#HOTSpeaks

#HOTSpeaks: Melody Moore on The Letter Scene

For most people, singing loud enough to project to a hall of 2,000 seats without amplification sounds impossible. Imagine doing it for nearly half an hour straight. In Russian.

That was Soprano Melody Moore’s challenge as she began prepping for her character Tatyana’s famous Letter Scene in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. When the curtain rises for the opening night of HOT’s upcoming co-production of the opera this Friday, it will be her first time performing the role for a full audience. Preparing for the role was no easy feat, Melody shared.

“When I was first looking it over, I already knew that the Letter Aria was 17 minutes,” she said. “What I didn’t realize was that it’s book-ended with two other scenes. So when it really comes down to it, it’s about 27 minutes of non-repetitive Russian. That meant brand new Russian words for me to learn on every page, for 27 minutes of singing. That’s when I started to sweat.”

Melody has sung plenty of intensely challenging roles on some of the world’s leading opera stages before. She has performed at San Francisco Opera in the title role of Tosca, English National Opera as Mimì in La bohème, Washington National Opera in the title role of Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, and more. She has been praised worldwide for her impressive phrasing and control. Opera News reported that she could sing from the “highest forte expression of desire and anger to the lowest pianissimos without any seeming strain.” So it wasn’t her vocal stamina she was concerned about.

Even the Russian language didn’t intimidate her. Despite the fact that it was her first time singing in Russian, she had already been challenged more by learning Czech during for her performance in Leoš Janáček’s Katia Kabanova.

Instead, she was worried about the capability of her mind. Could she memorize and perfect the pronunciation of each Russian word, put it to music, act, and move around the stage all at once and for that long? When she began rehearsing the role, she couldn’t.

“I wasn’t able to really make the scenes stick together at first. At one point it seemed insurmountable.” [pullquote]At one point it seemed insurmountable.” [/pullquote]

Melody’s character of Tatyana, too, begins the opera with a troubled mind and much to learn. As she falls for Onegin, she battles internally about what to do about it. And when she decides to write him a letter, she agonizes over what to say.

To prepare for the emotions she would portray in acting the role, Melody read Pushkin’s novel, which the opera is based on. She then read Tchaikovsky’s lines, paying close attention to the feelings expressed by her character in each.

“I got to the section about her letter, and [the interpretation of Pushkin] is almost word for word. So I understood that Tchaikovsky was really trying to stay pure to what was written,” She said.

She then brought the script to a Russian coach to confirm her interpretation. Melody began to understand who Tatyana was. She thought of her as not only a somewhat serious teenager, but as a dreamer who was hoping for the best in life. In the letter scene, Melody saw that Tatyana embraced her vulnerability and trusted in Onegin’s honor as she began to find the right words to say. Melody decided to take a page from Tatyana’s book.

The more she practiced the Letter Scene, the more Melody’s own words came to her. Soon, she got to the point where she could put down her well-worn script and say every word of the monologue straight through.

“The words finally came,” she said. “It just took a lot of patience, a lot of homework outside of the rehearsal room, and a lot of help from the staff.”

During the last final dress rehearsal of HOT’s Eugene Onegin on April 18, after more than 100 hours of rehearsing, Melody’s readiness was put to the test. And her efforts paid off. In a captivating performance , the letter scene appeared effortless.

Melody attributed her success in part to the pace of Hawaii, which eased her mind, and to the HOT staff’s support and trust in her capability. But most of all, it was Melody’s own determination that pulled her through.

Tatyana isn’t as lucky in the immediate aftermath of her emotional efforts. In the opera, Onegin rejects Tatyana after reading her heartfelt letter. Tatyana ends the First Act hurt and embarrassed.

“But she doesn’t throw herself off a cliff or over a church balcony,” Melody notes. “She just says, ‘Well, this didn’t work out, and that’s okay, and I wish you all the best.’ That’s so rare for a woman in opera. Tatyana knows what she wants. She doesn’t compromise herself, and she makes it out of it all doing well.”

In a way, Melody said, she can relate to Tatyana. She was inspired by the character. The two both faced great mental strain, grappled with the potential for failure, but wound up triumphant.

“I’m ready to perform Tatyana,” Melody said. “Opening Night couldn’t come soon enough!”

Purchase Tickets to Eugene Onegin: April 20, 22, or 24

#HOTSpeaks: Music Connects Us

March is officially designated by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) as Music In Our Schools Month. NAfME has challenged educational organizations to share how “Music Connects” them to their students and communities. In this month’s #HOTSpeaks, we’re sharing how the HOT Education team connects us to communities throughout the state.

Last week, Waikele Elementary School sixth graders performed an opera they created through a HOT School Residency Program. Residency programs are the most immersive program that HOT Education offers. The program brings HOT’s education staff into a school to lead students and teachers through the process of producing and performing an opera. In Waikele Elementary’s case, the students produced the opera from scratch.

“The students create the script, the students create the props, the students create the costumes, and we work directly with the artists in residency through Hawaii Opera Theatre to create the music,” Waikele Principal Sheldon Oshio said. Waikele Elementary School has partnered with HOT for 12 years, and Sheldon has been Principal for seven of those years.

Each year’s production is different. This year, the school integrated the students’ history lessons with the opera. With the title The Keepers, the original opera takes the students on a journey from the Great Wall of China to meetings with various key historical figures, such as Confucius and Socrates, to learn more about different civilizations.

Waikele Elementary School second and third grade students performed “The Keepers” on March 16, 2018, culminating their HOT Education Residency Program.

Sheldon said the teachers have noticed a greater interest in regular curriculum studies when the students are engaged through the opera production. He also noticed that the music education program could improve performance and achievement in core academic activities for nontraditional students, such as those with learning disabilities. But most of all, the school makes the choice to bring the program back year after year, Sheldon said, because it brings the school or grade level together.

“Through the program, the students gain a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration,” he said. “All of the students’ voices are all being heard. Everyone is on an equal playing field in putting this production together.”

In past years the school has created various operas with different curricular concepts. A couple years ago, they wrote a D.A.R.E. opera along with the Honolulu Police Department to help teach decision-making and drug resistance. And before that, the school wrote an opera that HOT has adapted and taken on for this year’s annual Opera Express touring show, which is performed at schools throughout the state.

“We feel that it was very complimentary to the students and the grade level for Hawaii Opera Theatre to come back and ask to use the production No More Mr. Bad Wolf for the road show,” Sheldon said. “That was really touching for the kids and the staff.”

Participants in HOT’s Residency Programs also have the opportunity to experience a backstage tour and a professional grand opera at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall, plus a visit from HOT Opera Express.

Waikele Elementary Students learn more about props from HOT Prop Master Rick Romer during their backstage tour of Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment. Backstage Tours are a part of each HOT Residency Program.

After years of watching students produce operas with HOT, Waikele Elementary School administration approved funding for the construction of a new fine arts stage in the school. Construction for the stage begins this summer, and HOT Education staff are serving on the project’s advisory committee.

Through the experience of HOT’s residency productions, HOT is connected with schools and students throughout Hawaii. And, in turn, the schools and students connect with their own community through each production.

“The experience is something inspiring, I think,” Sheldon said. “Our students should feel proud that they reach a larger community.”

View more photos from the Waikele Elementary School Residency Production here.

For more information on HOT’s Education programs, click here. To book a program for your students, contact HOT Director of Education Erik Haines by phone at 808-596-7372 or email e_haines@hawaiiopera.org.

To make a donation in support of HOT’s Education programs, click here.

#HOTSpeaks: “A Love for Opera Brought Us Together”

It was the 1972 HOT Cast Party for Verdi’s Aida. The smell of potluck dishes filled the air, and the opera’s cast and choristers chatted and mingled, with the electric excitement that lingers after a successful performance.

During the opera, one chorister named Manning Richards had been dressed as a Fifth Century Egyptian Priest. He learned that Miss Sarah Marks was volunteering on behalf of the Opera’s education, and he quickly took an interest in her. But on the night of the cast party, Sarah arrived with someone else — the opera’s Egyptian King. Despite the competition, Manning introduced himself.

“I did not make much of an impression,” he said. “My robe costume was beige-colored from head to toe. It wasn’t much attractive.”

Rightly fearing that he was losing Sarah’s attention, Manning changed his course and invited her to a wine tasting. She was impressed, so she accepted. By the end of that year, the two were married.

Both Sarah and Manning grew up with art and music. Sarah’s grandmother was an accomplished pianist, and her mother was a singer, so it came as no surprise when she graduated with a degree in music from Indiana’s DePauw University. Manning was also active in music, though it didn’t become his career. He sang in several choirs, both here in his home state of Hawaii and in the Mainland United States, while he pursued his Doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Rochester Medical School.

“A love for opera brought us together,” Sarah said.

A year after they met, Sarah was recruited to join the HOT Board. She served as Education Chair for about five years and was then elected to serve as Board President. It was an interesting time for HOT. While Sarah was Board President, HOT was becoming its own organization, independent from the Honolulu Symphony Society. HOT’s first individual office, in fact, was within the Richards’ family cemetery.

“[HOT] was a little bit more homespun in those days,” Sarah said. “Board members themselves were very involved in administering the operas. But, gradually, it got bigger and better. It was fun to watch it grow. And it has, indeed, grown.”

To this day, Sarah and Manning remain committed to supporting local arts. After serving as the Executive Director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and as President of the Hawaii Theatre, Sarah still serves on several HOT Board committees. In addition to supporting Hawaii’s opera, The Richards are also regular season ticket holders for many local theatres and the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.

The next HOT production the pair will be attending is April’s Season closer, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. On Tuesday night performances, the Richards bring Manning’s brother and sit in the first row, front and center. On Friday night performances, they come by themselves. But when asked if they consider going to the opera a date, both enthusiastically replied, “No!”

“We don’t necessarily feel sentimental at the opera, because we’ve done a lot of different activities together since,” Manning said.

“But I will let you in on a secret,” he whispered, “We do hold hands during the opera!”

#HOTSpeaks: Q&A With As One Co-Librettist Mark Campbell

An opera all starts with a story. And that story all starts with a libretto — an opera’s text. One person who has made this specific form of story-telling his career is Pulitzer Prize award-winning librettist Mark Campbell.

Mark Campbell’s work is at the forefront of the current contemporary opera scene in America. He’s also one of the co-librettists of HOT’s next production As One, opening this weekend on January 11, 2018. Together with composer Laura Kaminsky and filmmaker Kimberly Reed, Mark Campbell co-created the opera, which depicts with empathy and humor the journey of a transgender person. HOT’s production of the 75-minute chamber opera is the 13^th production of the work since it premiered in 2014, making it one of the most produced new operas in recent history.

In this month’s #HOTSpeaks, we hear the unique perspective of what it’s like to be, as Mark Campbell puts it, the ‘guardian of the story.’

What made you decide to become a librettist?

I really love the combination of music and text and the power that it can give to a story. It can produce a more profound and urgent experience with an audience and helps them empathize with characters, stories and situations in a way plain text cannot. I got into writing librettos mostly because I love music.

Many decades ago, I was an actor — and not a very good one. A composer I knew was writing a musical about the last days of the Romanovs that had an imminent workshop on the horizon and asked me to contribute some lyrics. I discovered I really loved it. Following that, I wrote a few musicals and won a couple of prestigious awards in musical theater. Steve Sondheim honored me the first Kleban Foundation Award for Lyrics, which to this day remains the only award for lyricists and librettists in musical theater. But my first real foray into opera came in 2001, when John Musto asked me to create an opera with him for Wolf Trap Opera. The resultant Volpone, adapted from Ben Jonson’s play, was a big hit. And I felt I had found my artistic home.

What is it like being a librettist in the 21st century?

It’s incredible. A lot of people are identifying our current scene in opera as “The Golden Age of American Opera.” I don’t know if that’s really true, and we’ll probably only know that decades from now, but it’s a terrific time to be a librettist, and I’m especially pleased how my colleagues and I are raising the profile of libretto-writing with operas that are more story-centric. Opera isn’t just about hitting high notes any more, or enduring some pretty silly librettos.

It’s about giving the audience a story that they are entertained by, that they can relate to, and even see mirrored in their own lives. And I think As One fits into that description very nicely.

What kind of skills do you need to become a librettist?

A librettist today needs to be a good storyteller, a mutable collaborator, a fine craftsman and understand almost intuitively how words work with music. I feel very fortunate in that I studied the lyricist’s craft rigorously for many years, which has served me well in writing opera librettos. In fact, As One can be characterized as a theatrical song cycle more than as a traditional song cycle.

Has working as an actor also influenced the way you write librettos?

Yes, in that I aim to create characters and roles for performers that are complete and specific, with traditional theatrical elements like arcs and motivations. I feel that a lot of bad opera happens these days because librettists create archetypes, not defined characters.

While writing a libretto, what kind of relationship do you try to maintain with the composer?

I’ve worked with more than 35 composers in my career and written the librettos for 25 operas. I’ve worked a lot with “first-timers” and with three Pulitzer Prize-winning composers. Every single composer and every single experience has been different—even with composers whom I’ve collaborated more than once. Some composers will set 95% of the first draft of the libretto I give them, others 25%. But every time I collaborate with composers, I know that part of my job is making sure that I give them a story and text that inspires them to composer their best music.

One thing a lot of people don’t know is that the libretto always comes first. Many people still have the silly notion that the composer writes the music and the libretto merely comes in a fills in some words. My first drafts of librettos are rigorously structured and always work within the format of identifying those traditional operatic moments, like arias and ensembles. Why work in opera if you don’t take advantage of the form?

What themes are you most interested in drawing out in your librettos?

I had six premieres in 2017. One was a sophisticated 1930s comic opera called Dinner at Eight. One was about the commissioning of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, with the theme of making art. Another was an opera about the life of Steve Jobs. And the other two were about serial killers… So I can’t seem to identify a consistent theme —nor can anyone else. But I will say that I am a fan of Hitchcock and love stories with suspense, surprise, and distinctly theatrical elements.

When people ask me what stories make a good opera, I always answer, rather glibly, ‘stories that sing.’ Opera is a musical art form. If the story is better spoken, then let it be spoken.

What was it like writing about a transgender protagonist in As One?

It was one of the most gratifying experiences in my career, mostly because of my collaboration with Kimberly Reed. Neither Kim nor composer Laura Kaminsky had written an opera before and didn’t really understand at the time that an opera springs from the story. After meeting them, I went home and sketched a story in three parts in which a transgender person becomes her authentic self — based very loosely on some of Kim’s experiences. I asked Kim to write the libretto with me, because the story would be inauthentic if I wrote it alone. But in working with Kim, I also discovered what a fantastic storyteller she is. So the libretto wasn’t just about a message, but a real person.

How have people reacted to the opera and its story?

Wherever we play, Laura, Kim and I make sure that we connect with the LGBTQ+ community, and specifically, the transgender community. When Kim and I created the story of As One and the story of its protagonist, Hannah, we decided early on that it must be told with humor and in such a way that the audience can see themselves in her arc of discovery. I really think that the universality at the core of the story has been one factor that has greatly contributed to the opera’s success. Another is the ease in which it can be performed. There are no castles or choruses to contend with, just two performers playing one role and the simplest of production values.

Over the past few years, is there any one moment that has been most fulfilling in working with the team of creators for As One or in seeing it produced?

Seattle Opera invited transgender youth from age eight to 18 to a dress rehearsal performance of As One. Many came with guardians, because many of these young people had been tragically kicked out of their homes by their parents. Following the performance, Laura and I had the honor of speaking to them about the opera and it was gratifying to hear them tell us how much they appreciated that we had captured their story. Also, about a month ago, Des Moines Metro Opera had five transgender people participate in a post-performance panel. For a number of audience members in attendance that night, it was their first time seeing or meeting a transgender person. I hope many people who see As One realize that the differences between their journeys as human beings and Hannah’s are very similar. And that this opera merely raises visibility.

Purchase Tickets to As One in Hawaii

What are your plans for the future? Any new works in progress?

Kim, Laura and I are working together again on an opera called Today It Rains, which is being produced by San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle and American Opera Projects. It’s an opera imagined from a real event in the life of Georgia O’Keeffe—when she boarded a train in New York in 1929 and arrived in Santa Fe a few days later, transformed.

I also have an oratorio premiering at Carnegie Hall in May, with music by Paul Moravec, who I wrote The Shining with. The work is based on the writings of William Still, conductor for the Underground Railroad. Called Sanctuary Road, it will be performed by the Oratorio Society of New York.

Additionally, I’m creating another work with Paola Prestini for Minnesota Opera based on the young adult novel, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. And another opera I wrote with Kevin Puts and Elizabeth Cree —Silent Night and—has several productions this year. Lastly, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which was the most successful opera in Santa Fe Opera’s history, is going to San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Indiana University, and probably many more companies. There’s a lot going on, but not as many premieres as last year. And I’m frankly a little grateful for that!

#HOTSpeaks: Hawaii’s Opera Brings Audrey Luna Home

Photo by Fay Fox

Hawaii’s own Soprano Audrey Luna raised a lot of eyebrows last month when an archivist reported that she had unknowingly broken the record for the highest note sung on the Metropolitan Opera’s stage during Thomas Adès’ new opera The Exterminating Angel.

The note, an A above high C, is written into the opera’s score, so to her she was just doing her job. But to everyone else — from The New York Times to Seth Meyers — the feat was worth sharing. Now, after the whirlwind of all that publicity, she’s back in Hawaii. In February, Audrey will star as HOT’s Marie in Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment. And she couldn’t be happier to be back.

“This is where I want to live forever,” she said. “I love Hawaii. From the first time I arrived here, I knew I wanted to make it my home.”

Audrey’s most recent flight over the Pacific followed some of the busiest years of her professional life. But when she first landed on Oahu about ten years ago, her career was just taking off. Fresh out of school and looking for a job, Audrey landed the lead female role in HOT’s 2008 production of Romeo & Juliet.

“I never wanted to leave after that,” she said. “So I made it happen.”

For the next two consecutive seasons, Audrey returned to HOT. After her third role as Blondchen in The Abduction from the Seraglio, she began to make to move to Oahu.

Her role as Leticia in The Exterminating Angel took her around the world, including theatres in London and Salzburg. It’s been great for her career, she said, but she is looking forward to her upcoming season singing standard repertoire, including her role as Marie with HOT.

“For the last five years or so, I’ve been doing a lot of contemporary opera — most with very serious and tragic plots,” she said. “I’m really glad to break out of that and do this comedic role. My voice missed singing Bel canto.”

This month, Audrey has also begun teaching voice lessons at HOT. Some of her students include singers from the Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio.

“My schedule hasn’t allowed me to teach as much as I want to, so I’m glad that I’m starting that back up again,” Audrey said.

Before singing with HOT in February, Audrey is enjoying her downtime. Aside from teaching voice lessons, she will be spending time with her family and preparing for future roles.

“And laying on the beach,” she said with a laugh.

Buy Tickets to HOT’s Daughter of the Regiment, Starring Audrey Luna!

#HOTSpeaks: Former HOT Staffer Gives Back

Each year on #GivingTuesday, people take time out of their day to give back to nonprofits like HOT. Some give monetary donations – large and small – which allow nonprofits continue to cover their operating budget. Others give expertise, food or clothing, or simple acts of kindness. And at HOT, more than 500 local arts supporters give their time.

One of those volunteers is former HOT staffer Danielle Wood.

“When I left HOT, I said I would volunteer and no one believed me. But I stuck to my word!” Danielle, who is now Sales Manager for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, said. “I volunteer for HOT because I love live music and I love theater. I like the HOT mission, I like the staff, and I like being able to support the arts in some way.”

HOT volunteers help with make-up, wigs, costumes, special events, note taking, and even hosting visiting opera stars during productions. Outside of productions, volunteers assist HOT with special events like the Opera Ball, Act II Fashion Resale and HPR Pledge Drive. Danielle has volunteered at every mainstage HOT opera production since 2013. Her favorite time to volunteer is opening night.

“I like when I can tell that someone is apprehensive about their first opera, especially if they’re younger,” she said. “Then they come talk to me at intermission, and they’re getting into it, and I’m just like, ‘I told you it would be interesting!’ I like seeing that ‘I get it now’ moment and being able to connect with people that way.”

When researchers at the London School of Economics examined the relationship between volunteering and measures of happiness in a large group of American adults, they found the more people volunteered, the happier and healthier they were. Volunteering also comes with a sense of belonging to a community, which is especially true within the HOT ohana.

“The HOT Chorus is like a family,” Angeliki Scordilis, a volunteer HOT chorister, said in an interview for a #HOTSpeaks chorus feature in August. “All the people, they’re like my aunties and uncles.”

Seeing an opera is a moving experience for many, but being a part of an opera can be life-changing. Danielle’s first experience volunteering took her backstage, where she set up an after party for the cast. She found it magical that she could peek past the velvet curtains and see glimpses of the production from a new angle.

“If you’re someone who’s new to opera, try volunteering,” Danielle said. “You get to see a show for free, you meet so many nice people, and you get to break down the barrier of what people think opera is.”

Volunteer with HOT

#HOTSpeaks: Opera’s Rich Local History

When you think of Hawaiian historic and cultural activities, what do you picture? ‘Iolani Palace? Bishop Museum? A lūʻau?

How about opera?

A rich history of opera in Hawaii dates back to the 1800s. Two of this HOT Opera Season’s productions have their local roots in the 19th Century. Bizet’s Carmen, which opens the season this month, was staged locally in 1904. And Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment, opening in February, was the first known operatic performance in Hawaii in 1854.

Former UH Musicologist Dale E. Hall.

Former University of Hawai’i Professor Dale E. Hall wrote extensively on the local history of opera and classical music. The extent to which the art form was present in local culture in the 19th Century surprised him, he said. He chronicled the early history in the 31^st Edition of the Hawaiian Journal of History.

“I decided to study the history of opera in Hawaii because it had not yet been studied in any detail. It was ripe for contribution,” Professor hall said. “I became very interested in the history of opera in Hawaii, and I enjoyed learning more about it.”

Isolation may have been the reason that opera didn’t come to Hawaii before 1854, Professor Hall said. But during the 19^th Century, Honolulu audiences saw about 15 full operas and 24 operettas, along with several incomplete works. Local audiences saw many of the same operas that Mainland and European audiences had become accustomed to. Most of the operas between 1854 and 1900 were by nineteenth-century Italian composers, especially Donizetti and Verdi. In 1880, local audiences saw a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, which created interest in lighter forms and a greater variety of composers.

Annis Montague as Carmen in a local production staged in 1904.

Though European and Mainland travelers brought opera to the islands, Hawaiian Royalty were enthusiastic supporters. Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V, Queen Lili’uokalani, Bernice Pauahi Bishop and others had a great appreciation for Western music. This translated not only into financial support for the art, but also participation in various productions. Queen Emma, for instance, sang in the chorus of an 1861 presentation of scenes from Il Trovatore, with King Liholiho acting as stage manager for the production. Additionally, Princess Likelike and Bernice Pauahi Bishop sang in an opera chorus in 1881. Along with Hawaiian Royalty, Prussian bandmaster Henry Berger and Hawaii-born singer Annis Montague were key figures who built local support for opera.

“Opera had always been an entertainment for the cultural elite, and such an elite existed in 19th century Hawaii,” Professor Hall said. “These people demanded a high performance standard in Honolulu.”

Throughout the century, visiting professional troupes often utilized local theaters and local choruses to put on their productions – much like HOT does today. The first local opera theater, the New Music Hall, opened in 1879 across from the ‘Iolani Palace on King Street. After the building burned in 1895, supporters restored it and renamed it the Honolulu Opera House. According to the Star Advertiser archives, its first performance in 1896 featured Hawaii-born Annis Montague, who had trained in Europe and had performed major operatic roles in New York City. The state demolished the Honolulu Opera House in 1917 to make way for the federal building. Hawaii audiences rarely saw live opera after that, until the establishment of HOT in 1960.

“HOT carries on the tradition of opera in Hawaii and always has,” Professor Hall said. “With HOT, we get an opera season each year. That’s a wonderful thing for Hawaii.”

These days, opera production in Hawaii is much different. Within the last 50 years, HOT introduced English supertitles, making it possible for even more people to attend and enjoy its productions. And the Blaisdell Concert Hall, where HOT presents most of its grand opera productions, seats about twice as many as the venue’s predecessors. Additionally, compared to early Hawaiian opera theaters, HOT has more stage space at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, a larger chorus, a full-scale education and outreach program, and a wider reach than ever before. But what hasn’t changed is the local audience’s support for the art form.

To learn more about opera history from local expert and musicologist Dr. Lynne Johnson, join us for the Opera Preview lecture before each HOT opera. And attend a HOT production to see the result of more than 100 years of history in the opera hub of the Pacific.

#HOTSpeaks: The HOT Chorus, Continued

Though they are often in the backdrop of a production, the Hawaii Opera Theatre Chorus is at the forefront of what makes HOT’s productions world-class. Time and time again, visiting artists are impressed with the dedication, the diversity, and the deep bonds that make up the local, volunteer-based chorus. In this month’s and last month’s #HOTSpeaks, we share their stories.

Oaklea Rowe: Soprano

Oaklea Rowe joined the HOT Chorus and Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio earlier this year. Her first opera as a chorister with HOT was last season’s production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. But before the production, she was no stranger to opera. For nearly a decade, Oaklea lived in New York and sang opera professionally – even touring to companies in South America and Italy. But before moving to Hawaii, she stopped singing for a few years.

“I had stopped singing, because I just got burnt out or something. Then I heard about the studio,” Oaklea, 39, said. “I didn’t know much about it, but I felt like it was something I wanted to be involved in.”

Since then, Oaklea said she’s made a couple of really good friends in the chorus and studio. Along with music, she also loves fashion. When she’s not singing, she’s working at a boutique in Honolulu. Bizet’s Carmen will be Oaklea’s next production with HOT, and she said she’s excited for it.

“It’s about making music together and making the production the best it can be,” she said.

David Del Rocco: Baritone

David Del Rocco still vividly remembers his first opera with the HOT Chorus, although it was 12 years ago. He had always been a singer, but he never imagined he’d be singing in an opera chorus. It wasn’t until a couple of David’s friends from his church choir auditioned for the chorus that he considered trying out himself.

“I thought, ‘Well, if they can do it, I can do it!’” He said. “I realized that, you know, regular people can do this, too. You have to be a good singer, but, you don’t have to be a full-on opera singer to be in the chorus.”

Since then, David has been a part of many operas, from Puccini’s Turandot to Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers. The upcoming production of Bizet’s Carmen will be his second time performing in the opera as a chorister. The opera has brought David several opportunities and friends, he said, but he has also brought something new and special to the opera. Outside of the chorus, David teaches Hawaiian Studies and dances hula. A few years ago, he decided to teach the opera singers in that production’s principle roles to dance hula after the show, alongside other choristers who play Hawaiian music. Now it’s a tradition.

“The vast majority of the principles who come over from elsewhere are so down to earth and so willing to party and learn new stuff,” David said. “And the chorus is great for that.”

Larry Whitson: Bass

Larry Whitson wanted to be in the chorus as soon as he knew it existed. But he never believed he could really do it. Classical music had been his passion since childhood, and singing in an opera was a dream of his long before he joined the chorus 12 years ago.

“When I read that the chorus was a volunteer chorus and I could do it, I just knew right away that I wanted to do it,” Larry said. “The first time I didn’t get in. But the next time I did. The biggest excitement for me was the first time I stood on that stage in the Blaisdell and looked out over that grand, empty concert hall and realized I was going to be able to perform there.”

Larry has also been a part of several HOT productions in the chorus, including Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah and, most recently, the 2017 production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. The next time he will perform onstage with HOT will be for this season’s February production of Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in April.

“Each year – not even just the first time – every time I get up on that stage, it’s just a magnificent thing,” he said.

Diane Koshi: Mezzo

Diane Koshi doesn’t entirely share Larry’s enthusiasm for opera, but she does have a love for music and music education. Diane worked with the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus for 20 years and taught music with a number of other organizations before retiring. Now she directs the music department at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church.

“I sing in the opera because I teach,” Diane said. “I think my students need to see that their director is involved and can do what she’s asking them to do. I’ve never fallen for opera, but I appreciate it as an art form because it encompasses all the arts.”

Despite not having fallen for opera, Diane has been in the HOT chorus for almost 25 years. Her upcoming performance with the choir in Bizet’s Carmen will be her fourth time singing the opera’s music. A few of the HOT productions that she especially enjoyed being a part of were Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Even as a seasoned music educator, Diane said she still learns new things in the chorus.

“What I enjoy most about working in the opera is the opportunity to hear different musical ideas from the maestro,” she said. “It’s a different philosophy. They share different techniques than what we usually hear.”

Bonnie Chock Burke: Alto

Surprisingly, another chorister has been part of the chorus even longer than Diane. Bonnie Chock Burke joined the HOT Chorus in 1992. And she has been a volunteer with HOT even longer – since the late 1970s. She’s worked in the box office, she’s been assistant stage director, she’s worked with costumes, she’s picked artists up from the airport, and more. And she doesn’t even currently live on Oahu. Bonnie has flown in from the Big Island for each of the many productions she’s been a part of.

“Some people think I’m crazy. They’ll say, ‘Why do you do it?’” Bonnie said. “And I say, ‘Every time there’s a rehearsal and an opera, there I am with my $500 seat.’ I can see the singers spitting. It’s worth it. Being backstage, you get to hear these professionals sing and practice. It’s just incredible to me to have that opportunity for free.”

On the Big Island, Bonnie enjoys hiking and bird-watching. But she’ll soon be moving back to Oahu, and she said she plans to be in all three of this year’s choral productions with HOT.

“All the people who come to perform for HOT say it’s incredible to see all these volunteers in such huge numbers,” Bonnie said. “I’m so proud. I know without all the volunteers we would never have opera in Hawaii.”

#HOTSpeaks: The HOT Chorus

Marcia Wright: Mezzo

Chorister Marcia Wright has been singing for and working with the HOT Chorus for more than 15 years. The first HOT production she sang in was Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma. Since then, she has sung in about a dozen other productions, including Puccini’s Tosca, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and Verdi’s Aida. When asked what the HOT Chorus means to her, she answered, “singing with people of excellence.”

“I remember my very first rehearsal at Kawaiahao Chuch. We opened the book and we launched right in, which is very different from any church choir I’d ever been in. And the sound was so glorious that I burst into tears just sitting in the middle of all those incredible voices and kind of wondering what I was doing there. It really just opened up my world and my social life.”

Marcia is retired, and while she’s not working with HOT on a production, she spends a lot of time with her church in Kaneohe. It was at the church where HOT’s Head of Music Beebe Freitas had originally recommended Marcia for the HOT choir. Though the most recent production she sang in was four years ago, Marcia remains active with HOT in the wardrobe department.

“I always look forward to the opera season rolling around,” Marcia said. “I enjoy encouraging a number of people I know through church.”

Falefia Jr. Brandon Fuamatu: Baritone

Falefia Jr. Brandon Fuamatu, 24, hadn’t discovered opera until he began studying music at UH Manoa. But once he found it, he came in swinging – literally. During Brandon’s first production with HOT – Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman – he sang while swinging from a rope. The experience, along with singing for HOT’S Orvis Opera Studio, helped influence Brandon’s decision to pursue opera as a career.

“I think the HOT Chorus is such a great example of what Hawaii has to offer to the arts, because the chorus is in itself a melting pot within Hawaii of different people who come together for music and for the love of opera,” Brandon said. “You always hear people saying, ‘There’s no chorus like our chorus.’ They’re so amazed by how diverse our chorus is ethnically and culturally, and even with our backgrounds. It’s a volunteer chorus, so I’ve sang along with lawyers, teachers – people with all kinds of different professions and backgrounds.”

Brandon recently moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where he will be continuing his pursuit of music study at Westminster Choir College. But the HOT Chorus will always have a special place in his heart, he said.

“It’s never going to be the same singing with any other chorus,” he said. “There’s such a specific way we treat each other and respect each other. It’s more of a family than it is a chorus.”

But that’s not all Brandon will miss.

“Our cookouts are pretty world famous for all of the singers who come to Hawaii from the mainland. We don’t fool around with food here in Hawaii,” he said.

Jaime Craycroft: Soprano

Jaime Craycroft also didn’t discover opera until college. Growing up in the North Shore, Jaime said she was removed from the opera scene HOT had created in Honolulu. But when her professors shared opera with her in college, she found it came natural to her. Her first opera with HOT was Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado in 2014. Since then, she has sung with the chorus in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and, most recently, in last season’s production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. The chorus, for Jaime, has brought many opportunities in her career.

“What I really appreciate with the HOT chorus is the professionalism,” said Jaime, 38. “Your first rehearsal you need to have everything learned already. We don‘t spend much time correcting notes or language, and I appreciate that. I am thankful for being able to be myself vocally and being able to be with such fun and vocal people. Everyone there is a lot of fun.”

When Jaime isn’t singing with the choir or with the HOT Orvis Opera Studio, she enjoys Flamenco dancing and spending time with her husband and two daughters. She recently graduated from UH Manoa and plans to teach music and generate her own choir for youth in Wailua.

“I want to inspire and motivate other mothers and students to continue to follow their aspirations to sing on that glorious stage,” she said.

Angeliki Scordilis: Soprano

At 17 years old, Angeliki Scordilis is the youngest member of the HOT chorus, but her entire life has been surrounded with opera. She was only 6 months old when her father brought her to see a HOT production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. The first opera Angeliki remembers listening to and enjoying, however, was a Metropolitan Opera recording of Mozart’s The Magic Flute when she was about 5 years old. Her combined experience in the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, which she joined at 4 years old, and the HOT Chorus have brought her onstage for quite a few productions, including Pagliacci’s Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and, most recently, Puccini’s La Boheme – her favorite opera.

“It’s a little strange being the youngest member of the adult chorus, because I grew up with everyone,” she said. “And so all the people, they’re like my aunties and uncles. And now instead of watching them, I’m singing with them. The HOT Chorus is like a family. Being able to sing with them– it’s just, like, a very powerful experience.”

When she’s not singing opera, Angeliki is often studying Greek culture and music. She traveled to Greece for the first time this past summer. In the coming year she will leave her home where she grew up in Honolulu and travel to Colorado for college. She dreams of being an English teacher, but she said she’ll always enjoy opera singing.

“I’ll miss being a part of HOT productions,” she said. “It’s been something that I’ve been a part of since I was really small.”

Chris Walsh: Alto

Chris Walsh has been an alto singer with the HOT Choir since 1984, when she sang in her first production of Verdi’s La Traviata. She has since sung in nearly all of the “ABCs” of opera, she said, from Verdi’s Aida to Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress. As one of the most the most experienced choristers, Chris said she’s now reached “Kupuna status” within the choir. The productions she’s been a part of have taken her through every emotion – from feeling like her heart was “torn out of her chest, thrown on the floor, and stomped on” after singing in Puccini’s Turandot to laughing hysterically after a wall fell over unexpectedly on the set of a production of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah, revealing a group of sheepish and embarrassed choristers. But as a child, Chris hated opera. It wasn’t until she sang with HOT that she began to enjoy the art form.

“I’ve really gone through the whole spectrum of despising opera to having it be a critical part of my life,” she said. “I have met a great deal of wonderful people, have had incredible life experiences, made lifetime friends – the chorus means an awful lot to me. And it’s a joy having so many diverse people come together for a common goal.”

Off the stage, Chris works for a commercial diving company. She also enjoys cooking, weaving lauhala, and gardening in her yard in Aiea.

“I plan to keep with the chorus,” she said. “I’ll keep singing and supporting these efforts and enjoying watching new singers launch into careers.”

#HOTSpeaks: Mother’s Day Edition

Many of the staff and supporters of HOT have a mother to thank for their love of music. Today, HOT celebrates the musical mothers and children who have kept opera alive from generation to generation.

Passing on music

When HOT Studio singer Leslie Goldman’s daughter and only child was only 10 months old, she could already match pitch with her mother.

“I was singing so much when I was pregnant with her that I think she just came out naturally loving music,” Leslie said, beaming with pride.

Leslie is one of HOT’s principal singers for its Opera Express productions. Opera Express condenses well known operas for an audience of children and tours throughout Hawaii each year. This year Leslie played played both the witch and Gretel in the production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever prepared to be a mother,” Leslie said, “but I think my being patient with the kids on the tour reminds me how important it is to be patient with my little baby when she gets older. And I think singing for the Studio just enhanced my joy of getting to be a mother.”

Leslie is going to try to encourage her daughter to take up music, but she said she will be understanding if she doesn’t want to.

“She can do everything and whatever she wants,” Leslie said.

Following in footsteps

Some people naturally fall into music without any coercion. But former HOT Studio singer Ethan Moon needed a little nudge in the right direction from his mother.

When he was in Kindergarten, his mother – a music teacher and pianist – required that he join choir and take piano lessons.

“I didn’t want to be in choir,” Ethan said. “But she made me go, and I fell in love. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

Now 18 years old, Ethan is in his first year in college and pursuing a degree in music. Not only does he still sing in choir at the university, he also plays piano, guitar, and bass.

“I’m following in her footsteps,” Ethan said. “I want to be a music teacher, and that’s what she’s been doing for decades now. I think she would be proud”

Without his mother’s support and the push that she gave him, he wouldn’t be as musical as he is now. But sometimes that guidance can flow both ways.

Encouraging Each Other

Like Leslie, HOT Education Coordinator Blythe Kelsey’s mother was also singing opera in the days before she was born. And Blythe and her brother, baritone Quinn Kelsey, grew up under their mother’s piano as she taught voice lessons. Along with being a voice teacher and vocal coach, their mother was a choir director for their church and high school.

“We had absolutely no choice but to be involved in all of her many musical endeavors,” Blythe said. “So taking up music was a pretty ongoing thing from a very, very early age.”

Blythe always knew she wanted to pursue a music education, but when Quinn started college in the late 1990s, he was considering other majors. Around his Sophomore year, his mother stepped in and told him to change his major to a music degree.

“It was one of the few times she’s actually put her foot down about things like that,” Blythe said. “I would like to have hoped that he would have come to that decision on his own, but perhaps he needed a little bit of influence. And there’s no influence like a mom’s.”

Since then, Quinn has sung around the world, including in roles for the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and Opéra National de Paris. In 2016, he returned home to sing the title role of Rigoletto in Concert with HOT.

Now that they are both professionally involved in music as adults, Blythe and Quinn have turned the tables. The two work together to stimulate their mother to continue performing as well as teaching. “It’s always good to remind her of what she is capable of and what she loves to do,” Blythe said.

Thanks to a little encouragement from Blythe and Quinn, their mother is still singing before an audience. Most recently, she sang in the chorus of this season’s production The Tales of Hoffmann.

Developing a Passion

But for some, a musical influence flows in the opposite way altogether. When HOT Board member Gail Atwater speaks about her love for opera, she does so passionately. But she wasn’t always that way.

At around 10 years old, Gail’s daughter joined the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, or HYOC. Gail hadn’t shared opera with her daughter, so the choice came as somewhat of a surprise.

“I was not interested in opera at the time,” Gail said. “But I got a crash course in opera.”

Gail’s daughter was chosen for the children’s chorus for a number of HOT operas over the year, and as a result, Gail attended several opera rehearsals and performances. One of her Mother’s Day cards from her daughter was even an opera-themed poem. Before long, Gail wanted to go to see as many productions as she could.

Gail’s daughter is now on her way to becoming a surgeon, along with singing as a hobby on the side. And Gail now credits her involvement with opera to her daughter.

“Through my daughter’s involvement in HYOC, I developed my own passion for opera as a unique medium that offered the choral music, beautiful orchestration and grand stagecraft all at the same time,” Gail said. “I really got hooked on it, and I’ve been hooked on it ever since.”