Underworld Productions Opera 2012-2013 Resident Artist program offers emerging artists a bridge between education and a career in opera. Weekly coaching with core faculty, guest workshops with outstanding professionals in the field, and performance opportunities transform singers into full-fledged stage performers. For a full description of the program, visit www.underworldprod.com.
Auditions will be heard by appointment only on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 from 6-9 pm in Manhattan. An accompanist is provided. There is a non-refundable audition fee $25. Required repertoire:
-- One Handel aria from opera or oratorio with recitative
-- One contemporary piece in English
-- Two additional arias, one in Italian and one French,
German, or Russian, etc.
To be considered, send your resume and headshot to Gina Crusco,
Artistic Director, at underworldprod@gmail.com.
If you are selected to audition, you will be provided with a timeslot and the
audition location.
Missed the Fall Auditions?
Join the list for the Spring 2013 Resident Artist program! Send your resume and headshot to Gina Crusco, Artistic Director, at underworldprod@gmail.com. You will be contacted in advance of the general audition announcement.
What They’re Doing Now
Underworld Productions Opera Resident Artists earn Fest contracts, win competitions, record with composers they connected with in the UPO program, and do
first-rate work.
Katie Bolding, soprano, 2010 Resident Artist, got a "Fest" contract in Germany and in the 2012-2013 season will sing Frau Fluth in Lustige Weiber von Windsor, Micaela in Carmen, Sophie in Werther, and other roles, plus the soprano solo in Beethoven's 9th. She writes: "I wanted to say thank you for everything. I learned so much my time with UPO and really benefitted from watching and listening to the other singers, especially in dramatic interpretation."
Lauren Alfano, Soprano
(Pictured here with Dewey Moss)
Masters Recital with Noby Ishida, Pianist
Music by Monteverdi, Bach, Faure, Strauss and others
October 15, 2012, 8:00PM
Hunter College Lang Recital Hall
69th Street & Lexington Ave., NYC
Ms. Alfano performed the role of Signora Pasquale in UPO's 2012 Don Pasquale, and sang in the trio in Ben Yarmolinsky's Clarence & Anita with the company in 2011.
More "What They're Doing Now" at the end of this blog.
Guest coaches are saying…
What a smart, talented bunch! -- Cori Ellison, opera dramaturg
Thank you so much for entrusting your students and performance to my music and my coaching. It was a tremendous pleasure working with you, Elizabeth, Elena, the resident artists and guest artists! – Justine F. Chen, composer
Thank you so much for entrusting your students and performance to my music and my coaching. It was a tremendous pleasure working with you, Elizabeth, Elena, the resident artists and guest artists! – Justine F. Chen, composer
The performance of my Shakespeare & Jonson pieces was
fantastic. It was truly one of the very best performances I've had; the
vocalists were all of a caliber worthy of the best opera companies. -- Henry
Papale, composer
I just wanted to say a huge thank you again for having me
lead yesterday's workshop. It was such
an invigorating night for me. They are
very smart singers and are wonderfully open to new ideas and going out of their
comfort zones. I was quite thrilled that they all made such unique and strong
transformations. – Elena Araoz, Glimmerglass
and NYCO stage director
Boston Adventure:
An Interview with RA Diane Lynn
Photo by Claire Folger
When Diane Lynn, soprano, won the auditions and joined UPO’s
Resident Artist program, she had a unique challenge: how to manage her commute
from Boston! She handled that obstacle
beautifully, made rapid progress in her training, and worked her way up to a
front-runner position to sing the role of Norina in Don Pasquale. Ms. Lynn hit
it out of the ballpark in her performance of the role with UPO in Inwood Park
in June 2012. Here we talk with Diane about her extraordinary experience with
UPO.
How did you learn of UPO’s RA program?
Last winter, I spotted an audition posting for UPO’s Don Pasquale as part of the Resident
Artist program. Norina was a role I had
always hoped to perform. I wasn’t
familiar with UPO, but seeing that the RA program promised a full season of
coachings, workshops with reputable professionals, and concerts in addition to
the opera, I felt that it might be an opportunity worth investigating. I also visited the UPO website and was jazzed
to learn about the broad range of past productions, spanning the entire history
of opera and giving familiar works a new twist.
How did you organize your time and energy to commute from Boston?
Photo by Teresa Tam
Fortunately, I had a supportive employer who understood how important this was to me and allowed me to reorganize my work schedule. The
roundtrip commute from Boston totaled 9 ½ hours involving 2 buses, 3 subways,
and a taxi. I managed to use the bus time to review the score and listen to
recordings of coachings, voice lessons, and UPO rehearsals. Some late night bus
rides back were a little sketchy, but fortunately my family, who are on the West Coast, kept me awake and entertained, and ensured that I arrived home
safely around 2AM.
How did the RA program further your career goals?
Until this experience, I had mainly been singing short
supporting roles. Norina in Don Pasquale was my first principal
role, and it brought new issues to light in my training: Instead of appearing on stage for short bursts of time, it became necessary to think more about the emotional trajectory
of the character and the pacing of vocal reserves over the course of the 2 ½
hour opera. The RA experience was
invaluable in showing me how to do that, and has made me a more versatile and
confident performer.
L to R: Diane Lynn, Peter Castaldi and Lauren Alfano in Don Pasquale, Inwood Park.
Photo by Ted Minos
What was the most gratifying aspect of being a UPO RA?
I loved how the Resident Artists celebrated each other’s
breakthroughs and picked each other up on the rare challenging occasion, and how
the UPO creative team provided gentle yet honest feedback and encouragement.
What was the biggest challenge?
We were on a pretty condensed schedule, so the pressure was
on to incorporate new directions quickly.
Since there wasn’t a whole lot of rehearsal time, much personal
preparation had to be done to stay on top of things.
What are your future career plans and aspirations?
My aspirations are to be the best performer I can be on the world stage. I would love to return to UPO as a Guest
Artist, as I sincerely believe in UPO’s mission.
More...What They’re Doing Now
2011-2012 Resident Artist Juliana Valente, soprano, featured in UPO’s CrossCURRENT program in works by Stefania de Kenessey, reprised her songs with the composer at the piano for a cable program.
Christopher Eaglin, tenor,
2011-2012 Resident Artist
who was featured in UPO’s
Don Pasquale,
is performing with Opera Slavica
2010-2011 Resident Artist
Jenne Carey, soprano,
who was featured in UPO’s production of Apollo & Dafne + Clarence & Anita,
has won a Rising Star Award!
