Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 6 The Three Queens

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 15 with them all aspects of West Side Story . Using the show’s song “America” as their inspiration, each school’s students then created their own song. Before they attended the show’s dress rehearsal at Lyric, they met in a rehearsal room and listened to each other perform their original songs. “It was a special experience, not just to go to Lyric to see the show, but to perform for each other in one of Lyric’s own spaces and hear how different each school’s song was,” says Rose Colella, chair of the music department at the Chicago Academy of the Arts. Going to Lyric dress rehearsals is something most of Colella’s students would probably never do, “because we don’t know if the parents would expose them to it. It’s not necessarily a popular thing for people their age, so they may not have experienced this glorious art form in this gorgeous, historic space. The tickets are free, and the productions are always of such high quality. Every single student has said they want to come back to another performance.” For Colella, however, the program’s most beneficial ingredient remains the master classes. “The students who’ve performed for these famous opera stars not only receive incredible feedback – they can also write in their résumés and bios that they’ve been in a master class with these artists, which looks incredibly impressive to colleges and jobs.” Daniel Henry and Jean Hendricks, vocal arts instructors in the CPS Advanced Arts Program at Gallery 37, vividly remember a Q&A with Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, and Sir Andrew Davis, as well as backstage visits with the Porgy and Bess cast and in-class meetings with Fleming, Eric Owens, and Ana María Martínez. After a master class with Fleming, the students saw her twice more “and they felt connected to her,” says Henry. “They could go up to her, ask questions, hug her, take photos of her. It made it more meaningful to see her not only as a star, but as a person they could talk to.” Hendricks adds, “She talked about education, about pedagogy. She was down-to- earth and made them feel very much at ease. When they watch her now, they’re so excited. As far as they’re concerned, they have a relationship with her.” Amanda Castro (Anita in West Side Story ) also was a huge hit when visiting Gallery 37, Henry recalls. “She explained her whole education process – how she got from Point A to Point B.” Castro, Hendricks recounts, also talked about “what it meant to her as a Latina woman to cut her hair to get a particular role. The young ladies in the room were so excited to hear her say that, because in their culture long hair is a big thing. After the session, they were still talking with her about it one-on-one.” It’s been significant for the kids to realize that “these phenomenal artists are regular human beings,” says Henry. “On TV, what they do doesn’t seem attainable. Renée did such a great master class, and now when they see her on TV, they realize that they can achieve what she achieved if they prepare themselves properly.” Artists contributing to the VPP give students a realistic view of their lives. “Karen Slack, from the Porgy and Bess cast, told them, ‘Even when you become a successful singer, you still carry your own luggage,’” notes Henry. “The point was that the kids should understand how stars they see on TV, with their glamorous lives, are ultimately not what being a performing artist is about.” Slack’s talk also made clear that “anything you want to do will be hard and will require you to persevere. Many of the other artists have also said this. Whatever you do, you’ve got to be prepared and make the sacrifices.” The VPP’s greatest gift is that “it’s confirming what happens in class, but from a new source. For the students, these great artists really reinforce what parents and teachers are trying to do with them to help them succeed in life.” Roger Pines is the dramaturg of Lyric Opera of Chicago . Vocal Partnership Program students at ChiArts enjoy a presentation by mezzo-soprano Emily Fons, a Ryan Opera Center alumna. Jaclyn Simpson