Ten Questions with Kenneth Stavert

Ten Questions with...

Kenneth Stavert, baritone
Sciarrone in Tosca

1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:

Getting to travel all around the world

2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is: 

Constantly adjusting to new living spaces.

3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:
Seeing my first opera when I was in high school, at Opera Pacific. It was Dead Man Walking with Maestro DeMain conducting, John Packard and Frederica von Stade. It confirmed for me that I wanted to be an opera singer.

4. A few of my favorite films are: 

Serenity, V for Vendetta, and Star Wars (I'm a Sci-fi nerd).

5. Three things I can’t live without are:My phone, my computer and my travel steamer.

6. My number one hobby is:
Surfing.

7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?

Sherill Milnes or Ettore Bastianini.

8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
Probably a personal trainer.

9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?

Tonio in The Daughter of the Regiment (only so that I could sing Ah mes amis).

10. Describe your favorite moment on stage. 

My favorite moment was probably the first time I sang Figaro in The Barber of Seville. They added in a confetti cannon without me knowing at the very end of the show. When it went off it was so loud that I jumped really big and had about 3 seconds where I had no idea what had happened. My look of confusion was I'm sure quite apparent but thankfully the curtain was on the way in. The only time I've broken character in opera...even if it was only for a few seconds. It taught me to expect anything.

Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).

What is the scariest part of singing in opera? 

Absolutely the first musical rehearsal. It's when you prove you are ready and that no mistake was made in casting.

See Kenneth in Madison Opera's production of Puccini's Tosca November 1 & 3 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18– why wait?

Blog It! Tweet It! Night

A Night at the Opera
Guest Bloggers and Tweeters joined us for the final dress rehearsal of Don Giovanni. They went backstage and watched the performance, and live Tweeted for three straight hours about the experience. You can find their thoughts here.

The Blog It! Tweet It! Night guests get ready to set off for an evening of opera.

Jeff Turk (@frescoopera):
“Don Giovanni – A High Performance Vehicle” is an excellent recount for opera newbies who might still be a little nervous of diving in. He also offers some funny and simple insights on why he enjoyed it. Read more here. 

Kimberly Aime (@bdgergrl):
"Badger Girl Goes to the Opera" is a must-read three-part series. Part 1 covers her preparations for attendance, Part 2 takes you backstage with her on the Don Giovanni tour, and Part 3 gets you a seat in the audience as she recaps the performance.

Geoffrey Cubbage (@geoffreycubbage):
“Misanthropology at Madison Opera” is perfect reading for those who enjoy a bit of snark with their opera. He enjoyed the performance, and his blow-by-blow recount of the evening will have you in stitches—no hoity-toity literature here!

Chris Lay (@mrchrislay):
You can still check out Tweets from the final dress, but here are hilarious, almost minute-by-minute annotated and aggregated Tweets from an opera newbie.

Mikko Utevsky: Guest blogging for The Well-Tempered Ear, found the final dress performance "irresistibly seductive", "sexy, dark, gorgeous, musically compelling, and brilliantly sung".

Mary Ellen Spoerke:
"Don Giovanni – Seduction, Deception, No Redemption" is a short and sweet overview of the opera, and some of the finer points of staging one (such as the importance of vodka backstage).

Ten Questions with Caitlin Lynch

Ten Questions with...

  Caitlin Lynch, soprano
   Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni

1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:

The first rehearsal with orchestra. All of the singers and orchestra members and conductor coming together for the first time. So much energy— so much fun!

2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is: 

Living out of a suitcase. The constant unpacking and repacking is exhausting!

3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:
Tori Amos at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. I think it was 1996. Incredible.

4. A few of my favorite films are: 

Simon Birch, Dead Man Walking, What About Bob.

5. Three things I can’t live without are:
My husband, my baby, and my family.

6. My number one hobby is:
Well, I really love scrabble and I'm getting into baking. I also love bargain shopping. 

7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?

I have to go with Corelli.

8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I think I would like to sell wedding dresses. Or maybe get into real estate. I've also seriously considered going into the family funeral business over the years. My family does such incredible work-- supporting families in their time of grief.

9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?

Hmmm, Canio in Pagliacci.

10. Describe your favorite moment on stage. 

Two favorites: Don Giovanni at Michigan Opera. My husband, Jonathan Lasch was Leporello and I was Donna Anna. It was one of the best performances-- such positive energy on stage and in the audience. And he proposed later that night. :) Unforgettable. 

Also, singing the soprano solos in Messiah at Hill Auditorium in 2010 with my high school choir director, and first musical inspiration, Dr. Jerry Blackstone. The Messiah is one of my favorite pieces ever and I felt that I had come full circle in the most awe-inspiring way. Dream come true.

See Caitlin in Madison Opera's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni April 26 & 28 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18– why wait.