OPERA INDEX AWARDS RECITAL

Michael Fennelly, Juan Jose de Leon, James Edgar Knight, Avery Amereau, Nian Wang, Tracy Cox, Murray Rosenthal

Opera Index has a lengthy history of supporting young opera singers and has gotten countless of them on the path to stardom.  Last night at the annual membership party, members were treated to a recital of arias by five of them--five promising artists on their way up, accompanied by pianist Michael Fennelly and introduced by President Murray Rosenthal.  It would be an understatement to say that the audience was appreciative; there was a loud chorus of bravos and bravas after each one.

The program opened with Tracy Cox singing "Pace, pace mio dio" from La Forza del Destino, one of our personal Verdi favorites.  Ms. Cox has a sizable soprano and an expressive quality that gives us goosebumps, not to mention a marvelous messa di voce and a big "money note".  It is easy to see why this Young Artist at LA Opera has been wining competitions all over and, as she matures and harnesses that big voice, a Wagnerian future may be down the road.

Mezzo Nian Wang gave a polished performance of the Violin Aria from Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman, using her fine French to convey the composer's intentions with remarkable communicative skills.  The training she received from Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance Program was evident.

Tenor James Edgar Knight, also a graduate of the same program, has a warm romantic sound that was perfectly suited to Lehar's "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from The Land of Smiles.  His training in musical theater as well as in opera makes him a double-threat.  His dynamism engaged the audience and drew us in.  He seemed to change the colors of his voice with great ease, but we are sure it took a lot of study and work to achieve that flow.

Mezzo Avery Amereau delighted us with a sound as rich and warm as a cup of espresso.  In "Connais-tu le pays?" from Thomas' Mignon, she sounded rich and yet delicate.  We are looking forward to hearing more from this young artist whose French diction was impressive.

Tenor Juan Jose de Leon chose the right aria to dazzle the delighted members of Opera Index--"Ah! Mes amis, quel jour de fête!" from Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment.  His secure high C's were tossed off with ease; we speculated that this aria was what won him so many awards.

These five singers won Emerging Artist Awards and Encouragement Awards.  Many other awards were given at the Opera Index 2013 Vocal Competition and their achievements will be celebrated at future events.  It is easy and not at all costly to join Opera Index and one can thereby support these stunning singers and participate in the many membership events.  We recommend it highly.

© meche kroop

GERDA LISSNER FOUNDATION AWARDS RECITAL

The generosity of the Gerda Lissner Foundation in its support of young singers is extremely praiseworthy.  It was a pleasure to hear President Stephen De Maio being acknowledged by charming host Brian Kellow (Features Editor at Opera News) for all of his hard work.  This year's honoree was the beloved Bass-baritone Eric Owens.  The long list of awards testified to the success of the venture.  That we got to hear a baker's dozen of them sing yesterday was a major delight.  Some of them were new to our ears and others have been enjoyed on numerous past occasions.  All were excellent; the judges chose well.

We have space to mention a few of the highlights.  Soprano Deanna Breiwick tickled everyone's fancy with "Quel guardo il cavaliere" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale.  This young woman has beauty and stage presence as well as fine technique; she knows how to create a character and how to get a song across.  Her trill gives one a thrill.

Soprano Ying Fang, who gives a recital this afternoon at Juilliard, showed off some mighty fine embellishments and secure control of dynamics in "Prendi per me sei libero" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore.  We simply cannot get enough Donizetti, especially when sung this charmingly.

Continuing in the bel canto style, bass-baritone Jeongcheol Cha showed impressive flexibility and legato in "Vi Ravviso" from Bellini's La Sonnambula; tenor Juan Jose De Leon won us over with his "Si, ritrovarla, io giuro" from Rossini's La Cenerentola.  Bass-baritone Evan Hughes had all the right qualities for Dandini's aria "Come un'ape" from the same opera.

Massenet's "Letter Scene" from Werther was sung by mezzo Jennifer Johnson Cano with a rich tone, fine French diction and moving involvement with the text.  The grand finale comprised two arias from Leoncavallo's I Pagliaci sung by two of the Top Prize winners, both baritones.  Well known to us from recitals and several other competitions, consistent winner Takaoki Onishi once again dazzled us with his rich full sound, his variety of color and his depth of feeling as he sang Silvio's aria "E fra quest'ansie".  Truth to tell, we would have eloped with him in a minute!  Equally convincing was Anthony C. Evans who sang the prologue in mighty praiseworthy Italian and drew us in as any carnival barker might have.

We also heard some excellent work from tenor Noah Baetge and soprano Marcy Stonikas who took Wagner out for a whirl; tenor Dominick Chenes, soprano Chloe Moore, counter-tenor John T. Holiday, tenor Anthony Kalil and tenor Jonathan Winell were all a pleasure to hear.  Accompanists for the recital were Jonathan C. Kelly and Arlene Shrut. We predict excellent careers for all and wish everyone well.

© meche kroop

A fine Holiday Concert yesterday, given by the Marcello Giordani Foundation (an organization whose mission is exactly the same as our own) provoked some interesting thoughts.  By what magic does a singer get onstage and sing an aria with no accompaniment other than a piano and evoke sets, lighting and all the drama surrounding the aria?  Perhaps the "magic doesn't work" if you've never seen the opera but this recital comprised the arias we all know and love so the task was made easier.  BUT, how does the singer put him/herself into the right frame of mind to achieve this magic?  We welcome hearing from you.

Baritone David Pershall, appearing with permission from the Met, created the powerfully angry character of Enrico from Luci di Lammermoor and also the calming-down character of Zurga in Les Pecheurs des Perles, in which he caressed every syllable of the French language.  Tenor Adam Bonanni took on the memory of Luciano Pavarotti in his "Una furtiva lagrima" and "Panis Angelicus".  Soprano Courtney Johnson evoked all the shy innocence of Mimi without sacrificing her big round sound and ease with the top notes and later delighted us with Gounod's arrangement of Bach's "Ave Maria".

Korngold's atmospheric "Tanzlied" from Die Tote Stadt was performed by baritone Takaoki Onishi in fine German.  His "O Carlo ascolta" impressed us with some very Italianate legato phrasing.  Soprano Joelle Harvey made a very perky Nannetta in Verdi's Falstaff and easily changed gears for "Rejoice Greatly" from Handel's Messiah.  Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green (also "on loan" from the Met) was a deliciously crafty Don Basilio in Rossini's "La Calunia" and did a swell job of building up dramatic and musical tension.  Later he performed Howard Swanson's "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" with poetry by Langston Hughes.

When soprano Vanessa Isiguen and tenor Marco Camerotta performed "O Soave Fanciulla" with beautifully blended voices, we had no trouble visualizing the drafty Parisian garret.  We heard Mr. Camerotta later singing Adam's "O Holy Night" in French and in English!

Soprano Suzanne Vinnick has a sizable enough voice and spirit to convey Nedda's wish for freedom in "Stridono lassu" from Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci.  Tenor Juan Jose de Leon was completely convincing as the prince in Rossini's La Cenerentola.  He has a bright voice with lots of vibrato and handled the embellishments well.  He closed the program with Ms. Vinnick singing "The Prayer" by C.B. Sager and D. Foster.  The style was rather pop-y and the languages were Italian and English.  The harmonies were delicious.  It was easy to see how the pair won the Marcello Giordani Foundation Competition.  Michael Fennelly ably accompanied all the singers.

(c) meche kroop