CAREER BRIDGES GALA 2017

2017 Winners of Career Bridges Grants

Last night we were privileged to attend the Fifteenth Annual Career Bridges Awards Dinner and Concert at the Essex House, and what a night that was! Co-founded by David Schuyler Bender and Barbara Meister Bender, Career Bridges is one of those worthy and necessary organizations that helps young opera singers to achieve their dreams. They are unique in providing grant winners a three-year program of mentoring, financial support, and performance opportunities.

The Board of Directors, the Honorary Board of Directors, and the Board of Advisors comprise all the good people that make the enterprise possible with Benefactors, Patrons, Sponsors, Supporters, and Friends contributing the wherewithal. Last night's program began with a warm welcome from the Benders and awards were given to Anthony Piccolo, Director of the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus and Kent Tritle the renowned choral conductor who seems to be just about everywhere.

Although focusing on talent while people are eating and drinking is a bit more difficult than in a recital hall, the performances were so impressive that they won out over our appetite. Most of the singers were this year's award recipients but some were guests from prior years.  A few were known to us and previously reviewed; we were delighted to have an opportunity to hear them again.

Among the familiar voices were soprano Shana Grossman and tenor Jonathan Tetelman who distinguished themselves in the famous final quartet from Verdi's Rigoletto. (We believe we first reviewed them in Die Fledermaus, produced by Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance. Ms. Grossman won our heart as Adele and Mr. Tetelman delighted us as Herr Eisenstein. And there they were, together again!)  

Last night, Ms. Grossman made a splendid Gilda with well negotiated upward skips and fine fioritura. Mr. Tetelman made an excellent Duke. Filling out the quartet were Melanie Ashkar as Maddalena and Robert Balonek as Rigoletto.  (We remember Ms. Ashkar's weighty mezzo from Opera Rox' production of Handel's Alcina when she impressed us in the role of Bradamante. This is an unusual voice that, once heard, is not forgotten.) She also had a solo last night and by now you may have guessed that it was the "Seguidilla" from Carmen. Her dusky tone was perfect for the part.

Mr. Balonek is also known to us from Chelsea Opera. The voices harmonized in fine fashion and showed everyone's voice off to good advantage.

Hearing Mr. Tetelman sing "Che gelida manina" from Puccini's La Boheme with his full-throated tone was yet another treat. Even without context it was a dramatically valid performance and we especially enjoyed the pianissimo passages.

Soprano Yulan Piao (well remembered from her excellent performance as the eponymous Luisa Miller in the Verdi opera at Manhattan School of Music and from IVAI's summer program.) made a perfect Liu and her vibrant overtones were particularly well suited to the role.  From Puccini's Turandot, she performed "Signore, ascolta!" with fine tone and emotional expressiveness.

Baritone Jesse Malgieri is recalled from his work with the Little Opera Theater of New York and also from Chelsea Opera. He brought the superb recital to an inspiring close with "Impossible Dream", after which the entire group joined in for "Climb Every Mountain".

Now, let us tell you about some wonderful singers we had never heard before--and we do love hearing new people as much as catching up with those we already know.

The evening began with soprano Liz Lang whose flexibility and skill with fioritura made "Da tempeste" from Handel's Giulio Cesare a treat for the ears. We want to hear more of her!

From Verdi's Don Carlo, baritone Jared Guest  gave a moving performance of "O Carlo ascolta", one of our favorite baritone arias. And yes we want to hear more of Mr. Guest as well.

Coloratura soprano Emily Misch knocked our proverbial socks off with "Der Holle Rache", the Queen of the Night's riveting aria from Mozart's Die Zauberflote. The penetrating tone and wickedly difficult fioritura were all there. That's a tough act to follow but, fortunately, the charm of the Papageno/ Papagena duet was just what was needed.  Soprano Teresa Castllo and Mr. Balonek were just adorable together.

But it wasn't until Ms. Castillo performed "Glitter and Be Gay" from Bernstein's Candide that we were able to appreciate the extent of her artistry. The vocal and dramatic challenges were equally well met.

Bass-baritone Eugene Richards used his substantial instrument effectively in "Suo Padre" from Verdi's Aida whilst bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian handled "Aleko's Aria" from Rachmaninoff's opera of the same name with equal success. Dorian McCall did well with "Vous qui faites l'endormi", Mefistofele's aria from Gounod's Faust. How fortunate to find three low voices on the same program.

After all that opera it was refreshing to take things down an emotional notch with the lovely song "La Rosa y el Sauce" by Carlos Guastavino and tenderly sung by Zaray Rodriguez. We just heard it at a Cinco de Mayo recital by Opera New York and was overcome by its loveliness.

Musical Director for the evening was Ted Taylor and the host was WQXR's Robert Sherman.

(c) meche kroop

MARIO! SU!

Hugo Vera, Thomas Woodman, and Edgar Jaramillo (photo by Robert J. Saferstein)

Regina Grimaldi (photo by Robert J. Saferstein)

Why do we love Puccini's Tosca so much? For starters, the melodramatic story moves forward at a rapid pace with no ridiculous twists and turns or irrelevant side-plots. The characters, although larger than life, have emotions with which we can identify--love, lust, terror, protectiveness, rage, and defiance.

The power mad Baron Scarpia will stop at nothing to possess the famous singer Floria Tosca. She is in love with the church painter Mario Cavaradossi, and her intense jealousy is turned against her by Scarpia. Mario is a good soul, torn between fear of the authorities and the wish to protect his friend Cesare Angelotti, in political disfavor and hunted by the police.

We had just read Fred Plotkin's persuasive argument against titles at the opera and last night at Chelsea Opera's production, we had an opportunity to enjoy Tosca as a site-specific work without titles, focusing instead, as Mr. Plotkin suggested, on the music.

Fortunately, we are sufficiently familiar with Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa's superb libretto that we did not need the titles.  We are not sure how audience members felt if they were not so familiar with the story, but we suspect that Lynne Hayden-Findlay's direction and the fine acting of the ensemble made everything clear.

Thus it was that we were able to focus our attention strictly on the music and how well Puccini's melodies followed the words of the libretto. We also appreciated a certain unity of the score with motives occurring and recurring and bouncing between singer and orchestra.

Conductor Samuel McCoy is of the restrained type but that was no impediment to his pulling an arresting propulsive performance from the excellent Chelsea Opera Chamber Orchestra. Karen Stern's harp frequently compelled our attention.

The singers all gave honorable performances. As the eponymous heroine, soprano Regina Grimaldi used all her assets in a deeply moving performance.  There was a generosity to her acting that managed to match the amplitude of her voice. Since her performance was perfumed with that "garlic" that we love, let us call it "l'abbondanza". Every facial expression and bodily gesture was consonant and à propos. Her "Vissi d'Arte" was memorable.

On the same page was tenor Edgar Jaramillo who always sings from deep within his soul and evokes our sympathy for whatever character he portrays. Here, he created a character we could believe in, every emotion showing on his expressive face and in his expressive voice. He has a warm Latin sound with excellent phrasing. "E lucevan le stelle" was heartbreaking.

Bass-baritone Thomas Woodman as the evil Baron Scarpia, Chief of Police,  leered while his agent Spoletta (tenor Hugo Vera) sneered. Both of them were so convincing that we felt fear just sitting there on those hard wooden pews.  (Yes, that is the price one pays for enjoying such excellent productions by the Chelsea Opera).

We also enjoyed bass-baritone Brace Negron's frantic performance as the terror-stricken Angelotti. Baritone Jared Guest made a fine jailor in the third act while bass-baritone Luis Alvarado created a believable Sacristan in the first act. Baritone James Shaffran sang the role of another police agent. Benjamin Barham-Wiese appeared as the shepherd whose simple solo introduces the third act. For unknown reasons, he sang onstage but may as well have been an offstage voice.

The staging of the opera made good use of St. Peter's Church, what with the private chapel for Angelotti to hide in, candles, and crosses; everything was put to good use. This served to foster the illusion that the first act was happening in real time and a real place.

Not only did Ms. Hayden-Findlay do a great job directing but also with the costume design, with major contributions from the Theater Development Fund costume collection. There was no doubt that we were in the early 19th c.; the opera premiered at the beginning of the 20th c. and here we are enjoying it in the 21st c.  The minimal set was provided by Leonarda Priore who, along with Ms. Hayden-Findlay co-founded Chelsea Opera over a decade ago.

The chorus made a significant contribution, led by Chorus Master Dean William Buck who is better known as the Conductor of Loft Opera.

There will be an afternoon performance on Saturday but tickets are scarce. Word has gotten out about Chelsea Opera's splendid productions and the church was packed from front to back.

(c) meche kroop