 Issue 10.7.4 ..........
Newsletter of the Colorado Opera Network .......... 26 July 2010
  Sarah
Barber, mezzo soprano, has
performed with Central City Opera, West Bay Opera, Opera Theatre of the
Rockies, Opera Ft. Collins, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Colorado
Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Colorado
Music Festival, the Longmont Symphony, the Veronika String
Quartet, CU Opera, and in numerous competitions and recitals. Recent
operatic roles include the
title role in Bizet’s Carmen,
Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice,
the
Mother
in
Amahl and the Night
Visitors, the
Witch
in Hänsel und Gretel,
and
Tisbe in La Cenerentola. Her
recent chamber and oratorio performances include the world-premiere Arion, a critically
acclaimed chamber opera by Alexandra Eddy, Ravel’s Chansons Madecasses,
Mozart’s Grand Mass in C Minor
and
Solemn
Vespers, Haydn’s Mass in Time
of War, Barber’s Dover Beach,
and
Respigi’s
Il Tramonto.
Sarah's awards include two-time
Metropolitan Opera Competition Regional Finalist, three-time
prize-winner in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild’s Competition, winner of
the 1999 Eckstrand Graduate Competition (CU-Boulder), and 1998 Ft.
Dodge (IA) Symphony Young Artist Competition winner. She was an
apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera (1999) and Central City Opera
(2000) and holds a Master of Music from the University of Colorado at
Boulder and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of
Northern Iowa, where she was honored as a member of Pi Kappa Lambda and
Kappa Delta Pi. Upcoming engagements include appearances with the
Pikes Peak Opera League, Arapahoe Philharmonic, Colorado Springs
Philharmonic, and with SUMMIT, a new premiere vocal trio.With a background in K-12 Choral/General Music Education as well as graduate level pedagogical studies, Sarah has taught music since 1998 for both public and private institutions and in the private studio setting. Combining her passions for teaching and opera, she has brought opera to high schools and teachers with Opera Theatre of the Rockies’ Opera Goes to School program and has been a member of the Central City Opera’s Outreach Ensemble since 2000, bringing opera performance, education, and masterclasses to schools and communities across Colorado. Her recent teaching resume includes the University of Colorado at Denver and 5 years on faculty at the Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts, where she taught private voice, directed a children’s choir, and taught a summer Broadway-intensive for teens. Currently, Sarah teaches at Front Range Community College (Westminster), enjoys a full private studio at her home in Broomfield, and serves as a Resident Artist at Denver School of the Arts. At DSA, she maintains a private voice studio of about 30 middle and high school vocal and theatre majors, co-directs an annual Opera Scenes program, produces senior recitals, mentors students, and teaches frequent masterclasses. While not teaching or singing, Sarah loves spending time with her husband and 4-year old son, hiking, and watching college football. Go Huskers!  Jeremy
J.
Moore recently finished a production of Rigoletto with Opera Company of the
Highlands, singing Marullo, and is an Apprentice Artist with the Bel
Canto Program at Caramoor program in New York this summer. Brian Jauhiainen is the primary
manager and founder of Bel
Canto
Global
Arts, a boutique agency based in New York with a high
calibre of artists (BCGA's artists perform at La Scala, the MET, LA
Opera, San Francisco, and all over the world). A graduate of Juilliard
and protege of Enza Ferrari
(she coached Maria Callas,
amongst others), Brian is also a world-class singer, and will be
performing Sparafucile in Rigoletto
for Opera Ft. Collins.
He also is a voice teacher who is deeply
invested in promoting a more Italianate method of singing, which is
highly valued by many larger houses in the US and in Europe. Brian is
in regular meetings and consultations with some of the biggest names in
the operatic business, so he is very familiar with what many opera
houses are looking for in a singer. During the week he is here (August
22-28), Brian will be offering agent consultations to those singers who
are interested-- a great opportunity for local artists who can't afford
to go to New York. In a consultation, they will not be singing
for
BCGA's roster, but instead for knowledgeable, direct career advice and
feedback on your potential as a performer (worldwide), along with
possible suggestions to make you more marketable. There is a $75 charge
for a consult, and the singer will need to bring an accompanist
(although if there is enough interest, one may be hired for an entire
day). Consults will be at least one hour minimum, but may go longer if
time permits. If you are interested in having a consultation with
Brian, please email his partner, Amy
Stuemky, at amy@belcantoglobal.com,
to
discuss
scheduling
and
logistical
details
(no
phone
calls,
please).
There
will
be
no
evening
appointments
because
of
rehearsals/performances.e-Letter
From Germany: Greetings from beautiful Bad Schwalbach,
Germany! I'm abroad this summer conducting opera performances in
the Frankfurt area. Last night [July 18] I conducted my first
performance of Weber's wonderful opera, Der Freischutz. It was really a
marvelous evening especially since both the Kuno (William Wilson) and Max (Paul Brodene-Smith) are good
friends. The other singers came from fine houses throughout Germany and
our University of Northern Colorado students did an admirable job as
the choir. I've got a great place to stay in a lovely little hotel on
the edge of town with beautiful wheat fields, jogging trails, and the
quaint little village of Bad Schwalbach right out my window. Thanks for
everything you do to keep all of us in the Colorado opera world
connected!Pianist flipping
sheet music pages, choristers cradling song books-- aah,
they may soon become memories. The iPad recital has arrived! Read the
story and watch the video here.  On Monday
evening, July 26, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm, Chris Mohr
continues his tours of the various music festivals and operas around
Colorado and New Mexico. Having already seen six operatic performances
and some twenty concerts so far in July in Aspen, Santa Fe, Boulder and
more, Chris will informally review and preview the many live
performances still awaiting all of us in the weeks to come. For
example, all three operas at Central City are now running in
repertoire, and all three of them are top-flight performances.
Chris had a chance to talk extensively with Jake Hegge, composer of Three
Decembers, and will briefly share his impressions of this great
new work and its composer. Another full month of music festivals with
great chamber music,
symphonic works and opera await Coloradans, and Chris will be playing
musical highlights of what we can all look forward to in August! KGNU
Radio is at 88.5 FM, 1390 AM or online at www.kgnu.org.  Bizet's Carmen,
starring Elina Garanca
and Roberto Alagna, with Keith Miller as Zuniga, will be
encored by the Metropolitan Opera in 14 Front Range theaters, starting
at
6:30
pm on
Wednesday, July 28. It also will be shown in nine theatres on
Thursday,
July 29, at different times. See the Fathom
Events website for particular times, theatres, ticketing and
additional
information. National Convention: The 2010 National Association of Negro Musicians Convention in Colorado Springs, through July 28, will feature music master classes, workshops, seminars, roundtable discussions, competitions, live music performance of jazz, classical and opera, and a gala awards banquet, with special guest musical performers (including jazz songstress Dianne Reeves); lecturers and presenters (including Cliff Jackson, Chapman Nyaho, Robert Sims, Rollo Dilworth, and Julius Williams); and honorees (including George Shirley, John Bowen, Charles Burrell, Martile Rowland, and Arthur Jones). A World Premiere of a Chamber Opera by Julius P. Williams will occur on Monday, July 26, and the William Warfield Voice Masterclass will be taught by George Shirley on Tuesday, July 27. Various locations in Colorado Springs with major gatherings held at the Antlers Hilton Hotel, 4 S. Cascade Ave. Tickets, registration and general information: Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District and Nation Association of Negro Musicians websites.  Children's
Opera
Days: The Central City
Opera Guild presents "Take a Child to the Opera Day" on Tuesday,
July 27, for Madama Butterfly
and on Tuesday, August 3, for Orpheus
in
the
Underworld. Both events take place from 11:45 am to 2:30
pm, prior to the Central City Opera Family Matinee performance. All
roles in the family matinees are performed by members of the
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program. Ticket prices are
$37 for adults and $32 for children ages six and older. All
participants will receive a family study guide in advance. Call Central
City Opera Box Office at 303.292.6700 to purchase tickets. Opera 101: Todd Queen will speak about opera basics Wednesday, July 28, 5:30 pm, at Avogadro's Number, 605 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, in an Art Cafe of the Beet Street Culture Cafes series. Eaglen in Boulder: Colorado Music Festival presents Jane Eaglen in Epic Opera on Thursday, July 29, and Friday, July 30, at 7:30 pm, Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder. Ms. Eaglen and the CMF Festival Orchestra perform Wagner’s Prelude and Love-Death from Tristan und Isolde and Lorin Maazel's arrangement of The Ring Without Words.  CU
NOW: In the New
Opera
Workshop at the University of Colorado, Boulder, College of
Music singers will perform well-known pieces by composers Robert
Aldridge and Herschel Garfein followed by an excerpt from Sister Carrie, a new adaptation of
Theodore Dreiser's 1900 novel of the same name. Following the
performance will be live
commentary from the composers. Friday,
July 30, at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, July 31, at 2:00 pm; ATLAS
Black Box Theater. Single tickets: $15 at this
page.Opera Concert: Rocky Mountain Opera will offer a concert at the Broadway Music School, 1940 South Broadway, Denver, on Friday, July 30, beginning at 7:30 pm. The program will include arias and scenes from Verdi's Il Trovatore, Puccini's Turandot and Wagner's Siegfried among others. Featured artists will be John Carpenter, tenor; Annette Germinario, soprano; Sara Green, baritone; Nancy Harris, mezzo soprano; and Karen Tucker-Patterson, Wagnerian soprano. The music director and accompanist will be Dr. James Meyers. Tickets are $12 for seniors 65 and older and $15 for others. A reception "Kick Off" celebration and meeting with the artists will follow the concert.  Figaro
in
Aspen: Aspen Opera Theater
Center will perform The Marriage of Figaro July 31 and
August 2 and 4, and The Ghosts of
Versailles August 19 and 21. See the Aspen
Music
Festival website for information and ticketing. Nikki Boxer will host broadcasts
on Aspen Public Radio of The
Marriage
of
Figaro on Monday, August 2; and The Ghosts of Versailles on
Saturday,
August 21; both at 7 pm.Crested Butte Opera: La Bohème will be performed August 3 and 5. Conducted by David Syrus, Head of Music for the Royal Opera of Covent Garden, London, and directed by Metropolitan Opera Stage Director Sarah Meyers, with Keith Miller playing the role of Colline, Gregory Gerbrant will be Marcello, Alok Kumar will be Rodolfo and Sara Stewart will be Mimí. CU NOW: In the New Opera Workshop at the University of Colorado, Boulder, College of Music singers will perform well-known pieces by composer Daniel Kellog followed by an excerpt from The Autumn Orchard, based on the life of Spanish Civil War poet Miguel Hernandez. Following the performance will be live commentary from the composer. Thursday, August 5, and Friday, August 6, at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, August 7, at 2:00 pm; ATLAS Black Box Theater. Single tickets: $15 at this page. Soiree: The Opera Fort Collins Guild will offer a soiree, "Songs in Summer," with soprano Kathryn Gates, tenor Andrew Lunsford, and baritone Erik Bryan, performing arias, songs and showtunes at the home of Gary and Carol Ann Hixon, 3035 West County Road 38E in Fort Collins. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served in their beautiful and artful garden. Thursday, August 12, 6 pm. General admission $45; ages 39 and under $30. Tickets at the door or call the Lincoln Center Box Office 970.221.6730 or www.lctix.com. Concert: The Searchlighters, a Southern Gospel Quartet, and The Ballards, an acapella quartet, will perform at Englewood Bible Church, 3190 South Grant Street (North of Hampden a few blocks, and close to Logan and Eastman) August 14 at 7:00 pm. The Searchlighters bass, John Ballard, is the father of Derrick Ballard, now with the Munich Opera. Derrick will perform with The Ballards. There is no entry fee, but a free-will offering will be taken. Carmen in Steamboat: Under the auspices of the Steamboat Springs All-Arts Festival, Emerald City Opera will perform a concert version of Bizet's Carmen at 7 pm, Thursday, August 19, in the Strings Music Pavilion, starring Jason Baldwin, David Malis, Keith Miller, Keri Rusthoi, and featuring Sandra Piques Eddy as Carmen. Tickets for the Carmen performance are available through the Steamboat Springs All Arts Festival website. Additionally, ECO will present Arias Concerts on August 10, 14, and 17, and Opera Scenes on August 17 and 22 in Steamboat, an Arias Concert in Saratoga, WY, on August 12, and Opera Scenes in Craig on August 21. Tickets for these events will be available at the door, at All That Jazz, 601 Lincoln Av., in Steamboat Springs, and at the Emerald City Opera website. See this page for a complete listing with details and locations.   This
is
a
far
bigger and more complicated issue than it may at first
seem to be. Which leads me to wonder about the current proliferation
of "certifications" in various sub-disciplines of vocal
technique, such as Body Mapping, Core Singing, Estill Vocal Method,
Vocology, Alexander Technique, and many others. Surely the vocal
mechanism and human body remain the same as always, and in spite of all
this training, overall singing seems to be no better, and some think
possibly worse, than before. Good teachers have always incorporated
some of the ideas of these sub-disciplines in their teaching as a
matter of course. I suspect the American genius for marketing has a lot
to do with the proliferation of courses and certifications in the above
named disciplines. But great teaching and great singing still depend on
the same ingredients as before: natural aptitude and innate talent,
passion and experience. I have learned far more about teaching from
simply teaching singers of widely differing talents and voice types
than from any pedagogy courses (Including the Doctoral one at C.U.
Boulder with Dr. Doscher). No amount of "certfications" and degrees
will serve as substitutes. In the end, we want to be moved by great
singing, rather than just be impressed by how "correct" the singing is,
and have the sense that the singer is moved too.
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