USC Thornton Opera Program Blog

Opera singers on the VERGE!!!

2011-03-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

While taking a few PR pictures we found out what Sungwook, Tim, and Sophie are really feeling!

Ah, the life of an opera singer is so fulfilling.

(Posted by Damien Elwood March 28, 2011)

Congratulations Joseph!

2011-03-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Metropolitan Opera announced this weekend that one of USC Thornton Opera's own, Joseph Lim, was named among five winners of the 2011 National Council Auditions. Congratulations Joseph! We are thrilled but not surprised. Your talents graced our stage in diverse roles ranging from the title role in Don Giovanni to Friedrich in last Spring's critically acclaimed production of Das Liebesverbot. Your recognition is well deserved. We are very proud of you and wish you continued success in all your endeavors going forward. Keep touch!

(Posted by Damien Elwood March 15, 2011)

Undergraduate and Graduate Students Alike Feel the COUSC Love

2010-09-14T22:06:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

My name is Annie Simon and I am President of the Chamber Opera of USC, a student run performance group, made to provide undergraduate students with performance opportunities directed by graduate vocal arts students. We encourage not only vocal arts undergrads to audition, but anyone from any major who has any interest in singing. We also try to produce new works periodically.

One of my favorite parts of being President of this organization is the amazing opportunity to collaborate with Thornton's incredibly talented graduate students. Even as a naive Freshman, I recognized quickly that one of the most special things about our Vocal Arts Department is that the undergraduate voice majors are all close friends with the graduate voice majors. Before stepping into my role in COUSC, I got hours of free therapy from our alumna Alexandra Loutsion. Not only did she listen to my life concerns, but she offered me singer advice that only a person with more experience could offer--from repertoire suggestions to nasal decongestants to church gigs. With COUSC, I get to work with vocal major grad students who volunteer to direct, pianists who like vocal music, and sometimes, when I'm really lucky, I get to work with student composers.

This semester, I'm proud to present a song cycle by one of these talented student composers called Snow White Turns 60. The composer Dale Trumbore is a 2nd year masters student of composition at USC, studying with Professor Don Crockett. Dale's aunt is a poet who gave her the first twisted fairytale poem, and then she helped Dale reach out to more contemporary female poets who had work that fit the theme. These poets offer us their unique takes on the traditional fairytales we were all raised with. Trumbore reflects this poetry remarkably well with a cycle that spans musical genres, from jazz to musical theatre. We are thrilled to present this song cycle premiere.

As I walked around campus and starting telling my friends about the project, excitement grew. COUSC was lucky to have grad students Sarah Parnicky and Marina Harris step up to direct the new song cycle. Keyboard Collaborative Arts student Aurelien Eulert also volunteered to play piano and music direct. Sarah, Marina, Aurelien, and Dale listened to 4 hours of fabulous undergraduate auditions before solidifying the cast list.

In case you're familiar with the Thornton Opera undergraduate students, here's the cast list:

The Mermaid Song--Andrea Crisalli

Where's Wolf?--Hannah Goodman

Masquerade--Tara Jose

Sleeping Beauty--Sara Frondoni

Hazel Tells LaVerne--Samantha Cardenas

For the Nixie--Andrea Zomorodian

Bluebeard's Wife--Kate Fruchterman

Snow White Turns 60--Kimberly Hessler

Gretel--Emily Loynachan

Rapunzel--Jessica Conflitti

Afraid to Look, Afraid to Look Away--Austen Courter & Ellie Flier

There will be more details to come as we dig into this great piece! Thanks so much to the Opera Department, and especially Damien Elwood, for allowing me to introduce this COUSC project on the Thornton Opera Blog.

COUSC Love,

Annie

COUSC Fairies Eleni Pantages, Leigh Folta, Annie Simon, Katie Leyva, and Sam Cardenas dress the part for Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in a 2009 scenes production.

Das Liebesverbot Pictures!

2010-04-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

(All photographs by Kristina Jacinth. Posted by Damien Elwood)

Now that Das Liebesverbot is FINALLY over, lets relive it in pictures!

Isabella and Mariana kick us off with, "Sisters, sisters..."

"It's a family affair."

Luzio and Claudio get stink eye from Kiry and Kate.

Isabella and Dorella try to clue Luzio in.

Does Luzio really accomplish anything in this opera?

What's going on!

Brighella has his moment...

...until he meets Dorella's charms.

Poor Friederich has some issues.

But he's workin' it!

Friederich gives Claudio osmosis therapy.

The shadow knows.

Pontio Pilato is a quick study.

"We're all so confused!"

As usual, Tim has to be restrained.

Carnival, baby!

It's a party!

Luzio is in the mood!

Sorry Ben. I had to post it.

We all love Isabella!

Congratulations to the entire cast and crew.

It has been a wonderful journey, translation to ovation!

Brent McMunn on KUSC.

2010-04-21T12:19:00.001-07:00

Spotlight on the Arts - April 21, 2010

Brent speaks briefly about the many musical influences in Wagner's Das Liebesverbot.

Posted using ShareThis

Production Fun!

2010-04-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

(Production photos by Kristina Jacinth. Posted by Kristina & Damien Elwood.)

Eric Hanson looks to the heavens while YuJoong Kim sings Wagner's praises.

Sophie Wingland tries on Federico Flores' cuffs.

Adrian Rosales and Andrew Pardini fight over who gets to work strike.

Annie Simon, Diana Newman, Sara Staples, and Callie Hoffman finish Act I in style.

Jacqueline Saint Anne! And her imaginary friend.

Alex Loutsion. Not bad for a nun!

Abrahm St. Amand Poliakoff. Man about town.

Finally, we know about Amit.

Our set! Beginning stages.

Nathalie Clark, our Lead Scenic Artist.

Leo Lovato working the plaster.

Annie and Louts basking in the glow of Richard's inspiration.

Kristina Jacinth is a recent graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and is Production Photographer for Das Liebesverbot.)

RE: South Jersey Soprano

2010-03-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Erica Miller, emerging opera star and recent Thornton School of Music graduate, is featured in this USC Thornton Opera Alumni Profile.

(Posted by Damien Elwood)

When I first met Erica Miller she was just starting at USC. We were doing a production of The Magic Flute directed by Dejan Miladinovic that featured, among other things, black lights, rapping, and an electric cart as the Queen of the Night's charriot. I seem to remember Erica's Papagena as playful, perky, and precise. Add a good amount of South Jersey to that mix and you pretty much have what Erica's tenure at USC was all about. Her wit was matched only by her steller musicianship, both of which we enjoyed for the 5 1/2 years she was here.

The role that opened our eyes to Erica's versatility was Poppea in our production of Handel's Agrippina. She played the young love interest suffering under Claudio's letchery. Ken Cazan put her in a blonde wig, dressed her in pink, and had her change costume on stage getting in and out of a bubble bath. Through it all she performed Handel's music flawlessly ornamenting her 'A' returns with spectacular agility while putting on makeup, pouring martinis, or fighting off Claudio on stage.

The production consisted of flats beautifully painted with images from Baroque and Renaissance paintings representing the different settings of the opera. I have included one of my favorite pictures from the show in which Erica is dimming the lights on stage by hitting a "switch" that was represented by a nipple peeking through a young Renaissance woman's fingers. It was a wonderfully comedic moment. Erica carried it off, and the entire role, with great aplomb.

But perhaps Erica's greatest challenge at USC was her role as The Maid in Thomas Adès Powder Her Face. Adès' music is a technical tour-de-force for the singers not to mention dealing with the sexual content of the libretto. The entire cast rose to the occasion and gave us wonderful performances of great accuracy, power, and courage. Erica is pictured below with Josh Hong who was playing the Duke at this point in the opera. The production, which included musicians in the pit from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was a west-coast premiere and a wonderful success for the opera program. The herculean efforts of the cast, exemplfied by Erica, helped elevate the expectations of the entire program ever since.

I hope you take the time to read Erica's alumni profile. She is doing very well and has some big things coming up both professionally and personally.

(Damien Elwood is the Opera Program Manager for the USC Thornton Opera)

Springing Forward

2010-03-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

(Posted by Damien Elwood, March 2, 2010)

March is here and we're fully engaged in our spring semester. Our scenes program was presented the final Friday of January and was a wonderful success! A full house heard a diverse program with excerpts ranging from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas to Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore to Sondheim's A Little Night Music. The evenings finale was the Grand Pezzo Concertato from Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims, which sent us all home with the promise of a evening's partying in Gay ol' Paris! A handout with the scenes storylines expertly written by Ken Cazan is available on the web page. Congratulations to all our performers and collaborative keyboard artists. It was a great evening.

Before we turn our attention toward Richard Wagner and our spring production of Das Liebesverbot I want to touch on our fall production of Albert Herring. It marked the return of one of our favorite set designers, Peter Harrison, whose whimsical designs with bright, cartoonish colors really captured Ken's comical production concept. Peter's design for the Act II Vicar's Garden, with it's forced perspective, 12 foot high hedges and 3 foot diameter poppies drew spontaneous applause from our audiences. We liked it so much we chose it for our promotional material (see image above). By the end of the show Albert's night of debauchery and subsequent new found confidence free him not only from his mother's apron strings but the silly, slanted social pressures of small town, turn of the century Britain, which were imaginatively captured by Peter's designs.

Both casts performed wonderfully especially our double duty children Emmy - Hayden Eberhart, Cissy - Clarissa Shan, and Harry - Elaina Robbins shown above with one of our Miss Wordsworths - Katie Martin. Pictures from all the dress rehearsals and performances can be found on our Albert Herring web page.

In addition to our opera performances, this fall was the first time the Opera Program formally participated in the Thornton Outreach Program by welcoming 150 middle and high school students to the final dress rehearsal. Ken spoke to the group describing everything that goes into preparing, producing, and presenting an opera. Our guests genuinely enjoyed the show. Many were surprised to discover that not only could opera be in English, but it could be funny as well. Who'd of thunk it???

Many thanks to the Director of Thornton Outreach Susan Helfter for including us in her ever growing list of programs and events. Hopefully a visit with the Opera Program will become a regular part of the outreach program.

NOW, we move on to Herr Wagner and the West Coast Premier of Das Liebesverbot. Our presentation of the opera is part of Ring Festival LA, a citywide exploration of Wagner and his work centered on LA Opera's Ring Cycle. We are thrilled and honored to be part of this ambitious project.

As you can probably tell from the picture (Graciously provided by our very own Isabella - Alexandra Loutsion) Wagner himself, in his cast plastic, mini-bust incarnation, has been a constant presence with us since last August when we cast the opera. Our Mariana - Xiaobo Su, pictured also, shows her surprise when she discovered that Liebesverbot, being Wagner's second operatic attempt, is actually very Italianate musically. Or, as was overheard recently in the opera office, "It's like Bellini on steroids." We are deep into music preparation and have just started staging. I am happy to report that we still have a LONG WAY TO GO! But what is going has gone very well.

Our production team for Das Liebesverbot includes two of our regular award winning professional designers Jacqueline Saint Anne, Costumes and David Jacques, Lighting. This show marks the first time the opera program is working with Set Designer Cameron Anderson, a talented designer from New York with whom Ken has worked professionally. Cameron's designs are powerful and dramatic. As we get closer to the production we will post images of her designs and photos of the build process, which is being headed up by our Technical Director Bruce Cameron. We'll also have pictures from staging rehearsals and costume fittings as our constant, detailed preparation reaches a crescendo!

The USC Thornton Opera Program's first foray into Wagner's work is a great challenge, on all levels, for us. And I for one am enjoying the early whisperings of his revolutionary dramatic approach that emanate from Das Leibesverbot's music and libretto. And it doesn't hurt to have Richard himself in your ear!

(Damien Elwood is the Program Manager for the USC Thornton Opera Program)

Proud, Passionate, and Curious

2009-02-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

(Posted by Damien Elwood, February 12, 2009)

It has been a while between posts but there are a few good reasons for this. First would be the holidays. Here's hoping they were great for all of you. The second would be our scenes program. It was a wonderful success! Congratulations to all of you who performed so well. The third would be that we have been working up the first of our monthly email newsletters called PROGRAM - notes. Most of you should have received it this week. The goal of this newsletter is to share with our core community of supporters what makes us proud, passionate, and curious. If you did not receive this email but would like to, join our email list!

The initial PROGRAM-notes features two articles. The first is commentary from Ken Cazan about how we should view the infamous Don Giovanni - DON GIOVANNI: HERO? ANTI HERO? It is great reading. Part of what I like about Ken's approach to his work is that he is committed to making even the most traditional of operatic repertoire relevant to 21st century audiences. Despite the beauty of Mozart's music and the care Da Ponte takes to endear us to the infamous "rake," there is no denying that Don Giovanni would be considered at least a player, if not much worse, in modern American society.

The other article is an email interview with perhaps the most successful of our recent graduates Angela Meade - Alumni Spotlight: Angela Meade. Angela, who left USC in 2005 after three years of graduate studies, has had an amazing 3 1/2 years since. The highlight was her debut with the Met last spring as Elvira in Verdi's Ernani. I found her responses to my questions genuine, informative, and sweet. I'm not sure how many of you know Angela, but it was a real pleasure to have her in our program. It is also good to see that nice gals don't have to finish last. As a bonus, Angela provided us with some truly fabulous pictures from her Ernani appearance. I have to admit I had a full blown, take my breath away, opera production geek experience over the beauty (and expense) of the costumes and sets in the Met's production. Oh to have the Met's budget.

Finally, we really want to make PROGRAM-notes something you all want to read. We have a pretty good sense that the Alumni Spotlights and opinion articles by Ken and Brent will be reasonably popular, But what else would you all like to read about? Tell us! Send email to opera@thornton.usc.edu with your ideas and suggestions. If you have an idea for something you would like to contribute to either the email newsletter or this blog let us know as well. We want to make both of them valuable online resources for all of you, our core community of supporters.

(Damien Elwood has been the USC Thornton Opera Program Manager since 2004)

The Daily Grind - COUSC

2008-12-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Written by Alexandra Loutsion December 3, 2008

One of the unique experiences the USC Thornton School of Music has to offer is the Chamber Opera of USC. It is a student run program consisting solely of undergraduate performers directed by their graduate peers. Undergraduates become the stars of their own performances and graduate students exercise new creative skills of stage direction and putting together a performance behind the scenes. From both stand points, the benefits are huge and create a lasting impression that can influence further exploration in the various artistic fields.

This past semester, I had the great joy of co-creating and co-directing the Chamber Opera performance of The Daily Grind. We essentially started from scratch, having some idea of works we wanted to include (A Hand of Bridge by Samuel Barber, The Coffee Cantata by J.S. Bach, and some musical theater pieces) but not really knowing the type of performance we wanted to create. We started by holding auditions in September, and, admittedly, we were not an easy panel. The singing-actors would offer a repertoire list of arias, songs and musical theater, and more often than not we would ask them to sing something a capella that they hadn't prepared to test our own theories and ideas of what we wanted them to ultimately do. The singing-actors were incredible. For five hours, we listened to absolutely fantastic auditions and we wrote down people who we thought would be good for the specific pieces we had in mind. We also wrote down ideas of what would be good for those who didn't fit into the two pieces. After auditions were completed, we were excited and totally overwhelmed with the amount of talent. Thus began the long task of casting.

I don't remember who in the end came up with the idea of how to create the show. We all kept throwing ideas out until finally we realized we could link the two pieces together, connecting them in between with musical theater numbers. As the discussions went on, we decided that each person would have one character that they would carry out through the show. Because the singing-actors were so wonderful, we also had to pick things that featured everyone somehow. From this, The Daily Grind was born. It became a story about a coffee shop, owned by the narrator of The Coffee Cantata whose employees were those in A Hand of Bridge. Throughout an hour and fifteen minutes of music, we created a world of colorful patrons and workers, ranging from an opera singer, a girl named Latte who was obsessed with coffee, disgruntled office workers, singing waitresses, and even people who were waiting to meet blind dates from match.com. The show flowed seamlessly throughout many styles of music, and we split all of the pieces to allow each of the 22 people to have a solo moment. Because The Coffee Cantata was so lengthy, we decided to double cast it to include more singers. Those who weren't cast in the fall were cast in the spring. Because of the organization of our new co-presidents Kira Dills-DeSurra and Alex Goldberg, we were also able to include two fabulous pianists and a string quintet for the Bach, conducted by Chris Eanes.

As co-directors, Jacquelynne Fontaine and I split the piece in half, leaving me A Hand of Bridge, Coffee Break, and Taylor the Latte Boy, while she took The Coffee Cantata, Will He Like Me, It's An Art, and a Mexican folksong. We held rehearsals at the same time every Monday night, individually directing each scene or mini opera. The singing-actors were so eager to work, responding to every crazy thing either of us asked them to do, and really took some fantastic risks. We didn't have a chance to get the whole group together until the week of the show, and so in two days, we made our two halves a whole. The singing-actors took this challenge and ran with it, filling so much of it in on their own and going so far at points that we had to tell them to step back. By the weekend of the shows, we were ready to go.

We had a huge turn out for every one of the shows, and the audiences were very responsive. The performance garnered some new interest in the Chamber Opera from both undergraduate performers and graduate directors, and introduced the program to many people who had never heard of it before. I have found through many talks in the days after with faculty and students that there is a new found respect for the organization as a whole. It just goes to show you what can happen when everyone has a goal that they are willing to work towards.

The Daily Grind is one step in a line of many previous performances that has allowed the Chamber Opera to become what it is today. There are many more projects to come, and we are always looking for more people to become involved. The next project is slated for March 6-8, 2009 and we are currently in preparation as I type this blog. If you want to know more, please feel free to email us at cousc@usc.edu or become a member of our facebook group, "Chamber Opera of USC (COUSC)". New faces are always appreciated!

The Chamber Opera of USC is a student run organization funded and supported by the University and the Thornton School of Music.

Alexandra Loutsion has completed her Masters Degree in Vocal Arts at the USC Thornton School and is in the first year of the Graduate Certificate Program.

POH - Post-opera High

2008-12-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

Written by Ariel Pisturino 11/26/2008

Looking back on the semester, I don’t know how I lived through going to class, working, and spending five hours a day in opera rehearsal. I know I must have felt on the verge of insanity, but now that
The Rape of Lucretia is over I find myself getting to school early so I can check the opera board. When four o’ clock rolls around I find myself instinctively packing up my things to head to rehearsal. I miss family dinners. I feel uncomfortable with the sudden abundance of free time. I have to do homework now instead of opera? That does not sound fun at all. I believe I am suffering from a syndrome I am deeming post-opera high or POH, the let down after the show is over. It is a sad occurrence, but a performer must always move forward.

The Rape of Lucretia is truly a masterpiece. It is an opera of difficult music combined with complex characters, and it was a very satisfying experience.

I played the role of Bianca an older Italian woman, the head servant of a politically powerful house, and mother figure to Lucretia. Honestly I did not understand the character at first. My first concern was the difficult music. I had nothing to relate with the character; my Italian grandparents both died before I was born. I am only twenty-four years old, and Bianca is at a menopausal age (another aspect I did not relate with). All I could think of was the mother on the T.V. show Everybody Loves Raymond. The musical aspect aside, I needed to get into the head of Bianca. Ken and Brent both helped me to understand each phrase she says in the opera. I researched the symptoms and changes of menopause, Elizabeth Hynes thought this was hilarious, and I thought about how to apply this to the character. I needed to think about what is Bianca like when she is alone, the obsession with Lucretia, and her relationship with Lucia? Based on the libretto, Ken and I made a background for her to add some depth to the character and also to help me develop Bianca.

It was very difficult. I had to put many hours into thinking about Bianca’s movements. In every rehearsal I discovered something new about her. It was great to realize that she is more then some character on a T.V. show, Bianca represents a generation of women. She symbolizes older women everywhere and all of the trials and tribulations and every feeling in between that they must face. By the time we began dress rehearsals, I finally understood Bianca. Ken and Brent were both open to questions, suggestions, and ideas that helped me to develop this character.

I felt like we were all a team focused on one central goal. The cast was supportive, and we frequently talked about our characters together outside of rehearsals. Even with my cover I felt that we were partners in learning the music and the character. I believe this is why the show turned out so great, because we all wanted this opera to have a meaning for the audience. I am not so sure we could have pulled off such an effective show if it had been double cast.

I am so proud of myself and all the other cast members. I had an amazing experience. The applause at the end of the show made the work worth it.

Thank you to Ken and Brent and everyone else for letting me be part of this production. I wish you all luck with Don Giovanni in the spring.

Ariel Pisturino is a Masters of Vocal Arts student at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Sweatpants and Green Sneakers

2008-11-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

Posted by Alexandra Loutsion

As I write to you all, I find myself in a very familiar situation of which I am sure many of you can relate. I am in my bed, covers pulled high, ready and waiting patiently for much needed slumber. Instead, I am tossing and turning, thinking about the audition that waits for me in the morning. I think about my audition ritual that varies depending on location, but is extremely reliable. Wake up early, take a forty minute walk around whatever city I’m in, shower, vocalize, put my hair in curlers, vocalize more, do some stretches, look through all my music again, triple check my materials, put on the makeup, take out the curlers, put on the dress, slip on my black sweatpants and green sneakers, heels in my shoulder bag and head out the door with too much time to spare. Then I promptly worry that I have forgotten something, causing me to rifle through my bag and pull out my binder while I am crammed on a subway, speed walking, or driving to my destination, effectively angering anyone who I am in close quarters with as I elbow them in the face. Once I arrive, I find somewhere to hide so that no one will see me in my sweatpants and green sneakers, and I get totally ready to make my grand entrance into the building wearing my heels, pretending that I either trekked 150 blocks in them from the upper upper west side, or that I drove 90 to 400 odd miles in them, and just happen to show up looking perfect, feeling confident, and pretending like its just another day.

In truth, I guess it is. Another day in the life of a working (or trying to work) young opera singer.

I hope that you are all laughing, thinking on your own experiences of neurotic preparation. Of course, can anyone blame us? After the hours of practice, language study, coaching, dramatic work, and searching for the perfect audition outfit, we venture out into the world, hoping and praying that at least some of what we have learned along the way sticks with us. Right now, most people are preparing for the holiday season; we as opera singers are preparing for what I affectionately call “The Month”: audition season in New York City.

For the months of November and December, I will join the masses in NYC doing a series of young artist program auditions, as well as singing “Second Woman” in The Dido Project with the Sybarite Chamber Players. This is the first time that I will be pairing a gig with the audition rounds this year, creating a very busy two months full of singing and running around all corners of Manhattan. With the aid of my fabulous teacher and coaches, I have come up with a somewhat eclectic list of audition arias, all of which I absolutely love singing. My prep is done, and now its time to get out there and do it! So…(I ask myself, my heart starting to pound)…what does that mean exactly?

It is easy to dread this time of year. Auditioning is not easy. Out of towners (like me) are generally couch hopping with very understanding friends, (I myself will be in Harlem, Queens, and Innwood for the duration of my stay) warming up in subways or bathrooms, all the while trying to keep the outfit looking fresh for a month and asking ourselves why we signed up for this in the first place. However, the season also brings new excitement-the joy of discovering parts of the city you never knew about, the pleasure of meeting up with friends unexpectedly at audition sites, and of course, singing the arias that you love. I am not an expert, but the one thing I will say is always sing something that you can embrace and truly believe in with everything you have to offer. The audition process is so rewarding when we realize that a big part of it is about sharing what we love to do. As Ken told me the other day, “continue to sing for the joy of singing.” With all of the stuff I mentioned previously, sometimes that can be hard to remember, but we have been given one of the greatest gifts imaginable. We get to share in the beauty of humanity through melodies that journeyed from composers’ minds to the inner reaches of our bodies, letting them out in beautiful tones that are uniquely ours. We allow people to feel in a society that doesn’t always welcome grandiose emotions. We allow people to sit quietly in a think in a media driven world where fluff is praised. Most importantly, we allow people to connect in ways they never imagined possible. I ask you, what could be better than that?

So, I suppose another audition season will come and go. Hopefully, The Dido Project will be well received, and I am looking forward to seeing my friends from the east coast. But one thing I will keep in mind this time around is the joy of this art form, something that has been instilled in me because of my work at USC. The instruction, support, and encouragement we receive is truly life-altering. I consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of this eclectic and passionate group of people, who are not only rooting for what I’m about to do, but will share in the result because of all of the hours they have given to me.

To all of you auditionees out there: be strong, have fun, and enjoy every moment. This wild ride is about to begin!

Alexandra Loutsion has completed her Masters Degree in Vocal Arts at the USC Thornton School and is in the first year of the Graduate Certificate Program.

Life After James Conlon

2008-10-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Posted by Ken Cazan

James Conlon gave an insightful, heartfelt, sometimes confusing but always passionate Visions and Voices lecture the other night. It was about his life in the arts, the “classical” arts as he calls them and we are all aspiring to our little chip of the marble of those arts.

After talking to all three of my classes about Mo. Conlon’s talk, the general consensus was that his Q&A session afterwards was the most honest and insightful part of the evening. There was, however, one consistent question: What is the answer to Prof. Gilfry’s question (and I paraphrase), “How do you explain to a non-classical arts person the relevance of the classical arts in Depression-era 2008?” Mo. Conlon answered form his heart and related personal anecdotes about his personal life, his growing up with the classical arts deep within his soul but never quite got around to a solid answer.

I have been thinking about this a lot since I began teaching here four years ago and have spoken with close colleagues worldwide in an effort to begin to hone down an answer to Prof. Gilfry’s question. The answer (or several answers to the question) is multi-faceted. What draws us to the arts in the first place? For me, it was a desperate search for a personal identity, a way to stand out, to be noticed in the midst of a large family with huge personalities, all of us fighting to be seen for our uniqueness, our “divine spark” (as G.B. Shaw would say). As I grew older and dealt with my sexuality, the arts became even more important to me as a place where I could belong and be who and what I am during the tumultuous period of coming out of the closet and accepting myself and allowing others to deal with their acceptance (or not) of my homosexuality.

Translate that into the soul of an inner-city youth whose parents are not present in their lives. Their parents might be a drug dealer, drug addict, prostitute, gang banger, abuser or child of an abused parent and carrying around so much baggage that their children get lost in the emotional melee of their existence. Maybe their parents are simply working two or three jobs to desperately make a life for their children and keep a roof over their heads. Where can that child turn for fulfillment, self-expression, and a way to release their anger and frustration at being forgotten, left behind, lost in the shuffle? The arts (classical or otherwise) are the most embracing, accepting, loving parental substitutes that I can imagine. Throughout my life, whether as a child or an adult, whenever a difficult personal event arose, I could always escape to the arts, my art, as a means of dealing with my troubles, of beginning to understand what I was going through and I could always use the arts as an avenue to express and release my angst while serving and enhancing whatever piece I was working on at the time. I still do (as members of my Directing 407 class experienced last week) use the arts as emotional release.

An artistic event can help us to identify a problem in our lives and more importantly, they can help us identify a solution to that problem. I can’t tell you how often in my career I have had a member of an audience come up to me and say, “I never looked at that character from that perspective before," and that it helped them answer questions about life's dilemmas. The arts can be re-affirming and powerful aids in an audience member's system of religious and spiritual beliefs. Suor Angelica had a profound impact on the women I was working with both times I collaborated on it. It made them realize the common bonds that women have with their bodies and the potential for their brains and bodies when working together towards the common goal of creating three-dimensional people behind the generic habits. It helped me to realize the strength it takes so many women to inhibit their natural instincts and believe in their faith so much that it becomes the over-riding passion in their lives. This is the power of the arts.

Finally, the arts, particularly the classical arts, are some of the most diverse records of the social, political, and religious histories available to us in 2008. Look back to “La Boheme” and capture the essence of a bunch of young people in Italy in the 1830s and flash forward to today. Working on “Boheme” as a young director helped me to understand what a universal situation striving for a career in the arts is. It also helped me immeasurably during the horrendous dark times in the 1980s when so many of our most talented and brilliant artists were falling prey to a plague the like of which hadn’t been seen since the advent of tuberculosis. This had religious, political, and sexual repercussions but through working on “Boheme,” “Traviata,” and other classical arts pieces that had similar context, I gradually began to learn how to deal with my grief and anger. I also understood that through history, cataclysmic illnesses have always been and sadly, always will be. How we handle them emotionally, how we survive them and live to tell cautionary, enlightening tales to future generations, this is what the classical arts can help us to learn to do. The arts are a chronicle of history and a guide to the future.

Beyond their beauty, their provocative aspects, and their timeless tales, if we didn’t have the classical arts, we would have no diverse world history, no optional viewpoints for our present, and no ammunition to deal with future dilemmas.

This is what the arts, classical or otherwise, have taught me and is why I believe in arts education and the continuing support of the arts on any level.

Ken Cazan is the Resident Stage Director for the USC Thornton School of Music and an internationally renowned stage director of operas, musical theatre, and legitimate theatre.

Storytelling

2008-10-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Posted by Brent McMunn

I’ve realized lately that I really like my job. The depth of talent of both graduate and undergraduate singers seems even greater this year, and I’m happy that we have two masterpieces to dig into, with lots of principal roles and our Lucretia cover cast getting a complete run with orchestra. Then, in case anyone’s worried about an excess of darkness, there’s that hour of operetta to look forward to on the scenes program. Wait, we’ve also pretty much landed on an intriguing high-profile season for ’09-’10. Stay tuned…

Still speaking of job satisfaction, in the last few weeks there have been repeated “this is what a music school should be like” days. Stimulated by separate events such as the John Duykers and Tom Allen masterclasses, and the particular challenges of Lucretia, a number of intense, spontaneous discussions have come up about complex issues such as what is really involved in bringing together thought and music, freedom and discipline, speech and musical line, and more. That’s the interesting stuff. Any insights or frustrations out there to be shared as comments?

On to some current ideas brought about by the piece at hand, Lucretia. First, about singing in English, and a heightened English it is: I recently went to a friend’s 70th birthday party where there were essentially 4 generations of talented, working actors present. While everyone was smart as a whip, I noticed that the older the actor, the better they were at telling stories. They find the right moment, shape the story with rhythm, energetically speak to the whole room, and expertly act out voices. Later that evening, watching TV, I found myself especially irritated at the close-mic'd mumbling of some of the actors.

Now I don’t believe in taking a regressive “in the old days…” stand about our language. I’m just pointing out that we’re much less immersed in the dramatic use of English than previously. So for singers who otherwise have plenty of flair, fulfilling the English of this piece, written in 1940’s England, turns out to take more detail work, and even courage, than an opera in Italian. It takes bold experimentation, some technical diction guidance (looking forward to Jennifer Ringo’s magic), the ability to self monitor every vowel and consonant chosen, and of course, most importantly, meaningful intention. After all, a rrrolled 'R' can be either effective or affected. Then the music makes such sense - and what music! But that’s for another day.

I have a feeling that by mid November we’re going to have some very skillful storytelling at parties around here.

Brent McMunn is the Conductor/Music Director of USC Thornton Opera

Corraggio, amici!

2008-09-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

(Posted by Ken Cazan)

Hello all of you—this is my first blog entry ever and it is new and slightly strange! I hope the beginning of the school year doesn’t find you too obfuscated and panicked. The first three or four weeks are always crazy. Eventually they settle down into something resembling a routine.

I am sitting here in my loft looking at the beautiful skyline of L.A. on a bright sunny day. I should be working but I am just too enthralled by the sun, the sounds of busses and trucks passing below my window, and the car whose alarm won’t shut off. And I am grateful for all of the work I have lined up for the next three years or so. I am grateful because after that I know I am going to have to tighten my belt. We are heading into another recession if not a full blown depression and no amount of posturing by presidential candidates and Congress is going to spare us.

As always when finances get tight, the arts get slammed. It happened in my career in the late 1980s and it is now happening at the beginning of your careers, in the late part of the first decade of the 2000s. Some opera companies and universities will hit the panic button and revert to performing opera’s “greatest hits.” There will be endless trashy productions of Carmen, Butterfly, Traviata, Boheme, etc. They will be safe and sanitized and not terribly interesting. These same companies will disband a penchant for using younger (cheaper) singers in favor of more established artists to build audience and sell tickets. Apprentice programs will be put on hold as far as numbers go and everybody will huddle, terrified around the stove, trying to sacrifice artistic excellence and risk to the fire to save their jobs.

I, however, believe that this is precisely the time to take risks. This is the time to branch outside of the box for at least one production per season with THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA (or any Britten for that matter) or Rota’s ITALIAN STRAW HAT or perhaps Henze’s ELEGY FOR YOUNG LOVERS. These pieces could very easily bring in a younger and new audience who don’t want to laugh at the over-blown dramatics of badly produced standard opera pieces. Use younger singers, as well, to people these productions, singers perhaps better trained in contemporary theatrical techniques. Let the audience feel that they are discovering the next Deborah Voigt, Renee Flemming, Marcello Giordani or Rene Pape. These great artists all had to start somewhere and work their ways up from obscurity and part-time waiter/waitress jobs to attain the level they are at today.

When money gets tight, the arts as a “luxury” item suffer and dwindle. Some theatre and opera companies, museums, and symphonies will disappear. We need to be ready to tighten our belts and breathe deeply and be willing to re-conceive our theories of opera production. Through this re-conception, we will be forced to be more creative with less money and “re-invent the wheel” as the adage goes. We must not dumb down opera, musical-theatre ,legitimate theatre, museum exhibits, or symphonic programming to fit a wrong-headed notion that in doing so we are somehow bringing in more public and consequently more income. We will also keep the careers and hopes of many fine young artists alive and thriving amidst the frustrations of companies hesitating to take the risk of using them.

Corraggio, amici! Fight the good fight!

Ken Cazan is the Resident Stage Director for the USC Thornton School of Music and an internationally renowned stage director of operas, musical theatre, and legitimate theatre.

"opera singers are not at all like normal musicians"

2008-09-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

(Posted by Damien Elwood)

Last Friday’s vocal forum was a master class by Thomas Allen who is currently playing Gianni Schicchi in L.A. Opera’s production of Il Trittico. He was lively and intense, showing passion for his craft. I found him very enlightening and some of the things he said reinforced concepts I have come to believe about art and opera singers as artists.

I believe that all good art is specific and much of what Thomas Allen said last Friday reinforced that. He often talked about the need to have specific ideas, emotions, and concepts when singing. It’s not just a matter of understanding the origin and meaning of the text and presenting it with a precise performance of the music. The singer must also place her performance within a context specific to herself. She must bring to bear a catalogue of experience in which to frame the emotion of the moment. These are not general ideas of how the character should feel or act, but specific sense memories drawn from a catalogue of intentional recollections of experience both on stage and in life. This is something Ken teaches in his acting classes and insists his performers develop and use.

There is a lot of other attention to detail that goes into making art out of opera. Much of the work Brent does before he ever picks up the baton is to develop a detailed understanding of the music through research of style, tradition, and performance practice. This is passed on to the performers both though coaching and staging rehearsals, which Brent conducts religiously. Also, the specific orchestration of an opera impacts every phase of production and performance. Decisions on instrumentation and drawing the “pit map” can have an enormous impact on the success of the music and drama once we move into the theatre.

The other belief I have, which Thomas Allen reinforced for me, is that musicians are not at all like normal people, and opera singers are not at all like normal musicians. He told a story about being a student at the Royal College of Music and how different the musicians looked and behaved from other students he encountered. Here at USC the Thornton School, like many academic communities, has its own brand of student geeks. The hours a musician spends in often solitary practice can create a certain inward nature characterized by bloodshot eyes, pasty skin, and wearing all black in the middle of the day. But within this culture, opera singers stand out. Not only do they tend to dress a little more dramatically but, as I call it, they live life out loud. Opera singers can, and to my thinking should, live in an emotionally honest way. This is not always easy. Neither is it always pretty, particularly when dealing with young adults. But it can serve as a foundation for the curiosity that Thomas Allen insisted was essential to building an opera singer’s arsenal of weapons, weapons used to reach into the hearts of the audience and take them to the specific world the opera is portraying.

Next week Ken Cazan will make his first post for the year.

(Damien Elwood has been managing the USC Thornton Opera since 2004)

We have a season!

2008-09-13T00:48:00.000-07:00

(posted by Damien Elwood)

The semester is finally underway. We have chosen our fall opera, Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and cast it. The spring opera, Don Giovanni, has been cast as well. And the scenes are almost done!

This is always a fun time for me; new students, new music, new designers and crew. Brent and Ken pick a season and I get to wade into it along with everyone else wondering what it will have in store for us. It’s like inviting relatives over to stay for 8 months or so. They move into your home and you have some idea what it’s going to be like but you really don’t know for sure. There are always surprises good and bad.

Lucretia is relatively new to me. I did see it at Central City this summer. The production was very good. The music is truly incredible and the story is devastating. I can genuinely say I am a Britten fan but confess some trepidation about living with the opera for three months. Some of it is due to the challenging nature of Britten’s music, some of it to the fate of Lucretia herself. But like the ambiguity one would have about relatives coming to stay, I am not certain, when all is said and done, how I am going to feel about this fall’s house guest. Will I miss her when she leaves?

Of course, it’s not all joy and light for me when we do an opera I am familiar with. Living with our production of The Rake’s Progress was a kind of slow death for me. Many years ago I performed the role of Tom Rakewell for a local community college. I was asked to prepare it in less than a month with minimal coaching support. Needless to say the result was less than stellar. And the time I had to prepare was just enough to truly understand the crime I was committing against the audience, Stravinsky, and God. As I lived through the USC preparation of the opera, it got easier to hear the music. But it took most of the semester.

I will write more about our season as the school year progresses. Mozart, in addition to being the favored composer of opera training programs the world over, is as stern a task master as one can find. And our scenes program is always challenging both in its breadth and focus. I am looking forward to my part in both.

Finally, I want to make one more comment. One of the things I love about this job is that through my friends and colleagues, both Thornton based and otherwise, I get to attend and/or participate in amazing performances and events all over this incredible city. The diversity of art forms, venues, communities, and ethnic tradition is staggering. And whether it be Mahler’s 8th at the Hollywood Bowl (thanks Shirley), blues at Harvelle’s in Santa Monica, or singing E lucevan le stelle in the L.A. River under the 6th St. bridge, I get front row seats to the spectacle of living in one of the world’s great centers of art. Awesome.

Damien Elwood has been managing the USC Thornton Opera since 2004.

First Post!

2008-08-15T02:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the
USC Thornton Opera Blog!

This is the first post of what will become a weekly journal with insight into the opera program at USC. Here you will find commentary and media posted by our faculty, designers, students and staff about upcoming productions and events. We welcome your participation to help us make this blog "subscribe worthy."

For more information about the program, or to join our email list, visit the USC Thornton Opera website.