Ten Questions with…
Susanne Mentzer,
mezzo-sopranoMrs. Patrick DeRocher in Dead Man Walking
1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:
Singing great music that someone deliberately put to the page and sharing it.
2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is:
Staying healthy and in top form.
3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:Hard question. There are so many!
4. A few of my favorite films are:
The Best Year of Our Lives, Rear Window, Life of Pi, Legends of the Fall, Lawrence of Arabia, Godfather I and II, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Anchor Man.
5. Three things I can’t live without are:
My family, my dog and my iPhone.
6. My number one hobby is:
Scrabble/Games.
7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?
Paul McCartney.
8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
Nursing or Music Therapy.
9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?
That is a hard question. I guess it would be Werther.
10. Describe your favorite moment on stage.
Duet with Joan Sutherland in Anna Bolena at the Royal Opera Covent Garden 1988.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer)
Why is The Phantom of the Opera not an opera?
Because it is a musical and musicals are sung with sound enhancement (mics) and opera is not. People always mention it when I mention opera. One of my pet peeves.
See Susanne in Madison Opera’s production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking April 25 and 27 at Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18!
Ten Questions with…
Karen Slack, sopranoSister Rose in Dead Man Walking
1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:
Traveling the world and sharing my gift.
2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is:
Being away from family, friends, and my fury children.
3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:
When I was a kid my parents took me to see the Soul/Funk group Earth, Wind and Fire at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia. Live band with horns blasting, dancers in glittery costumes and pyrotechnics on stage. It was incredible. I stood on my Dad’s shoulders all night. I will never forget it!
4. A few of my favorite films are:
The Color Purple, What’s Love Got To Do With It, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Carrie.
5. Three things I can’t live without are:
Lipgloss, inspirational quotes, and Richard Strauss lieder.
6. My number one hobby is:
Making jewelry.
7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?
Luciano Pavarotti.
8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
A veterinarian, or a Life Coach.
9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?
Rigoletto.
10. Describe your favorite moment on stage.
Last season I sang one performance of Tosca with Arizona Opera on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The most fun I have ever had on stage! What a dream role!
Bonus: One Question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer)
What would you tell your 16 year-old self who decided she wanted to pursue a career in Opera/Classical music today?
Pray hard, work hard, take nothing for granted, seize each opportunity you get and all the joy possible, integrity is most important, treat everyone with kindness and PRACTICE!!!
See Karen in Madison Opera’s production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking April 25 and 27 at Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18!
Ten Questions with…
Jeffrey Beruan, bass
Warden George Benton in Dead Man Walking
1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:
Sharing my talent with others and making music.
2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is:
Trying to make singing look easy.
3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:
Lucia di Lammermoor with my wife as Lucia!
4. A few of my favorite films are:
The Fifth Element, most of the Rocky movies, The Usual Suspects, Shawshank Redemption, and The Big Lebowski.
5. Three things I can’t live without are:
My wife, great food, and music.
6. My number one hobby is:
Right now, it is jogging daily!
7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?
Cesare Siepi.
8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
Accounting.
9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?
Canio in Pagliacci.
10. Describe your favorite moment on stage. My favorite moment on stage was when I was the King in Aida with Portland Opera, when I had to step onto a moving turntable during the Triumphal March and somehow managed not to fall over despite the long, heavy robe of my costume. Also, during that same scene, getting to have Greer Grimsley and Lisa Daltirus singing away with me!
See Jeff in Madison Opera’s production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking April 25 and 27 at Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18!
Ten Questions with…
Clay Hilley, tenor Father Grenville in Dead Man Walking
1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:
All the wonderful people I get to meet, and the places I get to travel.
2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is:
Dealing with rejection.
3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Chautauqua Institute’s Amphitheater.
4. A few of my favorite films are:
The Return of the King, Scream, The Naked Gun movies.
5. Three things I can’t live without are:
Friends, Family, Faith
6. My number one hobby is:
Following current events.
7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?
Giuseppe Giacomini.
8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
Law/Politics.
9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?
Turandot.
10. Describe your favorite moment on stage.
There are many, but one comes to mind. While playing King Kaspar in Amahl, I was dressed in a VERY heavy (and VERY HOT) costume. It was so hot that I made a choice to forgo any sort of undergarment (as no one in the audience would ever be able to notice). During the performance I noticed an air-conditioning vent in the stage floor (we were performing in a church chancel), and “altered my blocking” such that I ended up hovering over said vent, enjoying the pleasantly-cooling streams of air while actively engaged in performing. 😉
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer)
Clay, are you available to sing the lead tenor role tonight at the MET?
A: Yeah.
See Clay in Madison Opera’s production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking April 25 and 27 at Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18!
Ten Questions with…
Alan Dunbar, baritone
Owen Hart in Dead Man Walking
1. My favorite thing about being a singer is:
Feeling a solid connection and line of communication with the audience.
2. The greatest challenge in being a singer is:
Consistently making that connection in each performance.
3. A live music performance I’ve attended that I will never forget is:
The 2008 performance of Frigg (look them up, they’re from Finland) at the Lotus World Music Festival in Bloomington, IN.
4. A few of my favorite films are:
Tampopo (best food movie EVER!), Top Gun, Amadeus, and Stranger Than Fiction
5. Three things I can’t live without are:
My family, my music, and books.
6. My number one hobby is:
My number one hobby is impossible to pick. I like to do too many things – gardening, woodworking, cooking, home brewing, cider making, metal working, etc. The list could go on and on…
7. If you could perform with any singer, retired or deceased, who would it be?
If I could perform with any singer, it would be Fischer-Dieskau. Not that there are too many duets for baritones, but hey, you said any singer.
8. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
If I weren’t a singer I would be a luthier, building violins and guitars (which I do in my spare time)
9. What role do you wish you could sing that you could never sing because it’s the wrong voice type/gender?
I wish I could sing Lensky because I love Eugene Onegin, and “Kuda, kuda” is one of my favorite arias.
10. Describe your favorite moment on stage.
My favorite moment on stage would probably be the Act II finale of Don Giovanni. It’s such fun!
See Alan in Madison Opera’s production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking April 25 and 27 at Overture Hall. Tickets start at just $18!
