GRAMMY Award-Winning Baritone Lucas Meachem to Host a Free Masterclass at MiMoDa Studio

GRAMMY Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem will host a free masterclass on Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 1:00PM at MiMoDa Studio in Los Angeles. The course takes place while Meachem is in town for the title role in Los Angeles Opera's new production of Don Giovanni, staged from September 23 to October 15, 2023. A call for masterclass participants drew nearly 100 submissions. Through an application process including a video performance of an opera or operetta, Meachem has selected the first five vocalists to receive personalized instruction in the course: Ayanna Delk-Lewis, soprano, performing 'Tu che di gel sei cinta' from Puccini's Turandot; Jacob Hanes, baritone, performing 'Hai già vinta la causa' from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro; Claire Pegram, soprano, performing 'Ah! je suis seule...Dis-moi que je suis belle' from Massenet's Thaïs; Dominic Salvati, tenor, performing 'Ah! fuyez, douce image' from Massenet's Manon; and Alissa Goretsky, soprano, performing 'Morrò, ma prima in grazia' from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. Two alternates have also been selected: Christina Pezzarossi, mezzo-soprano, and Matthew Cossack, baritone.

In addition, a sixth participant (or "wildcard") will be selected by live drawing at the class - bringing a suspenseful live element to the event. The drawing is open to all masterclass attendees (not limited to original masterclass applicants) who meet the masterclass requirements: Anyone entering the drawing must be aged 18-35, must live or study in the United States, and must come prepared to sing an aria from an opera. Through generous collaboration with Bärenreiter and the LA Opera, there will also be prize drawings for vocal scores, an "Opera" gift bag curated by Meachem himself, and two tickets to see the LA Opera's new production of Don Giovanni, starring Meachem in the title role.

The event is free and open to the public for those wishing to attend in the audience. RSVP by reserving a free ticket, as seating is limited. The masterclass runs from 1:00PM-4:00PM, with a meet-and-greet scheduled to follow afterward. Thanks to sponsorship by The Opera Buffs and NATS-LA, all participants in the masterclass will receive cash awards of $200. There will also be an Audience Favorite Prize ($200) and Most Improved Award ($200).

"Having received so much help along my vocal journey, it only feels right to give back," says Meachem. "By helping the next generation, we help ourselves and our cultural art form remain strong. What sets this masterclass apart from others is that the singers will be paid and we have one 'wildcard' slot to fill. With the selection of a wildcard participant, I am attempting to recreate some scenarios from my own career where I have had to 'jump in' to a performance with only hours of advanced warning. For me this will be the most coveted spot, as the singer chosen will receive a real life opera experience unlike any other."

Returning to the role of Don Giovanni - for which he was dubbed "one of the finest Don G's of our era" (Chicago Classical Review) - Meachem stars in the season-opening LA Opera production alongside Guangun Yu (Donna Anna), Isabel Leonard (Donna Elvira), Anthony León (Don Ottavio), Craig Colclough (Leporello), Meigui Zhang (Zerlina), Alan Williams (Masetto), and Peixin Chen (Commendatore). James Conlon conducts this production, while Kasper Holten directs. Production design has been crafted by Es Devlin, known for the innovative stage designs she has developed for such acts as Beyoncé, Adele and U2.

Program Information
Masterclass with Baritone Lucas Meachem
Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 1:00PM
MiMoDa Studio | Los Angeles, CA
Link: www.eventbrite.com/e/masterclass-with-lucas-meachem-baritone-tickets-706211998097

Program:
12:30PM - 1:00PM Doors Open/Giveaway/Sign-ups
1:00PM - 4:00PM - Masterclass
4:00PM - 5:00PM - Meet-and-Greet

About Lucas Meachem

GRAMMY Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem, dubbed the "rock star of opera" by Opera Pulse, continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his "earnest, appealing baritone" (The New York Times). Known for his mastery of many of the leading operatic roles, Meachem is a consummate artist with a unique warmth and passion for both audiences and his colleagues.

After a summer at San Francisco Opera performing Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Meachem begins his 2023/24 season in the title role in Don Giovanni with the Los Angeles Opera. He then premieres the lead role of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the brilliant French journalist who shares his surreal yet incisive view of the world after suffering a totally paralyzing stroke, in the world premiere production of composer Joby Talbot's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly at The Dallas Opera. The season then takes him to Staatsoper Hamburg for the dual roles of Michele and Gianni Schicci in Il Trittico and to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he sings the lead role in Mendelssohn's Elijah. After performing as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony, he closes his season with two more appearances as Sharpless: first with the Metropolitan Opera, and then with Teatro Real in Madrid.

Celebrated by Opera News as a "masterful musician" with an "instrument of striking finish, smooth and solid throughout its range," Meachem has previously sung career-highlight roles including Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House, the title role in Nabucco at Oper im Steinbruch, and several roles with the Metropolitan Opera: Marcello in La Bohème, De Siriex in Fedora, General Rayevsky in Prokofiev's War & Peace, Silvio in Pagliacci, and Mercutio in Roméo and Juliette. His Teatro alla Scala debut in Massenet's Thaïs was praised as the "most impressive performance of the evening" (Opera Online), with his portrayal of Athanaël, alongside Marina Rebeka's Thaïs, described as "possibly one of the great duos experienced at La Scala in recent decades" (Beckmesser).

Meachem's first solo album, Shall We Gather, was released in September 2021 under Rubicon Records. Featuring his wife, Irina Meachem, at the piano, the album was praised by BBC Music Magazine for "vibrant and committed performances," with Meachem delivering "a heartbreakingly beautiful performance." The New Yorker called this album of American songs "a plea for togetherness in a divided country. Meachem's voice-a substantial and propulsive lyric baritone with pillowy edges-records beautifully."

In July 2020, the Meachems founded the Perfect Day Music Foundation (PDMF), a foundation built to promote inclusivity and diversity by using classical music as a relevant medium to address current issues through a traditional art form. The foundation's annual competition, using social media in its application process to raise awareness for new compositions, centers around a yearly theme highlighting a key demographic of classical music.

Born in North Carolina, Lucas Meachem studied music at Appalachian State University, the Eastman School of Music, and Yale University before becoming an Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera. He and wife Irina Meachem travel the world with their son, Cash. Learn more at www.lucasmeachem.com.

Photo Credit: Nate Ryan

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