Review: 'CENTER STAGE' AT OTSL at Opera Theatre Of Saint Louis
Young Artists' showcase glitters with talent
By: Steve Callahan Jul. 03, 2024
Saint Louis had a glorious party last Tuesday night! Opera Theatre of St. Louis celebrated the approaching closing of their forth-ninth season with a gala evening of short operatic scenes. It’s called “Center Stage”, and it’s like the dreamiest dessert cart one could imagine after the glorious musical meal of OTSL’s four main productions this summer.
OTSL conducts a highly-acclaimed training program for singers. It’s the Gerdine Young Artists program, under the direction of renowned soprano Patricia Racette. This year 1,045 aspiring operatic singers auditioned for the program. Of these, 350 were invited to “call-back” auditions. Finally, thirty were accepted into the program. This is the crème de la crème de la crème of young operatic talent in America. They spend nine weeks with OTSL in intensive training. They participate in the festival productions in supporting roles or as chorus members; they understudy the leading roles. And, finally, they get to strut their impressive stuff in this Center Stage evening.
This is NOT a Senior Recital!! This is an evening that any lover of opera SHOULD NOT MISS! These singers will command the major opera houses of the world for the next two generations.
This year’s program includes twenty-one excerpts—from the great classics all the way to works you’ve never heard of. From the early days (Handel, Purcell) to the glory days (Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini) to the very modern days (Spears, 2016). From melodrama to wild comedy to Broadway hits. There’s even an aria from a zarzuela— that charming Spanish folk-opera genre.
The audience gathers; they brim with anticipation. In the marvelous acoustics of the Browning Theatre you can distinctly hear each instrument as the orchestra warms up in soft melodic chaos. The audience chatters. The Concert Master appears, she cues that piercing true A from the oboe, the orchestra tunes. This is so damned exciting! Maestra Daniela Candillari enters to great applause. She greets the Concert Master, ascends the podium, lifts her baton and—we’re off!
The orchestra—from the Grammy-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra—nearly fills the stage, leaving only a slender space down-stage for the singers. But stage directors James Robinson, Patricia Racette, Ian Silverman, and Olivia Gacka employ that space so deftly that each scene appears to have ample room—and some of them are filled with much comic activity.
The singers for the evening are:
Sopranos: Georgia Belmont, Jennifer Kreider, Kathleen O’Mara, Olivia Prendergast, Jouelle Roberson, Chase Sanders, Laura Santamaria
Mezzo-sopranos: Sophie Baete, Lucy Evans, Gabriela Linares, Madeleine Lyon, Michelle Mariposa, Lauren Paul, Veronica Siebert
Counter-tenors: Luke Elmer, Elijah English
Tenors: Levi Adkins, Brad Bickhardt, Jordan Costa, Devin Eatmon, Hakeem Henderson, Ryan Lustgarten, Benjamin Ruiz
Baritones: Eric Grendahl, Titus Muzi III, Joseph O’Shea, Emilio Vasquez, Patrick Wilhelm, David Wolfe
Bass-baritones: Justin Ramm-Damron, Jared Werlein
Bass: John Godhard Mburu
Twenty-one scenes, thirty-two singers! What a burden for a reviewer! How can I distribute sufficient praise? Firstly, there was not a moment in the whole evening that was less than excellent. It was, in toto, glorious!
There were three arias, eight duets, four trios, only one quartet (but after Rigoletto’s magnificently sung, who needs another?), one quintet, two sextets, and two septets.
At a loss to address every element of beauty, I will, nevertheless, point out a few with which I was particularly impressed:
- The variety was lovely:
The quartet from Rigoletto was unbelievably beautiful.
The Purcell pairing of two counter-tenors was as rare and fresh as skylarks.
Offenbach’s parody of Gluck’s Orfeo, with Jupiter disguised as a fly (for seduction) was a charming surprise. (Jupiter spent much of his time singing only “buzzzzzzzzzz”.)
Samuel Barber’s Vanessa (with libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti) is based on the style of Isak Dineson’s gothic stories. It’s rich and dramatic
In Madama Butterfly Daniela Candillari so perfectly controls her orchestra that it becomes a single passionate singer, taking the melody as Butterfly passes it to them and wreaking upon us the heartbreak of Puccini’s music.
Ruperto Chapi, who died in 1909, wrote many zarzuelas. An aria from one, beautifully sung by Gabriela Linares, is full of fierce love in a minor key, with threatening rhythms. It sounds very like what Bizet would have written for Carmen if he’d been a Spaniard rather than a Frenchman. Ole!
(And it sounds better in Spanish.)
An overture from Hungarian composer Emerich Kalman’s Grafin Mariza opened the second half. It’s a delight. Sometimes it’s like a movie score. There’s a bit of—is it a cakewalk? And there are some racing gypsy passages.
A couple of Gilbert & Sullivan numbers were included, as well as fine handful of Broadway classics—from Guys and Dolls, Gypsy, and Candide.
- Christine Brewer joined us after intermission to sing a tribute to the late Richard Gaddes—the founding father of OTSL. She herself came up through the ranks at OTSL to spread her wings and soar into international fame. She sang “When I Have Sung My Songs to You”. Ms. Brewer is notoriously adorable—and she is still a masterful singer.
- Outstanding performers:
Jouelle Roberson sang a most marvelous “Butterfly”.
Brad Bickhardt displayed great vocal smoothness and clarity, as well as brilliant physical grace, timing and precision—in both classical and Broadway pieces.Titus Muzi III triumphed in the impossible “Modern Major General”.
Kathleen O’Mara (whom I singled out in last year’s Centerstage) still shines out above a whole stageful of singers. A true lyrico spinto.
Sophia Baete really nailed Mama Rose in “Together, Wherever We Go” from Gypsy. Such a refreshing, persuasive, hard-“R”ed American accent after an evening of mostly Romance languages.
If you’ve not attended Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ Center Stage—next year don’t miss it!
(photo by Eric Woolsey)
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