some of the best vocal talent around. We get to watch the growth of young singers with whom we are familiar and we get to meet young singers from other cities that we don't usually get to hear.

Although all competitions share common features like excitement and cash prizes, each vocal competition has a different emphasis. Yesterday's competition inaugurated the union between the Premiere Opera Foundation and NYIOP, thus extending the concept of the competition beyond cash prizes by incorporating the function of auditioning. Instead of young artists traveling the world to audition, NYIOP brought casting directors to the event. If we were casting directors we would have felt like a gourmet at a banquet!

There was so much talent onstage to appreciate and such a distinguished panel of judges, including our own dear friend Ken Benson, Stefanos Koroneos and Maestro Israel Gursky from Teatro Grattacielo, Eric Margiore of Premiere Artists Management,and world famous soprano Erin Morley whose performances always thrill us.  

A field of 200 applicants was winnowed down to 91 semi-finalists; at the prior day's semi-finals, 20 young singers were chosen as finalists. It was interesting to us that in addition to the generous prizes awarded to the finalists, prizes were also given to some of the semi-finalists. No one walked away empty handed. Some prizes were cash and others were study grants abroad, vocal and career consultations, or coachings. Just imagine being able to coach with Ms. Morley!!!

We loved Nina Mutalifu's interpretation of Adriana Lecouvreur's famous aria "Io son l'umile ancella" in which her soaring soprano was used effectively to show both the character's diva stature but also her modesty. Ms. Mutalifu has sung in our Around the World in Song concerts, performing Uighur songs in her native language. What a treat to hear her sing a realismo role in Italian!

Tim Murray's pleasingly textured baritone was put in the service of limning the character of the clueless Count Almaviva. We watched and listened with glee as his ire grows. 

Mezzo-soprano Michaela Wolz performed "Parto, ma tu ben mio" from Mozart's La clemenza di Tito with variety of color in each verse, growing in ardency. There was something deeply affecting as she repeated "Guardami!"

Soprano Tatev Baroyan did justice to the "Snow Maiden's Aria" from the Rimsky-Korsakov opera. We recently saw this exquisite fairytale opera at Manhattan School of Music and Ms. Baroyan's ethereal interpretation was filled with the requisite innocence of the character.

Heldentenor Kevin Ray wisely chose the impassioned aria "Amfortas! Die Wunde!" from Wagner's Parsifal. His sizable instrument filled the sanctuary with overtones as his sincerity grew in power.

Mezzo-soprano Carolyn Sproule made a fine Adalgisa, beautifully shaping the long phrases of "Sgombra e la sacra selva" from Bellini's Norma. She has an admirable true mezzo sound and ended with a finely wrought decrescendo.

Joo Won Kang was one of several superb Verdi baritones on the program. His performance was well modulated and he brought considerable excitement to the cabaletta. We liked the resonance of his instrument as well.

Soprano Alexandra Razskazoff scored highly in that feature as well. She brought a lot of vocal excitement to "Come in quest'ora bruna" from Verdi's Simon Boccanegra. We liked the exquisite dynamic control and the fine vibrato of her instrument.

Baritone Denis Milo phrased "Onegin's Aria" beautifully and sang in fine Russian. We got more involved when he used dramatic emphasis and wished he would use his body more. We realize that Onegin is a somewhat pompous character and a bit stiff in his "Dutch Uncle advice" to Tatiana; but he is Russian after all and the performance would have been more affecting with a little more gesture.

Tenor Joseph Tancredi attracted our notice as an undergraduate at Manhattan School of Music and then as an Apprentice at Santa Fe Opera. We love witnessing his promise being fulfilled. His beautiful sweet tone was just right for the role of The Italian Tenor in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.

Baritone Bryan Murray is winning prizes all over town. "Pierrot's Tanzlied" won him prizes from Opera Index and Talents of the World; let's consider it his very own showpiece! We were happy to hear it again as he gave each phrase a lovely shape and nostalgic perfume.

Victoria Davis has a big beautiful soprano sound and succeeded in creating a character in "Do Not Utter a Word" from Barber's Vanessa, one of the few operas in English that we enjoy. The problem is that words get lost in the upper register more readily in English than in other languages.

Baritone Jianan Huang sang "O Carlo ascolta" from Verdi's Don Carlo with Italianate legato phrasing and gorgeous tone. He gave us chills and won us over by being completely immersed in the prison cell scene. 

Soprano Quan Chen, stunningly gowned, added to our earlier impression of her as a perfect Puccini soprano. Recently we heard her "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from La Rondine, and last night she sang "Un bel di vedremo", allowing us to watch the harbor along with her. We always enjoy an aria more when the singer visualizes the scene and we can see it through her/his eyes.

Mezzo-soprano Polixeni Tziouvaras gave an hypnotic rendering of "Ô ma lyre immortelle" from Gounod's Sapho. She is a highly expressive singer and uses her entire body; she pulled us into the world of the aria so effectively that we forgot we were sitting in a church sanctuary. With gorgeous clearly enunciated French, of which every word was understood, she painted an aural picture filled with melancholy colors. Last April she sang in Greek for Around the World in Song, making a significant impression.

Soprano Amanda Palmeiro has a sizable voice with a bright sheen. She was convincing as the troubled Juliette in the Gounod opera, going through various moods with each verse of "Amour ranime mon courage". We enjoyed the very pretty trill and her fine French.

Monica Dewey used her sparkly soprano in Gilda's "Caro nome" from Verdi's Rigoletto. We admired the precision of her fioritura.

From the same opera we heard Rigoletto's aria "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata" performed perfectly by baritone Kidon Choi who seems destined to be a Verdi baritone. He didn't need a hump to convince us! His delivery grew in power and anger with superb modulation of color and dynamics. We felt his pain.

There was only one counter-tenor on the program and it was a welcome change to hear Gamaliel Reynoso Mejia convey the terror of the stowaway from Jonathan Dove's Flight. It was a moving performance and we could best appreciate the fine spin of his voice in the melismatic passages. The tessitura is so high that the words got lost. Thankfully, we had seen the opera before with titles and knew the story.

Soprano Elisabeth Rosenberg closed the program with "Einsam in trüben Tagen" from Wagner's Lohengrin, sung with power. It was a fine close to an excellent program.

Michael Fennelly did yeoman's work accompanying the entire lengthy program with the right support for each singer. He always does and we appreciate him from the bottom of our opera loving heart.

The evening concluded with a reception, enabling audience members, judges, and singers to mingle and network.  What a fine evening!

© meche kroop

TALENTS OF THE WORLD

Olga Lisovskaya, hosting the Grand Finals of the 3rd Annual International Voice Competition

Yesterday we had the good fortune to being invited to attend the Grand Finals of the International Voice Competition. In a brief three years, the competition has succeeded in attracting a huge pool of applicants of impressively high quality. The late tenor Francisco Casanova was honored and indeed he would have been thrilled with the performances, as were we.

There were 16 finalists--each and every one giving an outstanding performance. We were sad to learn that several of our favorite singers had been eliminated in the semifinals yesterday, but were glad to see so many that we love giving their all onstage.

Speaking of competitions, we have nothing but good things to say about this one which was extremely well run. The time schedule was adhered to strictly and the judges were gracious and welcoming, putting the contestants at their ease. Pianist Gloria Kim possesses the versatility to give all the singers the superb accompaniment they deserve.

There were seven judges, coming from different parts of the opera world, each contributing a different point of view. We noticed that when they requested a second selection, they chose an aria in a different language from the first one, or an aria that would give the artist an opportunity to show a different aspect of his/her talent.

David Gvinianidze, President of Talents of the World, was one of the judges, as was Olga Lisovskaya, host for the competition. Both are singers and well positioned to judge the quality of the voices. They were joined by distinguished experts in the fields of coaching, management, and education.

Contestants were judged in five areas, each one counting for a fifth of the score--stage presence, vocal technique, interpretation, diction, and beauty of tone. We approach a performance from a different perspective. We want to be drawn in to the world of the character and want to see the other qualities brought to bear on this "believability".

We apologize for neglecting the final four contestants whom we were obliged to miss due to a commitment to Juilliard (a review which will follow this one). The dozen that we heard all shared the same important qualities--they all introduced themselves and their respective arias with clarity. This is something that should be routine, but isn't. Furthermore, they all were adept at the languages in which they sang.

We were glad not to be judging because we loved them all! We can't imagine how the judges made up their minds. We plan to list the contestants in order without mentioning the winners. That information is available on the Talents of the World website, if that's important to you.

Soprano Susanne Burgess opened the program with a strong presence and a passionate delivery of "Furie Terribili" from Händel's Rinaldo. Her voice opened up at the upper register with some glass-shattering high notes. She showed nice contrast with a sweet delivery of "Chi il bel sogno" from Puccini's La Rondine.

Baritone Jonathan McCullough made a believable Count Almaviva in "Hai gia vinta la causa" from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. He made use of the entire stage as he limned the character of the clueless Count. You could see in his face and gestures the wheels of suspicion turning. The drinking song from Thomas' Hamlet had a trill to thrill and some effective contrast in the central section.

Soprano Lauren McQuistin showed an affecting vibrato in "In quelle trine morbide" from Puccini's Manon Lescaut and went on to build some sustained drama in a section of Tatiana's "Letter Aria" (from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin), conveying all the pangs of first love, taking the listener through an emotional wringer.

Soprano Sarah Ryman conveyed a lot of Puccinian sorrow in "Sola, perduta, abbandonata" from Manon Lescaut, then did a lovely job with Richard Strauss' "Zueignung". She has a sizable voice and we'd love to hear her sing some Wagner. The judges requested a bit of "Pace, pace, mio Dio" from Verdi's La forza del destino which just added to the favorable impression.

Soprano Sophie Michaux performed "Fra il Padre e fra l'amante" from Rossini's La Donna del lago so engagingly that we wanted to hear the entire opera. We always love Rossini's fioritura fireworks and she negotiated them well. There was also plenty of strength in the lower register. "Give him this orchid" from Britten's The Rape of Lucretia was sung with clarity of diction and limned the shame of a woman betrayed.

Soprano Maria Khoobyar never lost her legato in the violent "Il tuo sangue" from Puccini's Tosca. We also enjoyed "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's Rusalka; she made the difficult Czech text meaningful by means of gesture and phrasing that seemed spontaneous.

Seung Hee Lee, the only bass on the program, showed some textured tone as he portrayed a bitter inebriated character in an opera we have never heard--Bizet's La jolie fille de Perth. The familiar "Vi ravviso" from Bellini's La sonnambula showed off his flexibility and his gorgeous bottom register.

Soprano Maria Maksakova tackled an aria from Verdi's Aida which we would have enjoyed more if she had released her death grip on the piano. She possesses a large voice that seemed right for "Dich teure Halle" from Wagner's Tannhäuser.

Soprano Sooyeon Kang impressed us by submerging her own lovely personality whilst portraying different characters. She utilized her bright flexible instrument to create a believable Norina from Donizetti's Don Pasquale-- totally different from the conflicted Manon in the Massenet opera. Her French was fine and the performance was marvelously measured, making use of dynamics and pacing to illustrate the character's ambivalence in "Adieu, notre petite table".

Baritone Bryan Murray was asked for three selections, perhaps because the judges enjoyed listening to him. He gave a persuasive performance of Silvio's aria from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with enough ardency to persuade the most reluctant Nedda. "Dieux qui me poursuivez" from Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride limned a tormented character. We preferred his "Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen" from Korngold's Die tote Stadt which dripped nostalgia. We well remember his performance of this aria at the Opera Index Gala of 2018.

Soprano Alina Tamborini tickled us with "Adele's Audition Aria" from Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus. Although we prefer the aria sung in German, we must admit that the translation was an excellent one and Ms. Tamborini's clarity of diction won us over completely. She created a real character that we could laugh along with, one that reminded us of every deluded "wannabe" that we've ever met. The fioritura of "Ach, ich liebte" from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail  showed consummate coloratura skills and made us want to hear her as Queen of the Night.

At this juncture, we were running out of time but stood at the door to catch soprano Nina Mutalifu sing just a few phrases of the "Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. It sounded so fine that we hated tearing ourself away. We kept wondering what other piece the judges asked for.

The competitors we so reluctantly missed were mezzo-soprano Maggie Renée Valdman, soprano Dilara Unsal, soprano Sulgi Cho, and baritone Tyler Putnam. We barely made it to Juilliard. So much music, so little time!

© meche kroop

OPERA INDEX GALA

Michael Fennelly, Brittany Nickell, Tamara Banjesevic, James Ley, Bryan Murray, Courtney Johnson, William Guanbo Su, and Jane Shaulis

Sunday evening was special for many reasons. The Opera Index Gala is a golden opportunity to socialize with fellow opera lovers in the beautiful Essex House on Central Park South. Most of the luminaries of the opera world were in attendance. 

It is also a chance to witness the future of opera by hearing six stellar singers who filled our ears with music in between salad and steak.  Trust us! With talent like this, one needn't worry about the future of opera.

Mistress of ceremonies was Opera Index President Jane Shaulis who did a fine job keeping the evening moving along briskly and giving due honors to the lovely Mignon Dunn, recipient of the Opera Index 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award. Both women possess the gracious and dynamic presence so specific to great singers.

Opera Index is a nonprofit volunteer organization with a mission to advocate for opera and support its artists. The six singers who so delighted us at the gala were among a group of sixteen young artists who received a total of $55,000. in awards. You too, dear reader, can be a member of this fine organization for the paltry membership fee of $45/year. Members have a number of activities to enjoy and share with other opera lovers.

As is our wont, we will focus on the singers and the songs, not on the amounts of the awards. The recital opened with the sparkling soprano Tamara Banjesevic who enchanted the members with Juliette's paean to life "Je veux vivre" from Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. She let loose volleys of joy in fine French as she left the stage and circulated between the tables just as Juliette might have done at her birthday party.

Baritone Bryan Murray evinced oceanic depths of feeling in his performance of "Mein Sehnen mein Wähnen" from Erich Korngold's Die tote Stadt. His mellifluous baritone was well suited to the requisite sincerity of expression. His fine phrasing, superb German diction, and dynamic variety made for a splendid performance.

Soprano Courtney Johnson's performance of "Come scoglio" from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte revealed a vocal firmness that echoed Fiordiligi's firmness of character (at least at this point of the opera). This firmness extended from the bottom to the top of her register, allowing the wide skips of this difficult aria to be successfully negotiated. An impressive ease in the fioritura was icing on this delectable cake.

James Ley has the sweetest tenor which he put to good use in "Vainement, ma bien-aimée" from Edouard Lalo's rarely performed opera Le roi d'Ys. (Interestingly, one of the luminaries in attendance at the Gala was Eve Queler who conducted her Opera Orchestra of New York in a concert version of this opera in 1985!) Although this opera is in no way comedic, this particular aria is a love song sung by the knight Mylio to his lady love and Mr. Ley's light touch and delicate French were perfect, as was the accompaniment by pianist Michael Fennelly, who can always be counted on for taking his lead from the singer. 

Bass William Guanbo Su is one of those young basses whose advanced vocal development belies their youth. Considered a late maturing fach, it is tempting to mentally cast him in all kinds of marvelous roles with a lengthy and enduring career. He sang "Vi ravviso", Count Rodolfo's Act I aria from Bellini's La Sonnambula and he totally convinced us that he was a man returning to the beautiful land of his childhood. It was a completely wonderful performance.

Closing the entertainment portion of the evening was soprano Brittany Nickell who employed her fine instrument with intense expressivity in "Robert, toi que j'aime" from Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable. There was ample brilliance at the top and Mr. Fennelly's piano matched the singer's urgency. We particularly admired the very fine vibrato which suited the aria perfectly.

Having heard six such excellent singers at the Gala, and a few more at the November Membership Party, we commend the judges for their fine choices. We would have happily exchanged our steak for more music! But we suppose that the belly demands its due as well as the ears and the heart.

(c) meche kroop