Interview with Heather Phillips

Heather Phillips was a Kentucky Opera studio artist in 2008 & 2009.  In our Brown-Forman 2011/12 Kentucky Opera Season, Heather Phillips will be one of the mainstage artists - Micaëla in CARMEN.   
Recently Shane Shapps of 520 East Brands had a chat with Heather about Opera, Louisville and everything inbetween.

When did you know Opera was your future?

“Probably when I first saw my first opera at the age of about 13. My Mother and I went to see Puccini's Madame Butterfly at Cleveland Opera and I was blown away. Even though our seats were in the "nose-bleed" section of the balcony of the theatre and I couldn't really see a lot of detail of what was going on onstage...I was so deeply affected by the power of the voices, the orchestra and the music. From then on, I was instantly hooked on Opera and had to find out more about it.”

How long have you been studying/practicing Opera?

“A little over 10 years now. I started private voice lessons when I was about 15 or 16 years old and after high school studied for 6 years at the Conservatory in Cincinnati, where I earned my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Vocal Performance. After that, I apprenticed with the Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City as well as other summer programs in between. I still however, and always will, consider myself a student of opera...it’s an art form with a rich history that is over 400 years old. There is always something new to learn. That's what makes it so intriguing to me.”

What's the greatest city you've been to? 

“Well in my travels thus far, I have visited a fair amount of the bigger or what you might call ‘grand’ cities. I lived in NYC for little while, and I recently visited Paris, which I loved, just last year. However the best city I've been to has to be Lucca, Italy. It’s a wonderful "little" city in Tuscany just an hour or so away from Pisa. It’s the birthplace of the famous opera composer Giacomo Puccini, and I spent a summer there studying Italian and singing in an opera production. To me, from the food and wine, to the history and culture and atmosphere of the town...it was heaven on earth.” 

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Heather Phillips with Jake Heggie in
Kentucky Opera's Composer Workshop 2009

 Wow. Those are some amazing cities. You are a very lucky person. What makes you look forward to returning to Louisville? 

“Definitely the people at Kentucky Opera - they were a real support system for me while I was a studio artist, right out of college. But I'm not only looking forward to seeing the people that work for the company, but the audience members and supporters of the Opera that are a part of the community of Louisville - a very social and fun-loving group.
What's your favorite part of the city? 

I really enjoyed the Riverfront and the park near the river and near the "Belle of Louisville.” That area is great for an afternoon run. But I also liked the restaurants and shops on Bardstown road.

What's your favorite local restaurant in Louisville? 

“Proof on Main was a great place for its atmosphere and great food. The other artists from the company and I would go there a lot after performances.”

Watch these videos to hear Heather sing Poulenc

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 and Mozart 

And on this very blog where she is Learning to fly for Kentucky Opera's Hansel & Gretel.

Here she is as one of the daugthers in Kentucky Opera's Pirates of Penzance. (green dress with the orange feather)

We are always glad to see our Studio Artists succeed, watch this shining star soar!

Of Mice and Men Extras!

Rod Nelman as George Milton and Michael Hendrick as Lennie Small in Carlisle Floyd's OF MICE AND MEN which Kentucky Opera will present at the Brown Theatre on Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1. Photo by J. David Levy.

Kentucky Opera has been very busy with "Of Mice and Men" and the excitement is mounting! Composer, Carlisle Floyd was able to join us last night for the student dress rehearsal. See samples from the opera meet the composer.

Today, Mr. Floyd was in the WUOL studio with Daniel Gilliam chatting with fellow composer Jake Heggie (who was in Louisville for last year's composer workshop). Listen to the entire conversation here.

Also, if you haven't picked up this weeks LEO, do so. Bill Doolittle wrote a great article!

Composer comes to town!!

He is considered the Father of American Opera. Contemporary composers across the country and the globe admire him for his contributions to the craft. His works combine penetrating social commentary with acute psychological insight. In 2008 he became the first composer to receive the National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honor award. And he's coming to Louisville.


Composer and librettist, Carlisle Floyd, will sit amongst the students of Louisville high schools and colleges on Wednesday night at the Brown Theater to watch the final dress rehearsal of one of his most successful operas, Of Mice and Men.


He has quite a busy schedule for the short time in town. Thursday morning he will chat with Jake Heggie (who came to town for the Kentucky Opera Composer Workshop last year) and Classical 90.5 FM's Daniel Gilliam. The entire conversation will be available later that afternoon online at WUOL.org.


He will also conduct master classes with Kentucky Opera studio artists and students from the University of Louisville School of Music. Very special patrons will be able to dine with him at the President's Council Dinner before he attends the Of Mice and Men opening night performance on Friday, October 30 at the Brown Theatre.


Join the composer for the performance on Friday at 8pm. Call 502.584.7777 for tickets.


If you missed it:
See the Lunch & Listen recorded at the WUOL performance studios on METRO TV (Insight channel 25).

Thursday, October 22 4:30 pm
Friday, October 23 12:00 pm & 11:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 4:00 am
Sunday, October 25 – 9:00 pm

The weekly Metro TV schedule is available on line here.

Inside the Composers Workshop

Click image to see more Jan Abbot photos of Enemies, a Love Story

It's appropriate following Andrew Adler's article in the Courier Journal on Sunday, that we hear from one of the participants of this very important program. It just so happens, that one of the Louisville Orchestra interns, Jenifer Thomas is a student at UofL's School of Music and has participated in the Composer Workshop for the two years the program has been going on. She was able to give a bit of insight on her experiences.

Now, after two years of Composer Workshops, I am hit with two huge realizations: 1. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with these living composers, and 2. I am amazed at how much talent composers today have.

Jake Heggie, last year’s composer, was an enthusiastic, personable, and anxious to work with as many students as he could. His love for his music, obvious ability to write for the voice (a task not easily done), and desire for the singer to break out of his or her shell and truly embrace the music were the major tenets of his master classes. He had the singers jumping around the room, shouting, singing directly to other students, or other tactics to allow freedom and expression in singing.

Ben Moore, however, had very different tactics. His background as an actor (as well as a painter, composer and lyricist) allowed him to embrace the more subtle nuances of his songs. His music is more lyrical than Heggie’s, perhaps edging towards musical theatre- which makes sense, of course, since he has written several musicals. The lyricism, however, does not detract from the underlying sadness of many of his songs. His approach to interpreting the pieces was also inspired by his acting background. Singers were asked to identify a feeling that was in harmony with the song, and recreate it. Perhaps this is the influence of method acting? Regardless, it allowed for more understated, gripping performances in the singers- a vast difference from Heggie’s more external style.

Nonetheless, both composers provided tools to be used in performance from this point on. I feel honored to have been able to work with such talented men, on their music, from their point of view. And what a positive outlook modern opera has! With such talented composers out there (with Heggie and Moore being only a small sampling), new operas are compelling, musically interesting, and based on stories to which audiences can relate. What a lucky group of singers (and audience members) we are, to have such talent at our fingertips!

Jenifer Thomas

Along with students from UofL's School of Music and the Academy of Music at St. Francis in the Fields, Kentucky Opera Studio Artists also participate in the Composer Workshop program. To audition for a Studio Artist position with Kentucky Opera, visit the website for forms, schedules and so much more!

Composer Workshop with Jake Heggie

FREE CONCERT OF JAKE HEGGIE WORKS

Friday February 20 at 8pm
Comstock Hall, UofL School of Music

UofL junior, Jen Thomas is one of the lucky singers able to participate in the Composer Workshop with Jake Heggie. On Sunday, February 15 was the first of the week-long workshops. Here is her impression of the evening:

Jake Heggie does not presume to teach singers how to sing: instead, he uses his expertise to help the singer connect to the text and emotion of each piece, and create a true emotional reaction, instead of acting as a character. Because of this, often Mr. Heggie was dragging singers out of their comfort zone. Many of us were asked to recite the poetry of our songs dramatically, in an over-the-top way, or consider different ways to interpret our texts. I myself had to channel a seductress for my song, which I originally approached as innocent and lilting song. The change to both my voice, and my performance of the song, was drastically different, but far superior, to my original interpretation.
Others were asked to consider the context of their song, especially when their selection came from an opera. He refocused traditional acting techniques to better apply to a singer’s experience. By doing so, each song became a story, or an emotional ride. His deep, emotive music so easily lends itself to an emotional interpretation, and Mr. Heggie’s ability to express himself enhanced both a consideration of his music, as well as the music of others.
He is soft-spoken and passionate, and allows himself to easily connect to every person in the room. In that way, he is captivating. One of the most interesting moments during the master classes to this point was when he himself played the piano for one of the singers. He hardly looked at the music.

Last night (Monday 2/16) Heggie had an incredible interview with Scott Dowd at WUOL. The evening started by introducing the members responsible for making this program possible, Edith Tidwell, Nancy Albrink and David Roth. Jake talked about his process and how he loves distilling something down th to the basic elements. He spoke about how the expenseive and elabroate nature of opera makes it difficult for composers to workshop thier pieces. Usually the first time you get to see if all the pieces work is opening night, (when you have the world watching). So the concept of a workshop process that Kentucky Opera is starting will be a valuable resource for composers. To be able to have singers to go through the vocals would be an incredible asset to the entire process. We were entertained by Megan Deiter, Phillip Morgan and Kelly Ballou each singing Heggie compositions.

WUOL will put it in their audio archives soon and Metro TV was there recording as well. SO after the fact, you can tune in. I will let you know when.

Photo: Jake Heggie works with Kentucky Opera Studio Artist, Heather Phillips, through an aria from The End of the Affair.