Meet the Happy Couple!

Along with his  Mo.Joe's Corner webisodes, Maestro Joseph Mechavich has interviewed the cast of Marriage of Figaro so you can get to know the amazing artists who will perform in the second production in the Brown-Forman 2011/12 Kentucky Opera season. Tickets are going fast, so you had better get them now if you haven't yet. Call us at 502.584.7777 or just click here. (The Kentucky Center now has a neat feature on their website where you can actualy select the seats you want.  VERY cool.)

Meet the happy couple, Carlos Monzon will sing the role of Figaro, and Anya Matanovic will play his soon to be bride Susanna.

From the Classical 90.5FM WUOL Lunch and Listen 

Want to see more? Our friends at MetroTV have the entire hour long program available online now. Click here to check it out!

Carlos Monzon

Where do you call home? New York, NY, where my wife and baby are (or if this a more technical question then Guadalajara, where I was born and raised)

Who has had the biggest influence in your career and why? My parents, they built our family from the bottom up. They are still working and they are very present in my life as the inspiration that motivates me to be a better person and a better singer every day.

What is your process when preparing a role? Psychology first, I need to know the story, who I am, where I come from, where I’m going, why some characters interact with me and why some don’t. I read the libretto throughout and translate it completely and do research on it. Then I can start working on the music, and, the composer, through the music, usually answers questions that were left unanswered by my research on the piece.

What aspects of your character do you find the most rewarding? Being the “hero” of a story is always rewarding, but mainly Figaro is a very open and transparent person and that’s very refreshing since, with my type of voice, I get to play the villain a lot.

What are the most challenging aspects of your character? Honesty, the simple fact of having to ‘act honest’ is an oxymoron; and considering honesty is possibly one of the strongest attributes Figaro possesses, I believe this to be the biggest challenge along with the wittiness required to outsmart the Count.

What is your one guilty pleasure? Gadgets! I’m very passionate about technology.

What music is on your iPod or MP3 player (or music you like besides opera)? Anything from Metallica to Mariachi music, from Radiohead to Cesária Évora, I really like most music when I consider it has been well made and conceived.

What is your dream role and why? I’d love to play the Four Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann; because they represent more than just an actual evil person or a nemesis. They represent those profound and destructive fears deep inside our subconscious, our split personality… when we become our worst enemy. To me this is one of the most powerful roles to play vocally and histrionically.


Anya Matanovic

Where do you call home? Ah...home. I grew up in the Seattle area and still feel most at home there, but at the moment I am based in NYC. The wonderful thing about traveling to new cities to sing is that each one becomes your home for the duration of the rehearsals and performances. As I was starting this career and working through the challenges of traveling often and being home less and less - my family would quote the beginning of the Emily Dickenson poem - "Where thou art - that - is home".


Who has had the biggest influence in your career and why? There are far too many to name, but it all started with Maria Callas. One listen to the La Divina album at sixteen and I was a changed person. I promised myself that if I could make even one other person in this world feel the way I felt listening to her - then I had to do this. But truly - if I hadn't had the support of my parents every step of the way, I never would have stuck through this.


What is your process when preparing a role? I try to approach each role freshly and to be forgiving with myself. The voice takes time to adjust between different roles and, for me, each new role must settle in my voice over a few months. So I try to start as early as I can with the music and text. I think of it in layers- the line I sing, the text, the rhythm, the harmonies I create and the harmonies around me, the style of the composer, the emotion behind what I am saying, the emotion of the orchestra under me. The way my brain works is that I must work on each of these separately and then start putting them together. Because once you get to the rehearsal process you don't have time to be thinking of any of those things - they should just be there by that point. And that is when the fun really starts....

What aspects of your character do you find the most rewarding? I get to have a blast on stage and sing some of the most beautiful ensembles every written.

What are the most challenging aspects of your character? Keeping track of everything around me and who needs what and which prop goes where - I would be an awful maid! I would have sticky notes everywhere....

What is your one guilty pleasure? BBC period dramas

What music is on your ipod or MP3 player (or music you like besides opera)? Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life Album, The Beatles, Tori Amos, Glenn Gould, Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, Mozart, good mixes from my sister and brother-in-law (though I doubt I could name the bands…but they keep me up to speed on current music coming out), Sondheim and R&H musicals.

What is your dream role and why? Musetta. Luckily, I have already been able to sing it - and in the gorgeous Zeffirelli production in Tel Aviv - where I entered the stage in Act II in a carriage pulled by a horse! She just has fantastic music! She gets to be feisty, but you also see the compassionate side of her in Act IV. And the whole show doesn't ride on her shoulders!

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A very special exclusive offer for Kentucky Opera Subscribers!

In honor of The Marriage of Figaro November 18 and 20.

Thomson Smillie, former general director of Kentucky Opera and an internationally acclaimed speaker and writer on opera, has written a user-friendly introduction for the opera newcomer, full of facts and entertaining stories and opinion for the seasoned opera-lover. 

….. hits exactly the right balance between fact, commentary and anecdote. And it reads SO well.”  John Duffus, arts impresario, Bangkok.

Order on-line [see below] PICK UP YOUR COPY(ies) AT A FIGARO PERFORMANCE and save $4.50! on each copy plus the publisher will DONATE an additional $3 per copy to the Honorary Council’s 2012 Campaign!

Thomson will be at the Marketing Desk in the Brown Lobby to autograph copies if desired.

AN INSERTED FLIER WILL TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHRISTMAS OFFER: discount + personalized dedication and signature + special mailer TO TAKE THE HASSLE OUT OF HOLIDAY SHOPPING and contribute to Kentucky Opera.

it’s very simple:

go to www.thomsonsmillie.com, click on Ky Opera Figaro at the top of the page, complete the order form, enter KY Opera Subscriber Exclusive code: “Figaro”.  Order and pay online – save $2.00 off $16 published price PLUS save $.12 tax ALSO SAVE $2:63 postage and packing = Total SAVINGS of $4.75 PER COPY.

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!

Mo.Joe interviews Michael Mayes

In our OVATIONS! Magazine, Maestro Joseph Mechavich interviews Michael Mayes who will be returning to Kentucky Opera to perform the role of Escamillo in the opening production CARMEN (September 23 & 25). Mayes was here last season to play Silvio in I PAGLIACCI.

The OVATIONS! Magazine is sent to subscribers to prepare them for the upcoming opera. It includes information on the composer, the opera, the characters, the setting - basically any information that we can get. In our CARMEN issue, not only does the Maestro interview cast members the stage director, Kristine McIntyre has her "Director's Corner" to discuss her side of the stage.

The OVATIONS! will be hitting mailboxes next week! (If you don't get one, think about subscribing. 502-584-4500 www.kyopera.org)

Here is a bit of the Mo.Joe's interview with Michael Mayes.

MO.JOE: Where do you call home?

M.Mayes: Ft. Worth, Texas, aka The Panther City

MO.JOE: Who has had the biggest influence in your career and why?

M.Mayes: It's hard to really pick one person~ so I'll have to spread the love around a little bit. My agent, Ana de Archuleta has been an incredible friend, promoter, and advisor to me for my entire professional life... Ana took a chance on me back when I was a virtual nobody~ she saw in me something that I couldn't see myself, and over the years, together we've developed a career that hasn't followed the traditional track to notoriety~ but one borne of hard-scrabble determination, fierce loyalty, and an unwillingness to abandon course when things got lean. Ana is a true American success story and my admiration for her increases with every passing year.  (More here in the CARMEN issue of OVATIONS!) 

MO.JOE: What is your one guilty pleasure?

M.Mayes: Sour Patch Kids candy; I can't walk into a movie theatre without loading up~ it's a childhood habit that has never truly been quashed.

MO.JOE: What music is on your ipod or MP3 player?

M.Mayes: Right now I am listening to a band called the Fleet Foxes based in Seattle. They're a kind of baroque folky band that's super mellow. My staples are Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, George Jones, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Metallica, Iron and Wine, Hank Williams, Amber Digby and Midnight Flyer, Loretta Lynn etc... I think I was born in the wrong decade.

Stay tuned for more interviews from Mo.Joe here on the blog. Check out Mo.Joe's latest video on what's so special about CARMEN here.

ELIXIR Patron's Circle party

It was a beautiful evening at the home of Ian and Roberta Henderson. The cast was in good form and each performed with great energy.
Here is a sample of the fun by baritone Chad Sloan who will sing the role of Belcore in Kentucky Opera's upcoming production of The Elixir Of Love.



Chad is a Kentucky native and a University of Louisville Alumni. He currently lives in New York and has been working with composer Ben Moore on a series of Song Cycles. The singer/composer relationship was developed through Kentucky Opera's collaborative program, The Composer Workshop where Kentucky Opera Studio Artists along with students from the University of Louisville School of Music and the Acadamy of Music at St. Francis in the Fields. More on this program very soon.

Tickets are still available for The Elixir of Love! Call 502.584.4500 or click here.

To learn more about the Patron's Circle and join the fun, call Kentucky Opera at 502.584.4500.

Elixir teaser

Victor Ryan Robertson will play the coutnry bumpkin, Nemorino, in Kentucky Opera's upcoming production of The Elixir of Love. Some lucky listeners heard him sing "Una furtiva lagrima" at Lunch & Listen on Wednesday, October 6 either live at the WUOL performance studio or on Classical 90.5FM. Others will get to see (a much better video of) the entire program on MetroTV in the coming weeks.




During the Q&A portion of the program, we learned that Robinson hasn't performed Nemorino since his studio artist days. You would never know that he hasn't been singing this piece for years.

A Review of Reviews

We had such rave reviews for Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci:

"The principal glory was soprano Kara Shay Thomson's explosive, altogether astonishing Santuzza. As a young woman disgraced in her village, bearing the anguish of excommunication, Thomson acted with honest, unaffected intent. She sang powerfully, wrapping every phrase in sumptuous tone retaining its core focus no matter how far above the staff."

Andrew Adler, Courier Journal

"...as the magnificent productions of these two outstanding operas were not only beautifully sung, but staged with elegant grace and acted with depth of emotion that resulted in characters that were fully realized."    J. Barrett Cooper, TheArtsLouisville.com

"Caballero and Mayes make an attractive and believable pair as they sing their lovely duet of yearning and promise. And when MacMaster sings the centerpiece aria, he makes you feel the wounded pride and pain that the betrayed feel, even as you have just left off identifying with the star-crossed lovers who caused it. When you manage to pull off that duality, you have gone a long way toward successfully performing I Pagliacci."

Selena Frye, Louisville.com.

Cavalleria Rusticana photo by J. David Levy: Lester Lynch as Alfio and Cara Shay Thomson as Santuzza.

I Pagliacci photo by J. David Levy: John Mac Master as Canio.

Audition Advice

David Roth just got back from the BIG Apple where he was holding auditions for mainstage artists.

Last week Deanna Hoying listened to over 80 singers vie for the four postions in Kentucky Opera's Studio Artists Program.

I sat down with her to talk about how it was going...

Me: So, how are the auditions going?

Deanna Hoying: "I've been really happy about this year's auditions. We have more artists audtioning and from all over the country even the west coast. I think the program has been gaining attention within the young artist circles. Our program offers great opportunity for a young singer to directly work with mainstage artists and conductors while performing compromario roles as well as attending master classes. More than that, I think the Composer Workshop gives Kentucky Opera more crediblity with young singers because it offers a valuable and unique opportunity for these students to work directly with living composers, which isn't available anywhere else.

Me: What advice would you give someone who is about to sing for you?

DH: Your audition starts before you arrive. Your headshot should actually look like you. If you change your hair dramatically, get a new head shot. If you headshot is 10 years old, get a new headshot. We need to know what you look like because we are actually casting for real roles on stage.

ME Interjecting: (This is advice not just for those new to auditioning. I can't tell you how often we get a black and white headshot thats 25 years old from mainstage artists. It's pretty rediculous and we often joke about it. Who looks least like their headshots. And one more thing. You can always take the color out but you can't add it in. Don't do black and white!)

DH: If you are on time, you are late. If you are 30 minues early, you are on time. If we finish someone 4 minutes early and you are not there, it does count against you and you will have to work harder when you get in the room. Allow for traffic, parking and accidents. No one will fault you for being early, but you will always be at fault for being late.

Don't make excuses when you walk in the door. If you have a cold, we will be able to hear it. It's a part of the deal, people get sick and still have to sing.

Moc auditions are a great idea. Get your friends together and sing for eachother, sing for your family, strangers, who ever you can get to listen to you and take the criticism. Have them tell you how you look, how you're standing, if you are too stiff. The entire presentation is the package, and the more feedback you get, the more confident you will feel when you get in the room.

Sing something that you do well. That is the most important thing. You only have 10 minutes. You have to wow us in that 10 minutes and if you don't get it in the first three, it's not going to happen. I can tell in the first breath or the first two notes if this is going to be sublime or a bomb, so I would rather hear a brilliant Sempre Libre than an awful attempt at Sarah's Aria from Jake Heggie's The End of the Affair. Don't bring in something you're working on, bring in something you have.

Don't be afraid to get into character. When someone stands static and stiff it makes them look nervous (whether they are or not)and it doesn't tell us anything about them. If you can get into character a bit but not over do it, it will tell us that you know the plot, who you are supposed to be, how you are feeling and that you can ACT. Opera is a lot about the voice but it's also acting. Those who are animated always get noticed.

Have a couple of unique pieces on your rep list. Somthing that's not done all the time but something you do well. We don't want an entire day of Carmen, Figaro or Flute. If it's unusual we will probably ask you to do it, so don't put it on the list unless you can actually sing it well. We also will look for modern pieces by American composers. So many singers can't sing in english, and with the Composers Workshop, it will be a part of the program regardless of what the Kentucky Opera puts on the mainstage. We will also look for works by our friends, Carslile Floyd, Jake Heggie or Ben Moore. These gentlemen have been to our house and have worked with our kids and we love them and love to hear them. Again, only if you can actually sing it and sing it well. You've got to know it like you know your name.

In any way you can make yourself stand out in the best way possible, do so.

We will be announcing the new Studio Artists in January. Check back to see who wins!

Dear Opera Lovers,

Ahead of me stands tall once more the most impossible of all tasks…expression of a divine performance through the limitations of written word. I have spent hours and hours contemplating if such a feat can be accomplished and hour after hour I have come to the same conclusion…simply impossible!! Yes indeed, many literary scholars, critics, poets and writers will captivate you, enchant you or illuminate your imagination with their abilities to transform your surroundings and provide you with images that transcend your human limitations. If I will be allowed to say, however, (to the point of being dragged out in the city square and be stoned to death as a blasphemer) none has been or ever will be able to come even close to describe as grand of a production as the premiere of LA TRAVIATA by Kentucky Opera.

What a phenomenal spectacle, a performance so absolutely captivating and deeply rooted in the depths of our own human existence that it is impossible to conceivably describe if one failed to be present inside the Brown Theatre. I will declare this for years to come that this performance was a feat of determination, perseverance and hard work by the dedicated staff and board of directors of this amazing Kentucky Opera company (major congratulations should be given to David Roth and his illustrious staff for their impeccable ability to be visionaries and get the JOB DONE!!). The principal artists that Kentucky Opera was able to attract for this performance left no room for doubters. A cast that could deliver with such force and grace, not only in their operatic vocal crescendos, but also with their abilities to act out beyond a static, paperback, cliché reproduction of what Verdi intended. Elizabeth Futral is a star that needs no introduction but inside the Brown Theater proved in all her grandeur why she is one of the most notable Violetta’s in the operatic scene today. Her voice soared in the theater and her acting captivated even the most hard to move patrons. We felt her passion reach out to the audience as she gasped for air and begged for another day to see the ray of light alongside her beloved. Her singing can move even a siren!! She is truly a performer who “lives” her role to the fullest. Sebastien Gueze is a real find and has a brilliant career ahead of him. He could deliver his singing with incredible force and gusto while mesmerizing the audience with his very convincing acting… when he was happy, one could feel happiness, when he was angry, anger and when sorrowful, sorrow. Donnie R. Albert was once more a baritone who knows how to deliver to his audience with considerable technical ability, just like he delivered in last year’s production of OTELLO. KY Opera could challenge any other company with such cast and definitely WIN!

The congratulations, however, do not end here. Just pick up the program and you will realize the entire bill is indeed worthy of major Bravo and Brava!! Our Kentucky Opera Studio Artists were brilliant and I have to admit this year the Studio Artist Program has some of the strongest residents I have ever experienced. They deserve our warmest applause and support since their hard work colors in such an elegant way every performance. Conductor Kelly Kuo did great justice to Verdi’s score and provided a full bodied and nostalgic performance with the Louisville Orchestra. Everything, from the costumes, to the set, to the lighting design was impeccable, imaginable, and lush which provided a time capsule where the audience could travel from the comfort of its seat back to 1850’s Paris. And to make things even better, the Brown Theatre proved the perfect venue for Kentucky Opera with its beautiful renovations, expanded pit, close, intimate setting and formidable acoustics. The new motto seems to be “there is not a bad seat at the BROWN”. So, with $78 for a season subscription I am stunned you are still reading the rumblings of an insanely emotional operagoer and you have not reached for the phone to call for your seats for the next 15 seasons to come…I am still not able to hold back my tears as I weep uncontrollably listening to my recording of LA TRAVIATA and remembering the night at the BROWN. I am sure Giuseppe was looking down upon us from his throne in operatic heaven, also weeping from deep exuberance knowing this production was exactly what he had in mind when he first conceived his brilliant masterpiece.

Christos “The Wagnerian” Dimitriadis

Cast Staff Lunch

Traviata artists have arrived!! Friday afternoon everyone came together (cast, staff, production...) and had lunch. It is a casual easy way for the cast to meet or be reunitied.

David Roth makes introductions.

Old friends hugged and chatted, those new to the company shook hands and met who will become old friends by the month's end.

One such new comer, is Sébastien Guèze who is making his US Debut as Alfredo. We were concerned he would need a translator, but his English is good. Hear it for yourself by listening to Lunch & Listen on WUOL on Wednesday, September 9 at 12 pm.

The cast/staff lunch is also an opportunity to highlight elements of the production that may be of interest. James Marvel, the stage director gave a little background on the set and costumes. He was at ease and able to get everyone comfortable with his wit and relaxed manner.

(I'm just learning how to edit these videos, so I will add more when I figure it all out)

Things are getting excited around the opera. Be sure to you our email list for all the updates so you don't miss a thing. Join Our Mailing List!

Iolanta Review by the Wagnerian

Dearest Opera Lovers,

Greetings from the humble pen of the Wagnerian!

Those of you that have followed my previous critiques know that I usually begin my writings by describing the performance while offering my opinion as to which parts where the strongest and which parts needed some form of improvement. It would be futile for me to go into detail concerning this Saturday’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s last opera “Iolanta” which he finished composing barely ten months before he passed away from this earth and into the pantheon of the greatest composers ever lived. Only by attending the performance on Saturday, March 21 at Kentucky Center's Whitney Hall, one could understand the full effect this offering had for the Louisville audience.

I have to admit, I love Opera more than life itself; I live, I breathe, I inhale into the deepest parts of my existence pulsating, invigorating, seductive opera…just like the finest perfume draped gracefully on the silky skin of a lovely lady. However, I always thought that opera concerts were not to my full liking and taste. How can one take away the theatrics, the costumes and stage grandeur of opera and expect the same pleasing effect? Thus, I entered Saturday’s performance with the same mindset…only to be absolutely transformed for life. I will never, EVER again feel that opera concerts are the red headed step child of this performing medium. On the contrary, Kentucky Opera presented an amazingly tight cast of talented performers with a brilliant collaboration between their own studio artists, visiting distinguished soprano from Canada (Anna Shafajinskaia) and distinguished cast from the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and the United States. The Louisville Orchestra performed in top notch fashion (Bravo Maestro Mester – he possessed such grace, control and power), the Louisville Chorus charmed with its presence (Bravo to David Roth for those of you who were paying attention!!) and the Louisville audience showed its appreciation with cheers and loud applause. I personally acquired quite a hoarse throat at the end from the continuous bravo’s that were rolling out of my mouth. I do not need to go into detail concerning each one of the performers individually; I am sure you will read about it in the Courier Journal. I would like to urge you that if the review is excellent please believe it fully; but if not take it with a grain of salt (with no ill will towards our distinguished critic Mr. Adler who most of the time I do not see eye to eye with).

The applause was deafening and continued over and over again; at the end of each aria, at the end of the concert and during the reception. I am thirsty for more and I hope that Kentucky Opera will present another brilliant opera concert this coming year (make sure you keep this coming David). The people of Louisville have spoken louder than I can ever print with this pen (or should I say keyboard?). BRAVO, BRAVO and BRAVO again!! Thank you to Kentucky Opera executive director David Roth and its staff for having the vision to bring such brilliant performances to our city. Bravo to our studio artists for their tenacity and brilliant talent (we shall miss the ones who are departing-best of luck to your new endeavors and come back to visit your friends). Bravo to those of you who continue to support great art such as our Kentucky Opera company and push it to thrive towards new horizons…together we can and shall overcome obstacles presented by this economic crisis and continue to make our society better through art, through my greatest love – OPERA!!

Remember to buy season tickets for the coming sensational performances and I shall see you where voice meets theater, where theater meets music, where music meets the soul. VIVA VOCE! Thank you Kentucky Opera for a season that I will never forget and for tears that have been forged on my cheeks and in my heart forever!!

Christos “The Wagnerian” Dimitriadis

King Rene

Wednesday afternoon two of our Iolanta singers were at WUOL for an interview with Daniel Gilliam. Ukrainian by birth, and Canadian by love, Anna Shafajinskaia will be our Iolanta and was so gracious to give her time after one rehearsal and before another. Mikhail Svetlov, who will sing King Rene, was there as well. You can listen to the entire podcast here.

In the interview, I learned that this was Anna's firs time singing this role, and she is very excited to add it to her rep. Mikhail on the other hand has been singing King Rene f,rom the beginning noting this was the first opera he performed in professionally.
Below is a video of one King Rene performance by Svetlov to give you a sample of what we will hear this Saturday, March 21 at 8pm at Whitney Hall. Get your tickets here.



FYI - There are $10 Arts Rush tickets available at the Kentucky Center Box office two hours before the show (6pm).