Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 3 Luisa Miller

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 13 Christopher Kenney (left) and David Weigel (center), with Zoie Reams (right), in La traviata , 2018/19. Ricardo José Rivera (far right) in La bohème with (left to right) Adrian Sâmpetrean, Zachary Nelson, and Michael Fabiano. Eric Ferring with Alice Coote in Ariodante , 2018/19. Todd Rosenberg Todd Rosenberg Cory Weaver “With native speakers, we can learn the idiomatic details. Because opera is so language-based, having someone who can teach you the idiosyncrasies of the language is essential.” Throughout the year the singers had regular voice lessons with Lyric’s director of vocal studies, Julia Faulkner, who keeps close tabs on them and has been responsible for significant turning points in their progress. “There have been several lessons with Julia where I’ve discovered a sound I wouldn’t have been able to achieve on my own,” notes Decker. Weigel remains grateful for a discussion he had with Faulkner at a time when he was disappointed in his own singing: “There was a moment when her encouragement opened up a new level of trust in my abilities. The next time I went onstage, it was like a switch had been flipped, and it was by far my best singing of the season.” Faulkner’s work with the singers was supplemented during the summer by guest master teachers, among them Deborah Birnbaum and Gerald Martin Moore. Birnbaum’s work has been important in strengthening singers’ breathing apparatus: “I always try to impress on people that singing is an athletic endeavor,” says Weigel. “To fill the stage, we have to have muscular engagement. We need to train muscles to gain endurance and flexibility. The laryngeal muscles are quite small, but the muscles of respiration are very strong and essential. [With Birnbaum] we’d sit on a medicine ball and breathe, or lie on our backs and sing a certain way, training just like a bodybuilder.” In the summer there was essential work going on, too, on the dramatic side with guest faculty directors E. Loren Meeker and Matthew Ozawa. The singers polished repertoire each of them would be performing in upcoming auditions. Pogorelc relished going through arias through this lens: “Often it’s hard to create a complete character in an audition when you haven’t done the full role. This dedicated time allowed us to create that character’s world by using our imagination and by unlocking parts of ourselves that connect us to the character.” There were also improv classes led by performers from The Second City. “Those classes are really relatable to what we do,” notes baritone Christopher Kenney. “It’s how we learn to stay fluid on the stage. An entrance may not happen, you may drop a prop, something may malfunction onstage, and you have to roll with the punches. Being quick-witted is invaluable.” For a number of the singers, the summer was their first chance to meet the program’s advisor, Renée Fleming. The world-renowned soprano, who is also Lyric’s creative consultant, checks in with them throughout the year, giving them all the benefit of her vast experience in individual coachings, master classes, and chats about “the business.” Coaching is the cornerstone of the Ryan Opera Center, especially in the summer when the repertoire assigned to each singer for the mainstage season needs to be prepared. From the start, the singers worked regularly with Ryan Opera Center music director Craig Terry. “He held me to a higher standard than my previous experience,” says Kenney. “That’s why I’m here – to grow and improve my abilities and artistry.” Decker recalls her work with coach Eric Weimer: “His work on textual accuracy is very challenging in a good way! We evaluate the syllables of different words, where the consonants go, are the vowels closed or open. It’s extremely meticulous, but it brings an aria or role to another level.” Working with coach Alan Darling, Ferring appreciates that “he makes you think about every choice you’re making and then defend it. You stop talking about notes and rhythms, and it becomes, ‘What will the audience get from this phrase?’ ” During the summer the six singers coached not just their operatic repertoire, but also song literature for the program’s recital series, broadcast throughout the year on 98.7WFMT. Craig Terry plans the WFMT series programs very carefully,