San Diego Opera's 60th Anniversary La bohème sees Mimì as a ghost
Interviews
Young singers in Santa Fe: Kasia Borowiec
Interview"I will also be singing on the concert that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is hosting at the end of August, and I couldn't be more excited to meet her and be a part of such a special program. We also already had the Santa Fe Opera Olympics back in June, but that's a great highlight of the season as well. Imagine staff from across the Opera getting together to relive their fifth grade field day dreams! It's truly a blast."
Young singers in Santa Fe: Carlos Enrique Santelli
Interview"A huge highlight for me this year has been making my Santa Fe Opera debut as Arturo in Lucia! If you would have told my family or myself 2 or 3 years ago that I would be singing on this stage so soon, I don't think we would have believed you. It gives me a great sense of pride to make them proud."
Young singers in Santa Fe: Sarah Coit
Interview"You can learn a lot by just watching a rehearsal: how more experienced singers deal with problems they may have, how often or not they mark, what kind of things to be watching for from a conductor, etc. You can see all of these things without making the mistakes yourself in that setting. It's kind of a major blessing."
Spotlight on: Anush Hovhannisyan
Interview"I like portraying ladies with character, people who made a mark in history, who had strong will and great belief. I like portraying queens or characters who had gone through biggest challenges driven by their belief, not necessarily religious belief. I see many parallels in my own personality and those strong characters and it helps me to translate them well... I also LOVE comedy, so anything silly is my thing!"
Don't miss: A Northern Lights Dream
Interview"To tell the story of a wife coming to the realization that her husband is gay, you need a catalyst. Something must happen to put the idea into her head, when every fibre of her being wants to deny the possibility. Then she needs time to deal with it. To do all this within the limits of a one-act play is a huge challenge. "
Don't miss: Tête à Tête's 10th annual Opera Festival
Interview"It's been a fantastic year to put together. The overbearing sense I have is artists with a burning desire to react to the very troubling political goings-on happening around us, so much about refugees, immigration, Trump and Brexit even. Which confirms the sense I've always had, that as well as programmes planned 3, 4, 5 years ahead, we also need somewhere for people to tackle their idea on a short timescale."
"How lucky are we, the children of opera?"
Interview"When she was under 10 I would leave notes with little gifts for her to open and would call frequently. As she got older, these calls became more like interruptions to her and it was obvious that less was more. My husband [and stage director] Michael Cavanagh (her step father since age 3) was also travelling a lot so her normal was parentals coming and going."
Talking with composers: Andrew Staniland
Interview"There is nothing like the feeling of music that appears to write itself. It is a total rush – like the whole earth is vibrating just right to make the sounds, totally in the moment. However, in my experience, these moments are made possible only by nurturing a deep discipline."
Don't miss: ID, Please
Interview"I hope the music takes us through many of the emotions experienced by those crossing borders: fear, hope, suspicion, regret, anger, boredom, alienation and joy. We see glimpses into the lives of many passengers played by two singers and yet we never really find out what happens to them; whether they make it across the border or are stuck in the perjury of border control forever."
Gordon Gerrard: "Music doesn't really work without breath."
Interview"My job is to get the orchestra to support how the singer wants the piece to go. My favourite singers are the ones who bring convincing ideas of the shapes they want to make in the music. If communication lines are open, I can act as the link between them and the players in the orchestra."