Being a mermaid was a first. Not the usual happy or starving peasant lot. I didn’t have much to draw on for character study, except perhaps watching The Little Mermaid a million times with my daughter. A scene from Enchanted … Read More
Sticking with the pants role theme…. here I am as a young boy apprentice within a solo group of choristers known as “Lehrbuben” to Hans Sach in Wagner’s only comedy and among one of the longest operas commonly performed, Die … Read More
In this enigmatic, fascinating and rarely performed opera, Thomas Hampson sang the title role in the 2001 production. Members of the chorus were dressed androgynously in top-hat and tails with Harlequin carnival character make-up and masks to create a rather … Read More
Similar to the all male La Traviata production, this Manon did have some women on stage besides Manon, however a large percentage of the women’s chorus, myself included, found themselves yet again in a pair of trousers to enhance the … Read More
Julie Andrews as Victor/Victoria has nothing on the always gender bending roles we find ourselves portraying in opera. Whether it’s Castri singing women’s roles, or women singing “pants role”, I too have had my share of playing a man over … Read More
So much fun playing dress-up in my job. Some days I can’t believe I actually make a living at something every girl dreams of.
I made my Metropolitan Opera Chorus debut in this opera at 8 months pregnant. I still believe my daughters great sense of pitch and rhythm was the result of this Wagner masterpiece. The costume was empire waist so not even … Read More
Satyagraha – an opera written by Philip Glass portrays the passive, non-violent political resistance advocated by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule in India. One of the top 5 hardest operas to memorize in my 23 years in the Metropolitan Opera … Read More