“Felice mi fa” Meet Soprano Emily Margevich!

Hello, everyone! For those of you I haven’t met yet, I’m Emily Margevich! OperaDelaware has created a new staff role called a “Company Artist”, and I am thrilled to be the first one on the job!

My fiancé Dylan and I just moved here to Wilmington less than a month ago, specifically for my new job at OperaDelaware. Along with singing roles and performing solo concerts this season (stay tuned for those exciting details!) I am going to be working on the engagement side of OperaDelaware! Write to me if you have an idea to help our company, what theme of music you want me to sing for a solo concert, or if you’d like me to sing at a holiday party or any party! emargevich@operade.org

Speaking of parties, I will be singing Musetta in our La bohème! Her story begins with arguably the best entrance in all of opera, and she brings the party to Christmas Eve at Cafe Mumus! The title of this post is a quote from her famous waltz aria and translates to “it makes me happy”! That could be the title of my future singing memoir. Music, and singing in particular, does make me happy like nothing else. It has always been the energy and joy of my life, and when I was little I used to run around saying “I love singing!”. I still run around saying that, and to my good fortune one day OperaDelaware heard me! My relationship to performing and singing goes beyond description, but I’ll try to find some words:)

Music is so powerful and helpful for all of us in so many ways, and it connects us by sharing emotions and stories. Since you’re reading this opera blog, I’m sure you know what I mean. You don’t have to sing, or understand Italian, or know who Puccini is to be able to viscerally respond to the music and the reality of La bohème. This is my second time being Musetta living in this perfectly told bohemian story. I first sang the role at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia where I just received my Artist Diploma this past spring. Maybe I should start at the beginning of my singing story. After all, Julie Andrews has taught us that the beginning is a very good place to start.

The very beginning started in Chicago, where my entire family is from and where my mom began her dancing career. A year after I was born, my family moved downstate Illinois to a tiny town called Hoopeston. There, my mom opened a dance and theatre school and my grandma taught piano and voice upstairs. My grandma passed away six Julys ago, and I completely credit my opera singing to her expert ears and wise guidance. I will attach one of my favorite pictures with my grandma on this blog! I’ll dedicate a blog to her in February!

My mom also started a community theatre group, and from those experiences, I knew I wanted to make performing the center of my own life. My parents and grandparents always made our music and theatre fun. The purpose was to bring high quality art to a small town while focusing on inclusion, community, self expression. You can have fun while working very hard and being very serious. Introducing and sharing some great entertainment and stories with people through kindness and play is what I found in OperaDelaware that is so similar to my upbringing. It was always fun and real.

I became my stage animal self by being blessed with a mom who knows what it means to be a professional performer while keeping the humble heart of an invested citizen. I’ve kept this foundation with me, I think that’s why I love this art form so much - it’s never been work.

The first show I was in happened when I asked my mom if I could be in the chorus of her production of “Oklahoma!”. I was two years old, watching her direct and choreograph, and I knew every line and every step. I started doing professional musical theatre as a child when I told my parents around age seven that I wanted to do this for my life. I’ll add a picture from “Oklahoma!” and one from my first professional show “The Christmas Schooner”. (I’ll tell you more of that amazing show on a later blog!)

When I would land a professional musical theatre job, my Dad and Grandpa tag teamed in driving me 2 hours from downstate Illinois to Chicago from October to January- four weeks of rehearsals into eight shows a week. We’d do this routine throughout my adolescence at various Chicagoland theaters, all while I maintained straight A’s in school! Woohoo! It takes a village, and I can already tell you Delawareans embody that truth. Let me know if you want to hear more about the working theater kid process, and I’ll do a blog focused on it! Should we have a Musical Theatre night at OD Studios?

When I was about 13 years old, my grandma broached the idea of singing opera music. I didn’t grow up with opera music; in our small town of 4,500 people the closest opera house was 2 hours away, and we were a musical theatre family. We didn’t know you could enjoy both! My grandma studied as a singer, pianist, and violinist at her public high school, but her own talent must’ve heard something different in my sound that had an operatic possibility. When I go back to listen to our voice lesson cassette tapes, I do hear this little voice with vibrato and sizable, classical tendencies. So, when the time came, my mom and I college shopped for opera singing schools!

I decided to give college six months to see if I liked classical music half as much as I loved theatre, otherwise I was going to continue working professionally, make my way to Broadway, and skip college. Well, my voice and I fell in love with opera. Completely. I chose DePaul University for my undergraduate when I immediately responded to the mezzo soprano and amazing educator, Jane Bunnell. She told me I owed it to my instrument to discover my vocal potential. I stayed at DePaul for my graduate degree, too, for a new teacher at DePaul, Nicole Cabell. She and I clicked instantly, and her extraordinary skill and dedicated faith in me completely brought me to where I am today. I had a wonderful director and teacher named Harry Silverstein at DePaul, too. He taught me what I know about the craft of opera, and he and Nicole always made “felice mi fa” ring true for me, just like my grandma did, which is why I knew I needed to live in the opera world. Singing opera made me the happiest because it’s the extreme of singing!

After DePaul, I went to AVA in Philadelphia, and being on the east coast led me to all of you here in Delaware! A friend of mine at AVA referred me to Brendan when he was looking for a last minute replacement for a concert, and the rest is history!

I can’t believe we are opening in Delaware in just a few weeks! I hope to see you all at the show to introduce you to my parents, my sisters, and Dylan, so please stay after to say hi to me!

Don’t miss emily as musetta in la bohème
Get your tickets today!

Emily and grandma at the piano.

Emily and young opera fans at a recent operadelaware event.

Big Voice Energy and the Power of Community

OperaDelaware presents Verdi's Rigoletto on October 27 & 29 at The Grand. Our incredible artists have been rehearsing since late September, and they're preparing to present the opera this weekend with our coproducers at Opera Baltimore at Towson University. Before the cast, chorus, crew, and all the brilliant minds behind this production made their way down to Baltimore, we had a very important rehearsal with the full orchestra.

The Sitzprobe!

What's a Sitzprobe? A Sitzprobe is a chance for the cast and orchestra to perform the entire show, without costumes or set pieces. The purpose is to focus solely on the music and coordination between the maestro, orchestra, and singers. It is typically the final rehearsal before "Tech Week" where we rehearse in the theater every night.

The Powerhouse cast of verdi’s Rigoletto (performances at The Grand Oct 27 & 29)

We are profoundly lucky to have the OperaDelaware Orchestra and this tremendous cast to bring Rigoletto to life. The cast is full of gorgeous, booming voices that will take your breath away, but we quickly realized when we began rehearsing with the orchestra last week that the combined power of the singers and OperaDelaware Orchestra was too much for the OperaDelaware Studios! The Studios are typically where we host intimate recitals, cabarets, and events. But the combined power of this VERDI ORCHESTRA and these WORLD CLASS SINGERS could (figuratively) blow the roof off the place! It was brought to our attention that the sound was dangerously loud at some points in the recital hall, and we realized we needed to find a larger space for this important rehearsal.

Thanks to OperaDelaware General Director, Brendan Cooke, we were able to turn a challenge into an opportunity! Brendan connected with fellow Wilmington arts leader and friend, Matt Silva, Executive Director of Delaware Theatre Company. The Delaware Theatre Company has a beautiful space on the riverfront, just a short walk from the OperaDelaware Studios. Thanks to collaboration and quick thinking, OperaDelaware was able to hold the Sitzprobe ON STAGE at the Delaware Theatre Company, giving our singers and orchestra the space they needed to really shine.

On Sunday, October 15, the full orchestra, principal artists, and chorus of Rigoletto took the stage at Delaware Theatre Company for our sitzprobe. Voices and instruments came together under the baton of Maestro Subbaraman, and the results were incredible. We are more excited than ever before to share Rigoletto with our audience on October 27 & 29 at The Grand!

Delaware Theatre Company, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and OperaDelaware have a long history of collaboration. These are just a few of the arts organizations in our community that support one another and make a major impact. Whether it's providing rehearsal space, loaning instruments, or sharing insight to help all arts organizations move forward, the Delaware arts community is rooted in collaborative partnership.

We are immensely grateful to DTC for their friendship and support through what could have been a VERY difficult process. By listening to and valuing all of our artists, we can adapt so that everyone can win. The things we can accomplish in Delaware are exponentially greater because of the incredible relationships we've gotten to create with our community partners.

SUPPORT ALL THE ARTS IN DELAWARE! There is so much to see and explore in our community. Don't miss Delaware Theatre Company's next production, KINGS OF HARLEM, which opens on October 25 and plays through November 12.

The power of Verdi’s Rigoletto needs to be SEEN and HEARD to be believed!

Don’t miss your chance to see Verdi’s Rigoletto presented by OperaDelaware at The Grand on October 27 & 29. Get your tickets to the Opening Night Microgala and make it a night at the opera you’ll never forget!

The OperaDelaware Orchestra and cast of rigoletto rehearsing at Delaware Theatre Company.

What is Pop-Up Opera?

The Pop-Up Opera Summer Season is about to launch, and people across the state are excited about OperaDelaware's accessible and approachable programming that welcomes opera superfans and newcomers alike to experience the arts!

What is Pop-Up Opera?

Some folks are hesitant to go to the opera (or the symphony, ballet, theater) for the first time. So, what if we bring the theater to you? The Pop-Up Opera program started during the pandemic, and with more than 150 performances since 2020, we've reached thousands of Delaware residents with our state-of-the-art portable OPERA STAGE.

Pop-Up Opera is an experience like no other. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn, and our community with grow. Participate in TRIVIA to win prizes, meet the artists and hear their tremendous talent up close, and maybe you'll catch a flying OperaDelaware t-shirt out of our t-shirt cannon!

Opera fans of all ages are welcome. whether you’ve seen dozens of operas or this is your first experience, we’ve got you covered this summer with pop-up opera.

Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree (OperaDelaware credits: Countess Almaviva, le nozze di figaro 2022; a valentine cabaret, 2023) - OperaDelaware brings top-tier talent to you!

Got little ones? It's never too early to experience opera, especially in bite-sized, approachable, casual events! Let your little ones play in our BUBBLE MACHINES while they hear the music of Puccini, Mozart, and more!

Where can YOU find the OperaDelaware Mobile STAGE this summer? Visit the Pop-Up Opera page for our schedule and info on booking a Pop-Up performance yourself. Our next performance will be at Point-to-Point on Sunday, May 7, 2023!

Interested in giving back?

You can sponsor a Pop-Up Opera performance at a school, service organization, library, or community event! Learn more HERE

La traviata: Meet Director Kaley Karis Smith

Kaley Karis Smith joins operadelaware this March to direct Verdi’s la Traviata

Opera Delaware's Kerriann Otaño caught up with director Kaley Karis Smith in advance of her March arrival for La traviata. The two discussed Kaley's inspiration and vision for tackling this timeless piece, and what she hopes audiences will take away from their experience with La traviata.

Kerriann Otaño: What do you find most compelling about La traviata?

Kaley Karis Smith: This is maybe the obvious answer, but I stand by it: I think Violetta and her choices are the most compelling part of Traviata. This woman delights in life and accepts its shadows. She consciously chooses and builds her life in a world where doing so is almost impossible for a woman. She chooses to open herself up to the possibility of Alfredo’s love. She selflessly chooses to give him up when she learns about an unforeseen consequence of that action. Perhaps she regrets some of those choices, but making those kinds of decisions is an irrevocable part of navigating being human and alive. This story is very much about fate vs. choice for me, and whether our choices create our fate, or vice versa.

KO: How do you view your responsibility to be a storyteller and innovative director in 2023 when working with source material from another time period?

Kaley Karis Smith: Well, to some extent, time period is irrelevant, in that so much about what it means to be human and the human experience has changed relatively little- we are still looking for those truths through art, philosophy, and psychology. So fortunately, the only thing I have to worry about is telling the story in the most clear and honest way I can. Sounds simple, but it’s not always easy!

Innovation, I think, comes from following your own truth and exploring the things we (as in, the collection of artists interpreting a piece together) have learned from a story, and trying to share those things with our audience. It’s all in the little details that only we notice or create in these characters.

KO: Kaley - What do you hope our audience will connect with in your interpretation? What will make this production come to life?

Kaley Karis Smith: I hope our audiences will connect with themselves, mostly. One of the purposes of art is to communicate about our own humanity, and so I hope that people connect with their emotions without judgement and get lost in the story and beautiful music.

This opera is based on very real people, so we have a responsibility to honor them as human beings who are passionate, flawed, and trying to find their way in life, just like everyone always has. Verdi’s cinematic music, the orchestra, Maestro, our amazing cast, the artists who created our beautifully designed set/costumes/lights/etc., and the crew and stage managers will make this production come to life. They all live in the story as it happens with the music.

Catch La traviata a The Grand Opera House on March 31 and April 2. Tickets at www.operade.org/tickets

La Traviata: Meet the Cast

Kerriann Otaño, OperaDelaware’s VP of Engagement, got to connect with some of the stars of our upcoming production of Verdi’s mesmerizing La traviata. Read up on these powerhouse performers as they prepare to take the stage on March 31 and April 2 for La traviata at The Grand Opera House!

LINDSAY OHSE AS VIOLETTA VALÉRY

Kerriann Otaño: How did you get your start in opera?

Lindsay Ohse: I started out playing piano and cello, but I soon learned that I prefer to be on stage singing, rather than in the pit. I didn’t really know about opera until late high school/early college, I just knew I loved performing and after realizing my voice was suited to opera, it became my medium of choice. My absolute favorite thing is telling stories on stage with other people; I have such a great time connecting with my colleagues and feeding off of each others energy in a scene. I’d almost always rather sing a duet than an aria!

KO: Give us your best elevator pitch for La traviata.

Lindsay Ohse: So for someone who doesn’t know, the plot of La Traviata is kinda like the film Pretty Woman except that Richard Gere’s dad makes her break up with him to save the family’s reputation, and then she dies. It’s got way better music though, no offense to Roy Orbison. 

KO: When tackling Violetta, who or what are you drawing inspiration from? How do you make her come to life in a way that is uniquely you?

Lindsay Ohse: Violetta, as a courtesan, is basically an actress, or a performer. We as performers are always putting up a version of ourselves that we want people to see and hiding our true selves in a safe place behind metaphorical walls—it is very easy for me connect with her, in that sense, so I’m drawing inspiration from my own life as a performer. I have definitely made choices that ended up breaking my own heart, so we definitely have that in common!

BARITONE BENJAMIN TAYLOR AS GIORGIO GERMONT

Kerriann Otaño: What made you want to become a performer? What sustains you?

Ben Taylor: The thrill of going onstage, singing and being someone else while delivering timeless stories is something I really enjoy! I’m sure there are things that equate to that adrenaline rush, but for me, stepping on the stage is my favorite.

KO: Give me your best elevator pitch for La traviata.

Ben Taylor: It’s a classic story about love, miscommunication, conflict of family and self, and lots of parties and drama. What more would you want in a show?!

KO: Ben, I'm more familiar with you in comedic roles like Papageno (which you just recently sang at The Metropolitan Opera!) - what makes you most excited about tackling this stoic, dramatic role? Will Germont still have some of your signature charm, or do you view him as radically different from who you are?

Ben Taylor: Thank you! While I do love playing comedic roles, it’s nice to be able to go back and forth from the dramatic and the comedic. I think Germont is very charming despite the conflict he causes in the opera, but the application of his charm is different than a Papageno. So I’m excited to see how I can filter the charm through stoicism while making him relatable and real.

TENOR MATTHEW VICKERS AS ALFREDO GERMONT

Kerriann Otaño: Why is this opera important to you personally? 

Matthew Vickers: For me, there are 2 primary reasons: first, I was in the chorus for a Traviata when I was in school, during a period of about 5 operas that, ultimately, lead to me deciding to pursue singing opera as a profession. Second, it is important to me for, I think, the same reasons many might argue it's one of the top 5 (or so) most important operas still: it's humanity. Opera can be about and highlight many, varied themes. To me, it is very easy to see the people in this show as "human"; they make human decisions, human errors, have human baggage. In the end, it ends up being, in my opinion, very relatable. 

KO: What made you want to become a performer? What sustains you? 

Matthew Vickers: It's difficult for me to pinpoint the one reason I wanted to perform but I think it is related to the question of what sustains me: I love it. Very often, as a performer, it can get deeply personal and extremely lonely. In addition, the discipline and the craft that we spend so much time working on can draw us away from the core of what we do: collaboratively creating something beautiful. Like anything in life, I make it a point to take time out of my days to acknowledge and appreciate the sheer beauty -- the music, costumes, set, direction, story, etc. -- of any given production, and the joy of sharing that with varied talented humans. 

KO: Give us your best elevator pitch for La traviata.

Matthew Vickers: It's a classic, relatable story of Boy meets Girl/Girl meets boy, he is more interested in her, at first, but she -- reluctantly --  falls for him; things are, briefly, bright and sunny and then the self-sabotaging begins: humans making decisions/mistakes based on their own expectations and misperceptions, and they aggressively overreact and, yet, in the end, they are able to find "themselves" and have their lives changed forever, admittedly, with different results. 

KO: How do you find your character?

Matthew Vickers: Finding any character, for me, is all about the text, both my own text, and my counterparts. Alfredo, like many of Verdi's characters, is easier to discover because so much is present. Beyond that, the music itself aids in coloring moments in the arch of a particular character. I love creating an understanding of my character on a larger scale and imagine that the opera is just shining a light on brief moments in the life of this person. Alfredo, to me, is different from many other roles in that he is more "human". It is much easier to step into a character that I am able to connect with many of his decision/actions and temperament -- even the not-so-nice things that he does. If art imitates life, then it shouldn't come as a surprise that these characters are multifaceted and complex. The beauty of this story, and in human behavior, is the reconciliation -- no matter how brief.