Young Artist Awarded Richard F. Gold Career Grant

Joseph Barron as Grandpa Moss and Mark Diamond as Top in Glimmerglass Opera's 2010 production of The Tender Land. Photo: Claire McAdams/Glimmerglass Opera.

Joseph Barron as Grandpa Moss and Mark Diamond as Top in The Tender Land. Photo: Claire McAdams/ Glimmerglass Opera.

Young Artist Mark Diamond is a 2010 recipient of the prestigious Richard F. Gold Career Grant.

 Diamond performed this summer as Top in The Tender Land and covered the role of Araspe in Tolomeo. Some of his past engagements include Bob in The Old Maid and The Thief at Capitol City Opera and Dr. Gregg in Gallantry and the Count in The Marriage of Figaro at Georgia Southern Opera. He was also a Southeastern Regional Finalist in the 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He is currently continuing his studies for a Master of Music at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music.

The Richard F. Gold Career Grant, which assists young, gifted American singers with their career development, was established by the Will of Richard F. Gold. The Shoshana Foundation annually awards The Richard F. Gold Career Grant to young singers through music schools and opera apprenticeship programs.

For a recent interview with Diamond, read this Glimmerglass Blog post.

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Brittany Lesavoy, August 30th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in 2010 Festival, Young American Artists

Mark Diamond — One of Glimmerglass Opera’s Gems

“Mark Diamond was boisterous and entertaining.”
-Steve Smith, The New York Times
 

Mark Diamond“Baritone Mark Diamond, as the swaggering Top, is a singer with a bright future. Although the character of Top is hardly a sympathetic one, Mr. Diamond’s beautiful voice and striking stage appearance gave the character much redemption.”
-Seth Lachterman, Berkshire Review for the Arts


Mark Diamond is a member of Glimmerglass Opera’s 2010 Young American Artists Program. He performed this summer as Top in Copland’s The Tender Land and can be found attending the opera every night he is not in the show. Though this afternoon was Glimmerglass’s last performance of The Tender Land, Mark Diamond is surely an artist to watch for.

A Conversation with Mark Diamond

Mark Diamond as Top in 'The Tender Land'

Mark Diamond as Top in 'The Tender Land'

Brittaney Brentzel (PR Intern): Mark, tell me a little about your family.

Mark Diamond: I am one of five siblings and we all grew up in the Augusta area or the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area).  My family goes to West Acres Baptist Church in Evans, GA. My mother works as director of Nursing at Alliance Hospice and my Father works at Savannah River Sight(SRS).

BB: When did you first realize you were interested in music?

MD: I first found an interest in music in high school at Greenbrier High at which point I was involved in community theater in Augusta. I then decided to pursue a degree at Georgia Southern University for Music Education. After a few years studying voice there I changed tracks slightly in order to pursue a career in vocal performance.  I did complete my Music Education degree there in May of 2010.

Mark Diamond rehearses at a voice coaching

Mark Diamond rehearses at a coaching

BB: What made you decide to persue the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass?

MD: After going to Aspen Music Festival and School last summer I was encouraged to really dive head first into the audition circuit, at which point I auditioned and was offered the role of “Top” in Copland’s The Tender Land.

BB: What is your  favorite food?

MD: My favorite type of food is southern home cooking like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac ‘n cheese, and casserole.

Mark Diamond as Top in "The Tender Land" opposite Andrew Stenson as Martin

Mark Diamond as Top in "The Tender Land" opposite Andrew Stenson as Martin

BB: If you were stranded on an island and could only have three posessions with you, what would they be?

MD: If I could have only three possessions they would be a Frisbee, a friend and a piano. A Frisbee because I can entertain myself for hours with it and I played ultimate for years now, a friend because I might go crazy if I didn’t have someone to share things with, and a piano because I have always wanted to be better at playing and if I had one I am sure I would.

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Brittaney Brentzel, August 21st 2010 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in 2010 Festival, The Tender Land, Young American Artists

A Conversation with 2010 Young American Artist Jamilyn Manning-White

 

Jamilyn Manning-White

Jamilyn Manning-White

Jamilyn Manning-White is a member of Glimmerglass Opera’s 2010 Young American Artists Program, returning from her Glimmerglass debut last year as Clorinda in La Cenerentola. This season, she has performed the role of Mrs. Jenks and covered the role of Laurie in Copland’s The Tender Land, performed with the chorus in Puccini’s Tosca and sang in Steven Blier’s concert, the Killer B’s: American Song from Amy Beech to the Beach Boys.

Jamilyn was raised in Smithfield, Utah. She studied at Utah State University, where she received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. She went on to receive a Master of Music in Opera Theater Performance from Arizona State University. At the Arizona State Lyric Opera in Phoenix, Jamilyn performed the role of Belinda in Dido and Aeneas as well as the role of Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos.

Jamilyn will return to Arizona in the fall to perform the role of Frasquita in the Arizona Opera’s production of Carmen as well as Edith in the production of The Pirates of Penzance. She will also be covering the role of Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and Konstanse in the company’s production of The Abduction from the Seraglio.

A Conversation with Jamilyn Manning-White

Jamilyn Sings a Solo in the Killer B's Concert Accompanied by Steven Blier

Jamilyn Sings a Solo in the Killer B's Concert Accompanied by Steven Blier

 

 Brittaney Brentzel (PR Intern): Jamilyn, you’re originally from Utah. Does your family still live there?

Jamilyn: My family is currently spread out throughout the United States. I have a brother studying at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, another brother in graduate school at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, who is also serving in the military and a sister in Provo, Utah. My youngest sister and my parents are in Lima, Peru.  My father, Roger, has worked in the LDS Church Educational System all his professional life, most recently teaching at the LDS Institute of Religion in Logan, Utah.  My parents are currently serving as Mission Presidents for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Lima, Peru South Mission. My mother, Lyn, has worked at home teaching piano lessons while raising her family, and she is currently finishing her bachelor’s at Utah State University to be an elementary teacher. 

BB: Were you active in your community in Utah?

Jamilyn: I have always been very active in any community I have lived in.  I lived in Fruit Heights, Utah, for a few years growing up and participated in several community service projects to beautify neighborhoods. I raised funds for Food Drives and was a member of the National Junior Honor Society.  In Smithfield, Utah, I served on the Smithfield Youth City Council, participated in the Cache Valley Community Theatre, did community service projects and was a Sky View High School Cheerleader.  From 2001-2002, I served as Miss Cache Valley, a part of the Miss America Pageant.  I attended most elementary and middle schools in Cache Valley to promote youth literacy. I was featured on several local radio broadcasts and local television and performed the song “Tell me a Story,” a song composed specifically for this school tour and other youth literacy outreach by Jay Richards, a local composer in Logan, Utah.  In the course of my year reign as Miss Cache Valley, I received the Spirit of the Valley Service Award.

Jamilyn as Laurie in the Cover Run of The Tender Land

Jamilyn as Laurie in the cover run of The Tender Land

BB: When did you first realize you were interested in music and performing arts?

Jamilyn: Growing up in a very musical family, I’ve always been surrounded by music and the performing arts.  I remember listening to Chopin, Debussy, Gershwin, Beethoven, Mozart, Greig, etc. and learned all the piano classics from listening to my mother play at home.  My parents took me to see ballets and musicals in Salt Lake City and at the Cache Valley Civic Ballet and I absorbed every minute of it.  My Grandma Bennion (mother’s side) was a prominent strings teacher in Cache Valley and Northern Utah, and I remember visiting on Sunday evenings and she would play for us.  I remember telling my Grandma, “One day, I will play the violin and I’ll be good at it!”  At an early age, I’ve always been determined to work hard to pursue my dreams.  I later did study violin with her for several years until deciding to pursue singing  full-time.

I grew up dancing at the age of 5 and started taking piano lessons from my mother at the same age.  My Grandma Manning (father’s side) was an opera singer and I’ll never forget when she gave me my first voice lesson at the age of 8.  I still have her hand-written vocal exercises she wrote out for me and I’ll always cherish that small piece of paper!  I continued studying Tap, and Jazz, but Ballet was always my favorite.  I loved how challenging the technique was and when I did it right, it was so satisfying and so beautiful to watch. 

At the age of 12, I started taking voice lessons and violin lessons from my Grandma Bennion.  I think it wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized I wanted to pursue singing.  I received a full-ride scholarship my senior year in high school to study at Utah State University and I’ve been singing ever since.

Jamilyn as Laurie in the Cover Run of The Tender Land

Jamilyn as Laurie in the cover run of The Tender Land

BB: What made you pursue the YAAP at Glimmerglass Opera?

Jamilyn: Back in 2008, I did a lot of research of several Young Artist programs. Glimmerglass was one of the top of my list.  The 2009 season offered several roles that I could sing, so I applied.  I sang for Glimmerglass in Chicago and had a great audition.  When Don Marrazzo, formerly Glimmerglass’s Director of Casting and Artistic Operations, called me in November to offer my singing contract I was actually about to compete in a competition in Palm Springs, California.  It was all I could do to not burst with excitement!      

Jamilyn Performs Alongside Other YAAP Females in the Killer B's Concert

Jamilyn Performs alongside other YAAP females in the Killer B's Concert

BB: As an opera singer you are frequently traveling. What three possessions do you make sure to have with you while on the road?

Jamilyn: I always keep a picture of me and my husband on our wedding day wherever I travel.  I always keep my music on my person with my roll-up piano keyboard that fits in my music bag.   Lastly, I always bring my vitamins, sinus rinse and medicine with me, just in case I start feeling under the weather.

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Brittaney Brentzel, August 17th 2010 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in 2010 Festival, The Tender Land, Young American Artists

The Beats of the “Killer B’s”

Cast of "Killer B's"

Cast of "Killer B's"

Today kicked off of Glimmerglass Opera’s Seminar Weekend with a packed house at Steven Blier’s free concert, Killer B’s: American Song from Amy Beach to the Beach Boys. Blier, the artistic director and co-founder of the New York Festival of Song, accompanied six members of Glimmerglass’s Young American Artists Program. These young singers included J’nai Bridges, Jessica Cates, Steven LaBrie, Will Liverman, Rebecca Jo Loeb, Jamilyn Manning-White, Alex Mansoori and Zachary Nelson. From the first ensemble piece, the cast was introduced as a cohesive group, each male and female couple wearing color-coordinated outfits. The outfit choices, quirky choreography and overall demeanor of the singers led to an intimate concert filled with both drama and comedy – mostly comedy.

As we can assume from its name, the clever concert was assembled of only composers whose names begin with the letter ‘B.’ As Blier, who fittingly also has a ‘B’ name, said “We can document history, all within one letter of the alphabet.”  Aside from the cohesion in artists’ names, the concert also segmented itself into cohesive themes which progressed throughout the performance— survival, love, higher education, etc. Quotes from B’s in literature also served as segues between songs.

Blier explained many of the more serious song choices. One song in

J'Nai Bridges and Will Liverman in

J'nai Bridges and Will Liverman

 particular stood out with its landmark messages relating to American history. I Too, Sing American/ Okay, Negroes was sung by J’nai Bridges and Will Liverman. This song was compiled by Leonard Bernstein from two poems, each from a different era, juxtaposing racial views. The piece sang like a debate between two characters in our country’s African American history.

Overall, this imaginatively staged and sequenced concert was a hit with the audience from the opening ensemble to the encore pieces of Wishin’ and Hopin’ and I Feel Good. If you couldn’t make it to the concert, see our website for other opportunities during the next few weeks when our Young American Artists will perform.

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Brittaney Brentzel, August 13th 2010 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in 2010 Festival, Young American Artists

Now Accepting Applications

Young American Artist Lindsay Russell

2011 Young American Artist Lindsay Russell

Our Young American Artists Program is an important component of our Festival. Members of the Young American Artists Program sing principal and supporting roles, cover all roles in mainstage productions and sing in the chorus. Additionally, Young Artists are presented in concerts and cabarets, receive weekly coachings, participate in master classes, and perform in the community. Young Artists will also have the privilege of working with 2011 Festival Artist in Residence Deborah Voigt.

To apply to the 2011 Young American Artists Program, click here.

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Brittany Lesavoy, August 3rd 2010 | Tags: , ,
Posted in 2011 Festival, Young American Artists

“Singers” of the Round Table

Abby Kreh Gibson, Guild Education Committee Chair, introduces the evening's program.

Abby Kreh Gibson, Guild Education Committee Chair, introduces the evening's program.

On Monday, the Guild continued its “Talking Opera” series with a round table discussion with members of our 2010 Young American Artists Program. Michael Heaston, the program’s director, also joined the group, and the discussion was moderated by Guild Vice President Tom Simpson.

Many have heard that Glimmerglass Opera’s Young American Artists Program has a stellar reputation in the opera industry, but on Monday, we had the opportunity to learn more about why the program has such a great reputation.

Heaston explained that the program’s mission involves education through performance. Members of the program receive coachings and attend master classes in between rehearsals. Each member likely covers, or understudies, a major role and sings a minor role in one of the Festival productions. Members also sing in the chorus and present solo recitals in Cooperstown and Cherry Valley.  

“We work to give artists a comfortable surrounding in which to experiment and develop their own artistry,” Heaston said of the program.  

Each year between 700 and 800 people apply for the summer program. They submit a resume, headshot and audio recording. About 250 people are selected to be heard in the live auditions, which take place in New York City, Cincinnati, Miami and other major cities. Between 30 and 40 singers are chosen to join the program, depending on the needs of the current season.

“This year, due to the fact that we are doing The Tender Land with an all young artist cast, we actually have the largest program we’ve ever had,” Heaston said.

The 2010 Young American Artists Program has 36 singers and two coach/accompanists. You can meet them here.

Simpson and the panel of Young American Artists

Simpson and the panel of Young American Artists

Simpson asked the three Young American Artists on the panel, Jessica Cates, Michael Krzankowski and Annie Rosen, how they found the audition process. Krzankowski was a member of the 2009 program and sang the role of Barone Douphol in La Traviata. Alumni have to re-audition to enter the program again.  

 “It certainly wasn’t easier the second time around,” he said. Krzankowski, who this summer covers the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, said he learned a great deal during his time in the 2009 program. “I wanted to come back for a second year because the coaches are fantastic,” he said.

The panel discussed the unique aspects of the program, one of which is the opportunity for young artists to be seen and heard on the main stage, but also in audition for agents, impresarios from other opera houses, symphony conductors, etc. The Young American Artists will sing for anywhere from 40 to 60 people over the course of four to five weekends in the summer.  

Every year artists leave with contracts to sing or cover roles, or they secure management, Heaston said. Krzankowski was able to secure management after his last summer with Glimmerglass Opera.  

Simpson asked the young artists if they listen to established singers to learn or to prepare for a role.  

“I just wrote a 20-page paper on this, actually,” Cates said, referencing her recent master’s from the University of Tennessee.  “There is so much to be learned. I love to listen, and to watch – with YouTube we can watch singers and how they perform.”

Audience members heard about the singers’ experiences and expectations, how a family’s support can make all the difference, and how it’s important to take one day at a time. Audience members had the opportunity to mingle with the young artists after the presentation.

The “Talking Opera” series continues Monday, June 14, with a season preview from Music Director David Angus. Angus will speak at Christ Church in Cooperstown at 7 p.m.

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Brittany Lesavoy, June 11th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in 2010 Festival, Artistic Department

The Faces Behind “The Tender Land”

On Monday evening, the Glimmerglass Opera Guild held the first installment of the annual “Talking Opera” series at Christ Church in Cooperstown. The free series is presented each spring and includes educational seminars that delve into the upcoming Festival productions.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

About 70 people arrived to hear the first seminar offered by Dr. Fiona M. Dejardin, Professor of Art History at Hartwick College. Dejardin’s teaching at Hartwick centers on 19th and 20th Century Art, history of photography and print, women and art and more. She was the perfect person to discuss the inspiration for Aaron Copland’s second opera, The Tender Land, which was ultimately inspired by Let us Now Praise Famous Men, by writer James Agee and photographer Walker Evans. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is a mostly documentary-style book that explores the lives of three sharecropper families in the South during the 1930s.

Dejardin led the audience through Copland’s thought process in discerning the subject matter for his only full-length opera, and we learned that there were initial thoughts of using Erskine Caldwell’s novel Tragic Ground. Actually, “Stomp Your Foot Upon The Floor” from Act II of The Tender Land was drafted for his original concept. Dejardin played this song for the audience and then remarked, “If you didn’t know this was The Tender Land, you would probably still know it was Copland.”

But it was the photographs in the beginning of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, which only sold 1,000 copies when it was initially published, from which librettist Erik Johns took his cue. In fact, Dejardin said Johns did not actually read the book, but merely looked at the photographs of the Southern tenant farmers and their living spaces.

Lucille Buroughs

Lucille Buroughs

Photo historian Dejardin displayed the photographs of the people who inspired the characters in The Tender Land – Allie Mae Burroughs (Ma Moss) and Lucille Burroughs (Laurie).

She also discussed the differences between Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and The Tender Land. While both take place in the 1930s, The Tender Land takes place in the Midwest as opposed to the South, and Laurie is much older than the character’s initial inspiration – 10-year-old Lucille Burroughs.

These are just a few of the interesting and insightful comments Dejardin expressed during her hour-long exploration of The Tender Land and its manifestation. The audience was thrilled with what they had learned about the American opera, which will open July 10.

Allie Mae Burroughs

Allie Mae Burroughs

“Dr. Fiona Dejardin’s presentation was a superb glimpse into the background of Aaron Copland’s opera The Tender Land. The talk touched on several areas of particular interest to me personally – photography, rare books, architecture, and, of course, opera,” said Guild President Ed Brodzinsky. “What makes this so fascinating to me is how so much history and art has come together in this work – the music of Aaron Copland, the libretto of Erik Johns, the photography of Walker Evans, the writing of James Agee – and how all of that is used to interpret a period in American history in such a real way.”

The “Talking Opera” series continues May 17 at 7 p.m., when General & Artistic Director Michael MacLeod will discuss Handel, Mozart, and the Early Music Movement.

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Brittany Lesavoy, May 12th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Food for Thought

Glimmerglass Opera Spring Gala

Glimmerglass Opera hosted its Spring Gala to benefit our Young American Artists Program last Tuesday (this post is a little late in arriving). We honored filmmaker James Ivory at the event, and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo performed. If you’re interested in reading more about the evening, click here to read Panache Privee’s coverage. We also posted some of Ken Levinson’s photos from the evening on Flickr. Feel free to peruse!

The Gala was held at The Metropolitan Club in New York City.

The Gala was held at The Metropolitan Club in New York City.

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Brittany Lesavoy, May 4th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Between Festivals

Spring Gala to Benefit Young American Artists Program

Photo: Peyton LeaOur Spring Gala will be here before we know it. Didn’t March go by quickly? On April 27, Glimmerglass Opera will host its 2010 Gala at The Metropolitan Club in NYC, at which we will honor award-winning filmmaker James Ivory.

The evening is themed “Fireworks!” and will feature ”vocal pyrotechnics” by Anthony Roth Costanzo, the countertenor seen as Francis in Ivory’s film A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (which we blogged about previously) and featured on the soundtrack of Ivory’s The City of Your Final Destination, set for theatrical release April 16. The evening will benefit our Young American Artists Program.

Here’s a quick nod to theatremania.com, which was the first site to publish today’s official announcement about the gala. Here’s the press release (PDF). The formal invitation may be viewed here (PDF).

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Brittany Lesavoy, March 30th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Between Festivals

Reporting Back from OPERA America Workshop

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a one-day workshop presented by OPERA America at Ithaca College. Don Marrazzo, Director of Casting & Artistic Operations, was invited by OPERA America to join the panel of opera industry representatives who led the workshop by offering career guidance born of their own professional and personal experiences. The panel included representatives from ADA Artists Management, Syracuse Opera, the Eastman School of Music, Tri-Cities Opera, and Lake George Opera. The title of the workshop was Strategies for Building a Successful Career. Events of the day included themed panel discussions such as Making the Most of School and Training Programs, Getting Hired and Working as a Professional Singer, and Transitioning Careers. Don and the other panelists also led Q&A sessions on career planning with small groups of registrants divided by age and experience. Four young singers attending the workshop also had the opportunity to sing for and receive feedback from the panelists in a mock audition setting.

The majority of the registrants were college undergraduates studying voice performance, so much of the conversation was geared toward planning the early stages of a professional singing career. Many questions were raised about graduate study and young artist training programs, and Don shared his thoughts regarding casting Glimmerglass Opera’s own Young American Artists Program. The workshop registrants were interested to learn what Don looks and listens for in an audition, and his definition of what it means to be a good colleague. During the mock auditions, Don offered repertoire suggestions and advice as to creating organized audition materials (including resumes and repertoire lists) and getting high-quality headshots. By the end of the day, the registrants were armed with an arsenal of information and advice from the panel of opera pros!

After the structured sessions of the workshop were over, the registrants and panelists had the opportunity to meet, mingle, and talk about the day in a more casual setting. I was delighted to learn that not only were many of the registrants familiar with Glimmerglass Opera in general and the Young American Artists Program specifically, but they were also aware of our summer internship program. A good number of the registrants with whom I spoke expressed an interest in applying for a summer internship at Glimmerglass this year, either because they are not yet ready to audition for a training program or because they are interested in learning more about careers in the arts outside of performing. As a grad of both the Ithaca College School of Music and Glimmerglass Opera’s internship program, I was thrilled to talk about my time as a Glimmerglass intern with a group of IC students!

All in all, Don and I had a wonderful day sharing our experiences with such a receptive, engaging, and warm group of young singers, and we look forward to the possibility of meeting them again in the future as interns, members of the Young American Artists Program, or Glimmerglass audience members!

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Allison Hooper, October 6th 2009 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Artistic Department, Between Festivals
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