Christine Goerke Converses With OPERA America President

Eine große neue dramatische Stimme: 
Christine Goerke discusses new opera repertoire

On November 5, 2014, dramatic soprano Christine Goerke visited The National Opera Center to discuss her career resurgence in dramatic new repertoire with OPERA America President Marc Scorca. The dialog from the evening includes her discover of opera at age 13; transferring her woodwind skills to her vocal training; experience working with young artist programs; the transition from lyric coloratura to a larger voice category with the help of Diana Soviero; the pressure of living up to opera legends in her repertoire; being a self-professed "music theory geek"; how she came to her acting skills in opera; copying text into notebooks to learn music; winning the Richard Tucker Award; breaking into the Wagner fach; her love of Astrid Varnay's voice; how much time she takes with an orchestral score while learning a role; returning to Glimmerglass to give advice to young singers; the future Ring cycles that she will be performing; and a myriad of questions from the audience at the event. "American soprano Christine Goerke is a Grammy Award-winning artist who has performed with many of the world's top opera companies, orchestras and musical ensembles. Goerke has been acclaimed worldwide for her opulent voice and her regal command of the Strauss, Verdi and Wagner repertoire. She has won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award for exceptional artistic promise and continues to astonish audiences with her outstanding vocal and dramatic artistry. Her basic approach to singing is marvelously anchored by an ample voice that has grown measurably in the past years, making her one of the most exciting dramatic sopranos of our time." Take a look at the evening's program by clicking here. Watch a video of the whole event, plus Ms. Goerke singing "Ah! Du wolltest mich nicht" from Salome by Strauss under the direction of Christian Thielemann,  after the jump.

Soprano Christine Goerke with OPERA America President Marc Scorca

OPERA America Conference Breaking Records For Attendance

"OPERA America, the national nonprofit service organization for opera, is pleased to announce details of Opera Conference 2014: Audiences Reimagined, to be held in San Francisco, CA from June 20-23. Hosted by San Francisco Opera, in association with Opera Volunteers International, this largest annual gathering of opera professionals in North America will convene at venues in Union Square and the Civic Center. It marks the first time the Conference will be held in San Francisco in 25 years. With registration still open, Opera Conference 2014 has already broken OPERA America's all-time attendance record, previously held by the 2010 conference in Los Angeles. OPERA America's annual conference presents a unique opportunity for industry leaders to examine issues affecting

Marc A. Scorca

the opera community from a variety of perspectives. With the theme Audiences Reimagined, conference attendees will explore how opera companies and artists can benefit from an increasingly broad, diverse and engaged audience through innovative technologies and exciting alternative performance offerings. Topics planned for opera conference attendees cover all facets of the art form and address the concerns of creators, administrators, trustees and supporters." [Source] For the full schedule of events, click here.

Lyric Opera Of Chicago's William Mason Steps Into San Diego Role

"The former general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, one of the premiere opera companies in the country, will serve as a temporary artistic adviser at San Diego Opera for the next six months. William Mason came out of a well-earned retirement — he spent more than 50 years in the opera business — to guide the troubled opera company towards stability. 'I’ve had such a wonderful career in opera, it was a chance to give something back,' Mason said. Mason says he was interested in the gig because it was not just about helping on the artistic side, despite the title. He says he realized the company needed someone with general director experience as well. In addition to helping flesh out the 2015 season, the opera’s 50th anniversary, and offer direction on the operas already booked for 2016, Mason will advise the board on how to govern the newly organized company and weigh in on financials and fundraising until a new general director is appointed. That person, says Mason, needs to have a fresh outlook. 'They need somebody new,' Mason explained. 'I’m 72 years old. I have no new ideas, and I’m not trying to formulate any.' His old ideas worked well for the Lyric, which remained in the black throughout Mason’s tenure, without sacrificing quality, says Marc Scorca, president of Opera America, a national umbrella organization. Scorca says Mason’s vast experience and popularity in the opera world will send a message internally and to the outside world that the ship has been righted. 'I think Bill will not only provide continuity in many ways but he’ll also provide a different leadership style that will win new friends for San Diego Opera,' said Scorca." [Source]

Kicking Off Opera Week by Celebrating Fiat's Arrival in America

"What do automaker Fiat and opera have in common? To put it simply, both are Italian traditions that are growing in the U.S. This week is National Opera Week across the U.S., and we thought we would look at both the growth of opera and the reintroduction of Fiat in America together. Indeed, we drove the new Fiat 500C

In addition to owning a 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo,
a 2005 Porsche Cayenne SUV and 2002 BMW 540i
wagon, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky also purchased
a 1970 Fiat 500 (similar to the one in the bottom picture).

around the city of Detroit on our way to the storied Detroit Opera House. What do you know about opera in the U.S? How about the fact that it is one of the fastest growing cultural pastimes in the country, especially with people 25-45. Opera America, which organizes National Opera Week, counts 117 professional opera companies in 43 states its membership. It also serves 19 opera companies in Canada. But there are more than that in the two countries that just aren't members. The percentage of adults viewing or listening to opera via broadcast and recorded media remains higher than live attendance. In 2008, 11 million adults, or 4.9% of the population, viewed or listened to an opera broadcast or recording, according to the National Endowment of the Arts. The NEA also reported that in 2008, the last year data is available, 4.8 million adults (2.1% of the adult population) attended at least one opera performance. In that opera season, there were 1,990 performances of 414 full-staged productions. This week, dozens of opera companies will be holding activities and events to bring the public closer to the behind-the-scenes activity of opera companies. 'From behind-the-scenes tours to enlightening performance talks to Twitter contests and more, there is something for everyone during National Opera Week,' states Marc A. Scorca, president & CEO of OPERA America. 'National Opera Week draws attention to the creativity and dynamism that propels our field today. We are proud to highlight this depth of opera activity across the United States.' Opera is a curious cultural form as it divides so many people.

Marilyn Horne on The Odd Couple. Click the
image to launch a video of her performance.

Anyone who watched the TV series The Odd Couple knows that Felix Unger, played by Tony Randall, and Oscar, played by Jack Klugman, were on opposite sides of the opera divide. Oscar's hatred of opera, and then being subsequently dragged in to Felix's world and enjoying the singing was a recurring theme in the show. Randall brought opera stars onto the series ads guest stars: Martina Arroyo, Richard Fredricks and Marilyn Horne. Horne has credited that episode organized by Randall as introducing her and opera to a whole generation of people who otherwise would not have ever heard of either her or opera. Opera fans are so passionate, some in the industry call it 'The NFL of the Arts.' Opera fans argue and banter about who the best sopranos, baritones and tenors are like football fans argue about quarterbacks and teams. "My friends and I crazy when it comes to opera," says Elizabeth McPhereson, a software engineer who lives in San Francisco. "Two years ago, our opera club was four of us, and now it is 16, which is about where we want it to stay." Her club meets every two weeks to either go to an opera, or listen to a new recording at one of the members' houses, and, yes, argue and debate about the performances. Fiat can only hope at this point that it's Italian brand can enjoy the same sort of surge as opera. The company, which is now aligned with Chrysler, launched the Fiat 500, known in Europe and South America

Behold the Fiat 130 "Opera" from 1974.

as the Cinquecento, in the U.S. last Spring. The company is about to launch a performance version of the car, called the Fiat Abarth, followed by electric version next year. After that, there are expected to be larger, mid-sized Fiats, as well as the re-introduction of the Alfa-Romeo brand to showrooms carrying Fiats. Fiat, back in the 1970s, created a couple of special editions of its Fiat 130 sedan that was dubbed the "Opera." Beyond that, Fiat is a big financial supporter of opera in Italy." [Source] Build your own Fiat car model by visiting their official website here. Perhaps the "Bravo" edition is just the thing for a diva.

Dolora Zajick Talks With Marc A. Scorca About Big Voices

Opera star Dolora Zajick, a "force of nature" as described
by Marilyn Horne, being interviewed by Marc Scorca.

Last night Dolora Zajick sat down with OPERA America President & CEO Marc A. Scorca in the company's offices to discuss her career, the physiology of singing and her new Institute For Young Dramatic Voices.

Possessing one of the most galactic opera voices of the last 50 years, the mezzo-soprano began the evening's discussion by recalling her first experiences with music as she was growing up. Born in Oregon and raised in Nevada, she did not grow up in a musical household. At about age 7, she was became obsessed with the idea of becoming a concert pianist, but it would turn out that the keyboard was not her calling. By age 10, she, a brother and sister, made three-part harmony for fun and it was not until she enrolled in music school that she realized the fun game was actually called a triad.  She began singing in the Madrigal group at high school with her siblings (who she claims also had large voices, so all the sections were balanced). She attributes the poverty of her public library growing up for learning about great singers of the past because they didn't have the money to buy recordings after 1962, so the voices in her ear were Ebe Stignani and Fedora Barbieri. Her first role on stage was Kate in The Pirates of Penzance for which she sang all the low notes for the Mabel who in turn sang all the high notes for her.

Atlanta Opera Receives $9 Million Bequest From Barbara D. Stewart

Georgia's largest opera company is set to receive a $9 million donation from longtime board member Barbara D. Stewart who passed away on December 27, 2010, of lung cancer. Marc A. Scorca, president and CEO of OPERA America, said that is one of the largest gifts on record an a North American company. Half of the money will go into the company's permanent endowment fund and the other half will help used for reserves. In her honor, Atlanta Opera plans to dedicate one opera each year to her memory. Barbara Stewart was born March 29, 1943, in Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated summa cum laude in 1965 from Arcadia University in Glenside, PA, with a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration and then studied economics at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of New York University. After professional positions of economic research and analyses of insurance markets, she started her own consulting firm in 1981 that specialized in the insurance business. She was a Director on several boards and authored several papers on the property-casualty insurance business. She loved to travel (Southeast Asia, China, Tibet, India, Canada and New Zealand) and supported the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as local chamber groups. She was a major supporter of the Atlanta Opera and held the positions of Treasurer, Vice President and President on the board. Upon passing away, she did not want a memorial service to be held and was cremated. She requested that any memorial contributions be made to The Atlanta Opera. [Source, Source, Source, Source]