Now that was something.

I’m not given to superlatives. I’m a fan of quietly shepherding and shaping something until it speaks for itself in the most eloquent way possible.  Whether it’s my own kids (who are two of the best people on the planet) or the artists we work so hard to support (who do so much to keep the human spirit spit-polished and shiny, reinvigorating audiences so they can go out and do their own hard work in the world), no matter how much I believe in it, I’m not always the best saleswoman.

As we approached last night’s 40th Anniversary Gala, almost 100% of our efforts were focused on getting everyone here, making everything run on schedule, taking care of these artists who donated their time and talents to our cause, and jumping hurdles like travel snafus, illness, and a garden-variety earthquake. It was an event worthy of promotion, discussion, blogging, tweeting, shouting-from-the-rooftops. And yet the silence from this end was pretty deafening, and for that I apologize.

I wish you all could have been here.

There was music-making of all the best types. Full of passion, tenderness, humor, irony, risk and reward.

Old friends met and new friends were made among the 31 participants who passed through the gates of this program. And because the opera world is so small, there were few degrees of separation between all of these folks who represented a 36-year spread of our 40-year history.

The testimonials were both formal and personal, and they all came from the heart. Of course, it was wonderful to hear how important this program was in the artistic development and career building of dozens of people. But at the end of the night, what meant the most to me was that the act of coming back and singing here seemed to mean almost as much to the artists as it did to us. A wise soprano (not an oxymoron, in spite of what they might say), said it best. It can be tough out there, and in this career as in all walks of life, you can go through stretches where you almost forget who you are, why you constantly put yourself on the line. And, she said, it was a gift to come back home and be reminded of these things – who you really are, where you come from, and why you do what you do.

This 5-month-long journey started with the premiere of The Inspector, led us through an exhilarating three months with the 2011 young artists, and then dropped us out here, in this place of heightened emotion and supreme exhaustion. Our foolish reach often exceeded our little company’s grasp, but in the end, the rewards outweighed the risks. Much more deserves to be said, but this shall have to do. Audition applications for 2012 are coming in daily (Singers! Deadlines are in September this year!), and the next cycle has begun.

I shall now disappear for about a month, most of it underground and largely unplugged. There is stock to be taken, depleted batteries to be recharged, and a wedding to plan! See you again in October, when we’ll take you along on our annual cross-country opera adventure.

Kim

40th Anniversary: Performance Photography by Andrew Propp

40th Anniversary: My View from Backstage Right

Events like this – put together in 36 hours or less, with lots of moving parts – are full of electricity and excitement. But there are the inevitable surprises. (Like the earthquake that disrupted rehearsal this afternoon for an hour…)  One of this week’s surprises was an artist cancellation.  We just learned that mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe is going to be unable to perform on tomorrow night’s alumni gala due to illness. Nothing calamitous – but enough to keep her from being able to sing with us.  There’s an abundance of riches on this program, but we will miss her. (And she hates that she’s going to miss all of the fun:))

Stephanie sent this note, and I’m happy to share it with you here.

All of us, at one time or another, have had to write an essay for school that began like this:  How I spent my summer vacation…

Following the summer of 1995, I would have written this:  I spent my summer in Vienna, Virginia singing with the Wolf Trap Opera Company.  It was there that I started to develop my voice in ways I had never thought possible.  I began to discover who I was as an artist, and how to create a character on stage.  It was at Wolf Trap that I learned to sing recitative, where I began to adore Handel and realized that yes, even I could sing Rossini.   Much to my surprise I stumbled upon the idea that I LOVED to sing Rossini.  Though I had already completed one year as a Young Artist at the MET, I had not yet rehearsed and performed a complete role in a professional setting, so it was at Wolf Trap that I learned how to work with a director and conductor.  A lot of important firsts, all done in a place that provided all the support necessary to succeed in whatever musical endeavor that lay before us.

Wolf Trap introduced me to Peter Russell, a man who became a touchstone for me over the next several years.  Whenever I needed solid advice from a loving place, there was always a phone call to Peter.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having just such a mentor, and that was another important lesson learned from my time at Wolf Trap.  It was here that I met my host family, soon to become an extended family, Stephanie and Fernando VanReigersberg.  We have never lost touch, as they have been a constant presence in my life- attending performances whenever possible, and when my own parents could not come to a show that the VanReigersbergs had attended, Stephie would call my mother and give her the play by play.

I spent the summers of 95′ and 96′ laughing, singing, playing cards until 3:00 in the morning, and sweating the day away in the Filene Center.  I knew the intense happiness that comes from sharing an experience that was devoid of the intrigues and issues that are often a part of the “professional” singing world.  We just sang in wonderful shows, with clever and meaningful productions- we had fun singing and performing with colleagues that became friends, and by the end of the summer, family.  I would live it all over again if I could, but since time travel isn’t possible, I choose to bring a little of the Wolf Trap experience with me everywhere I go, reminding me that opera by nature, is a joyful experience, and that joy cannot be denied.

Alan Held, cicadas, a Memorex Moment, and the hot summer of 1987.

Read all about it here.

Bass-baritone Alan Held is just across the river in D.C., rehearsing for Washington National Opera’s Tosca, and he’ll be here next week for our anniversary concert.

Surf on over to his blog for today’s post Trapping Wolves – Part 1. In it he talks  about his audition for Wolf Trap, in which he sang “Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge” from Das Rheingold. (Which, not incidentally, he’ll sing next Wednesday night at the Filene Center with full orchestra.:))

14

Alumni of the WTOC, returning to donate their performances to benefit the Company

17

Different years of the Company’s history represented by these singers

9

Members of the 2011 summer Filene Young Artist roster returning to sing with the alumni

58

Major opera companies worldwide represented in the collective biography of these singers

22

Arias & Ensembles on the program

67

Wolf Trap roles performed by these artists while they were young artists here

17

Composers represented on the program

1

Number of stage rehearsals we get to put this together!

70

Players in the orchestra. (Including 4 Wagner tubas for the Rheingold:))

45

Companies around the world with which these singers will perform in the 2011-2012 season

??

Number of years until such an amazing night of opera will invade the Filene Center again…

Opera’s Greatest Hits
Featuring 14 Alumni of the WTOC
Wednesday, August 24 at 8pm
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Stephanie spent two summers at the Trap, and her roles included Fidalma in Il matromonio segreto, Marchesa Melibea in Il viaggio a Reims, Dame Quickly in Falstaff (far left), Tisbe in Cenerentola (typical WTOC luxury casting…) and Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare. I had the privilege of being on music staff during Stephanie’s Wolf Trap summers, and I can’t wait to welcome her back in a few weeks.

On the upcoming August 24 anniversary concert, we’ll be treated to some of Stephanie’s signature Handel in “Aure, deh per pietà” from Giulio Cesare. She’ll also pair with Lawrence Brownlee in a show-stopping duet from Rossini’s Tancredi.

Opera’s Greatest Hits
Featuring 14 Alumni of the WTOC
Wednesday, August 24 at 8pm
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Fortunately, it doesn’t feel as if Matt ever really left us! He’s of the most recent “vintage” on our alumni concert, and he returned just a few months ago to create a memorable Adolfo in the premiere of Wolf Trap’s newest commissioned opera, The Inspector.

Matt’s WTOC roles included Sweeney Todd, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Publio in La clemenza di Tito, Ismenor in Rameau’s Dardanus, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, and Basilio in The Barber of Seville.  He will treat us to Basilio’s sleaze-and-slander-themed “La calunnia” when he returns to the Filene Center on August 24.

Opera’s Greatest Hits
Featuring 14 Alumni of the WTOC
Wednesday, August 24 at 8pm
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

In addition to the alumni singers and conductor on the August 24 anniversary show, we have the pleasure of welcoming back some prominent opera administrators and managers who got their start at Wolf Trap. These six colleagues will introduce segments of the program and offer their own brief reminiscences of the WTOC.

Scott Altman was a Filene Young Artist in1996 & 1997, singing Geronimo in Il matrimonio segreto, Don Prudenzio in Il viaggio a Reims, and Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro. He is now General Director of Arizona Opera and was General Director of Opera New Jersey from 2002-2009.

Kelly Anderson was a Filene Young Artist in 1990 & 1993, singing Don Geronio in Il turco in Italia and Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro.  He currently holds the position of Director of Artistic Administration for Florida Grand Opera.

Peter Russell was General Director of the WTOC from 1984-1997. He left Wolf Trap to become Director of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Met, and went from there to a tenure as General Director of Opera Colorado.

Kathryn Smith is the newly-appointed General Director of Madison Opera following seven years as the leader of Tacoma Opera and a previous tenure as assistant artistic administrator at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Kathryn got her start at Wolf Trap as the Administrative Intern in 1994.

Ryan Taylor was a Filene Young Artist in 2001 & 2002, and he created the role of Voltore in Volpone in 2004. He is an Artist Manager with ADA Artist Management and Manager of Community Development for the WTOC. His WTOC roles included Malatesta in Pasquale and Harry Easter in Street Scene.

Darren K. Woods was a Filene Young Artist in 1984 & 1985 and is General Director of Fort Worth Opera and Artistic Director of the Seagle Music Colony. Darren’s WTOC roles included The Wizard in Transformations, Monostatos, in Die Zauberflöte and Arnalta in L’incoronazione di Poppea.

Opera’s Greatest Hits
Featuring 14 Alumni of the WTOC
Wednesday, August 24 at 8pm
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Larry ultimately only spent one summer with the WTOC, but we almost got to two…

Larry had a crazy patchwork summer in 2001, singing Herr Vogelsang in Mozart’s Impresario, Tenore in Donizetti’s Viva la mamma (at left), Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Don Curzio (!) in Le nozze di Figaro. That fall, he re-auditioned for 2002, and we brainstormed some Rossini for him. We were about to close in on it (in our crazy singer-driven casting system where we pick the operas after we pick the singers) when he received some news. He had been tapped for his La Scala debut in summer 2002.  As much as we wanted to continue to participate in Larry’s career, it had already taken off, and Rossini in Virginia was tabled in favor of Rossini in Italy.

On August 24, Larry navigates the High C’s in “Ah, mes amis!” from Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment, and he pairs with Stephanie Blythe in a duet from Rossini’s Tancredi and with Richard Paul Fink in “Au fond du temple saint” from Bizet’s Pearl Fishers.

Opera’s Greatest Hits
Featuring 14 Alumni of the WTOC
Wednesday, August 24 at 8pm
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Tracy was at Wolf Trap my second summer here, and I remembered being awed by her even back then. Her name has come up a lot this summer, as we just produced The Tales of Hoffmann, and Tracy was the Olympia in the Company’s only previous Hoffmann. And she did it on roller skates (at left). People still talk about it.

Our August 24 alumni concert gets an exciting shot of bel canto with Tracy’s “Ah, non credea / Ah, non giunge” from Bellini’s La sonnambula.

Welcome back, Ms. Dahl!

Opera’s Greatest Hits
Featuring 14 Alumni of the WTOC
Wednesday, August 24 at 8pm
Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts