Each September opera companies begin a new season enticing audiences into the theater with either standard operatic fare or a new production featuring some of the best singers around. I am happy to report that I am in full swing of what promises to be a whirlwind of a season filled with company debuts and new roles!
In September I made my debut with Long Island Opera in a wonderful production of Carmen featuring some great singers. Singing Escamillo was a fantastic challenge as the role needs a great deal of vocal and physical swagger. With a stupendous cast and directing/coaching staff, I was able to bring the Toreador to vivid life and even have a great time singing, jumping and fighting my way through this great part.
I am now in the midst of rehearsals for a unique production of La bohème that will be in English and presented in a cabaret format with updated references. The goal of the production is to introduce new audiences to opera in an accessible format and what better story than the starving artists of Paris who fall in and out of love and face life with a care-free lifestyle? I am looking forward to this production as I get to work with some old colleagues from grad school who are now out and about making a name for themselves.
January brings a new role and a role debut with Bronx Opera. Rossini is one of my favorite composers and any chance I get to sing his music brings a smile to my face. His fantastic opera, La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) tells the story a young servant named Ninetta who is accused of stealing until it is revealed that a magpie is taking everything. I will play the role of Ninetta’s father, Fernando and am looking forward to learning this role filled with Rossini’s brilliant vocal writing.
I jump forward to the 20th century in February as I make my Opera Naples debut in their production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream singing Theseus, Duke of Athens. I have had some wonderful Britten experiences having sun his cantata “Rejoice in the Lamb” and Sid in Albert Herring in college. Shakespeare experts Cecil Mackinnon and Philip Watson will bring this production to the stage and I look forward to being part of this enchanted world so well captured by Shakespeare and Britten.
On my way back to Columbus after singing in Long Island Opera’s Carmen, I made a stop in Harrisburg, PA to audition for Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director Stuart Malina. Four arias later, an offer was made and I am excited to say that I will be singing Marquis D’Obigny in their upcoming concert version of La Traviata in March.
In May and June I will return to one of my favorite companies, St. Petersburg Opera to sing a new role, the Music Teacher in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. My first professional role was as the Cappadocian in Strauss’ Salome and since then, I have been a huge fan. The role will be another great challenge as it is mostly recitative in style (quick sung text that is more speech-like and quite rhythmic in nature) and is littered with a mouthful of German. I have already begun my study of this role as I want to give myself ample time to learn it.
It’s hard to believe that summer is over and that fall has fallen and I have already started a new season, but in the fast-paced world of opera, there is always a new role to learn (and quickly), auditions for future seasons and the joy of discovery as a role begins to fit the voice and personality like a glove.
Peace,
Eric McKeever
Monday, September 24, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Essaying Escamillo Part Deux
I am into the final week of rehearsals with Carmen and I am excited to report that I am feeling Escamillo! The superb French coach Anne-Julia Audray has been an invaluable resource not only on the language, but also the character of Escamillo and the music of Bizet. She, along with the wonderful stage director, Karen Fawcett and the fantastic musical director, Fábio Bezuti, are helping me to fine-tune all the elements of Escamillo. It is a fantastic masterclass in this opera. Several years ago I sang Morales and thought I knew the work well, but the “secrets” that they are sharing with me have made getting under Escamillo’s skin a truly joyful journey.
That’s not to say that it has been an easy road. Combining his vocal prowess and physical machismo have been a process and every time I get something right, there is something new for me to work on. However, I feel close to nailing this guy who oozes swagger. I had my costume fitting and had a chance to work in the clothes and let me just say that there is nothing like a tight shirt and pants, jacket and a great cape to make you WANT to be a hot toreador! So far, the role requires me to jump, swing my cape, fight and move with a mixture of sharp precision and a suave fluidity. In addition to his physical movement, giving Escamillo a permanent sneer, all the while smiling and being so confident in not only his skills as a bullfighter, but as a sexy man, makes me not only want to embody him onstage, but in real life!
One of the best rules in opera is fake it, until you make it. I have been trying to get into the head and heart of Escamillo and have had to deal with my own doubt about my abilities to bring him to life. I know every performer goes through this feeling of “can I do this?” Perhaps I have been “trying” to hard and not just being. I now know it’s a mental game with this character. I have all the goods, I just have to believe I can do it and do it well. I am now aiming less for a perfect performance and more for a real, alive and fun one. Last night in rehearsal I had several moments of abandon where I just WAS Escamillo. I still want to get everything “right,” but more than that I want to give the audience a fantastic glimpse into the life of a charismatic man who sings some great music and has an incredible time onstage. En garde!
Peace,
Eric
That’s not to say that it has been an easy road. Combining his vocal prowess and physical machismo have been a process and every time I get something right, there is something new for me to work on. However, I feel close to nailing this guy who oozes swagger. I had my costume fitting and had a chance to work in the clothes and let me just say that there is nothing like a tight shirt and pants, jacket and a great cape to make you WANT to be a hot toreador! So far, the role requires me to jump, swing my cape, fight and move with a mixture of sharp precision and a suave fluidity. In addition to his physical movement, giving Escamillo a permanent sneer, all the while smiling and being so confident in not only his skills as a bullfighter, but as a sexy man, makes me not only want to embody him onstage, but in real life!
One of the best rules in opera is fake it, until you make it. I have been trying to get into the head and heart of Escamillo and have had to deal with my own doubt about my abilities to bring him to life. I know every performer goes through this feeling of “can I do this?” Perhaps I have been “trying” to hard and not just being. I now know it’s a mental game with this character. I have all the goods, I just have to believe I can do it and do it well. I am now aiming less for a perfect performance and more for a real, alive and fun one. Last night in rehearsal I had several moments of abandon where I just WAS Escamillo. I still want to get everything “right,” but more than that I want to give the audience a fantastic glimpse into the life of a charismatic man who sings some great music and has an incredible time onstage. En garde!
Peace,
Eric
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Essaying Escamillo
Carmen is one of the most recognizable operas in the world. Many opera companies produce it because it is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, is filled with tunes that linger in the memory and offers a wealth of great vocal and dramatic moments for the artists playing these iconic parts.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I was excited (and surprised) to be offered the role of Escamillo mainly because of my own perceptions of what I think Escamillo looks and sounds like. During my preparation I found the role still felt foreign to me as it didn’t slip into my voice with ease and trying to capture the character’s swagger seemed to elude me. I wasn’t sure if this was a case of mind over matter where I just needed to keep at it or one of me just accepting the wrong role. Further investigation was needed.
The role of Escamillo challenges all lower male voice singers in that is sits low, high and right in the middle with just enough frequency that any baritone, bass-baritone or bass gets fooled into thinking it’s an easy sing. The aria alone is a masterful combination of melodic inventiveness and thrilling vocal bravado. It requires a singer with a voice that has thrust, ease in and out of its registration and a large dose of machismo. The character also has to be completely grounded with swagger while also being elevated and oozing with sexual charisma. That is of course a tall order, especially if you feel that these qualities play opposite of your personality.
Going into the first two rehearsals, I was fortunate that Long Island Opera provided us with a fanstastic music director and also a great French diction coach extraordinaire whose jobs are to not only refine our musical style, pronunciation, but they have such amazing insights into the opera, the characters and vocal technique that I finally feel like I am getting a grasp on all things Escamillo. On a side note, our French diction coach has put us through our paces and doesn't let anything get through the cracks. With her smarts (and whip!), I am getting quite confident in my role.
I have sung Escamillo every day and he is becoming clearer (literally and figuratively) and I actually BELIEVE I can do it! I often marvel at actors who undergo a physical transformation, study for months on end to perfect a new language, dialect or physical feat and hurl themselves into a new role that is outside of their comfort zone all in order to challenge their own artistic abilities. That is exactly how I feel about Escamillo. I am working on finding his voice, his swagger and his overall being. Soon we will start working with the stage director so I am looking forward to her adding more insight into my journey into this man who is virile, full of daring and has some of the greatest music of any baritone role.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
Peace,
Eric
In a previous post, I mentioned that I was excited (and surprised) to be offered the role of Escamillo mainly because of my own perceptions of what I think Escamillo looks and sounds like. During my preparation I found the role still felt foreign to me as it didn’t slip into my voice with ease and trying to capture the character’s swagger seemed to elude me. I wasn’t sure if this was a case of mind over matter where I just needed to keep at it or one of me just accepting the wrong role. Further investigation was needed.
The role of Escamillo challenges all lower male voice singers in that is sits low, high and right in the middle with just enough frequency that any baritone, bass-baritone or bass gets fooled into thinking it’s an easy sing. The aria alone is a masterful combination of melodic inventiveness and thrilling vocal bravado. It requires a singer with a voice that has thrust, ease in and out of its registration and a large dose of machismo. The character also has to be completely grounded with swagger while also being elevated and oozing with sexual charisma. That is of course a tall order, especially if you feel that these qualities play opposite of your personality.
Going into the first two rehearsals, I was fortunate that Long Island Opera provided us with a fanstastic music director and also a great French diction coach extraordinaire whose jobs are to not only refine our musical style, pronunciation, but they have such amazing insights into the opera, the characters and vocal technique that I finally feel like I am getting a grasp on all things Escamillo. On a side note, our French diction coach has put us through our paces and doesn't let anything get through the cracks. With her smarts (and whip!), I am getting quite confident in my role.
I have sung Escamillo every day and he is becoming clearer (literally and figuratively) and I actually BELIEVE I can do it! I often marvel at actors who undergo a physical transformation, study for months on end to perfect a new language, dialect or physical feat and hurl themselves into a new role that is outside of their comfort zone all in order to challenge their own artistic abilities. That is exactly how I feel about Escamillo. I am working on finding his voice, his swagger and his overall being. Soon we will start working with the stage director so I am looking forward to her adding more insight into my journey into this man who is virile, full of daring and has some of the greatest music of any baritone role.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
Peace,
Eric
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