Name: Center Stage
Start: 2022-06-21T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-06-21T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Organization

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Soprano

Xiao Xiao

Poppea

Countertenor

Kyle Tingzon

Nero

Idamante

Conductor

Daniela Candillari

Center Stage

Saint Louis

United States

Public

The Coronation of Poppea

Idomeneo

Eugene Onegin

Orlando

Fidelio

The Rake's Progress

La Bohème

Turandot

Postcard from Morocco

Julius Caesar in Egypt

Ariadne on Naxos

The Elixir of Love

Florencia in the Amazons

Falstaff

Approved

Bass

Instrumentalist

Pianist

Violinist

Cellist

Violist

Flutist

Clarinetist

Guitarist

Organist

Percussionist

Oboist

hornist

Bassoonist

Trumpeter

Contrabassist

Harper

Trombonist

Saxophonist

Harpsichordist

Accordionist

Bassist

Tuba Player

Recorder Player

Lutenist

Tenor Violinist

Timpani

Mandoline Player

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Violino Piccolo Player

Viola da gamba

Musette de cour Player

Viola Pomposa Player

Archlutenist

Vibraphonist

Cornettist

Viola d’amore Player

Theorbist

Composer

Stage director

Librettist

Set designer

Costume designer

Choreographer

Lighting designer

Dancer

Actor

Chorus master

Video designer

Dramaturge

Translator

Sound designer

Repetiteur

Makeup artist

Executive producer

Hairstylist

Other

Stage Manager

Choir

Orchestra

Poet

Vocal coach

Teacher

Photographer

Broadcasting

Writer

Writing and performance

Chorus Director

Wig & Makeup Designer

Orchestra Operations

Illustrator

Extra

Singer

Bass-baritone

Contralto

Tenor

Baritone

Mezzo-soprano

Spoken

Child vocalist

Silent

Alto

Continuo

Once again the Saint Louis Opera Theatre concludes it's glorious festival of opera with a show-casing of brilliant young talent. It's called Center Stage, and it's a wonderful night featuring singers in the Gerdine Young Artists program. This program gives emerging artists intensive training and professional experience. There are master-classes, and the singers perform in OTSL productions-as chorus, or supporting roles, or as "covers" for major roles-and they prepare this Center Stage evening.

This year the GYA auditions toured seven cities and heard 1,100 auditioners. Thirty-six singers were chosen to participate in the program. These voices are, indeed, the cream of the crop. They come from nine different countries of origin, as well as nineteen states in the U.S.

GYA alumni are sometimes brought back as "Richard Gaddes Festival Artists" in subsequent years to perform in OTSL productions.

The program is a helping hand into this most demanding and competitive profession.

Center Stage is a great smörgåsbord of opera-- No, no, that's far too Swedish and Lutheran and heavy. If the whole festival is a great feast, then Center Stage is the delicious icing on the top of that final cake. It's all dessert and no vegetables.

We enter the lovely and comfortable theater and are charmingly greeted by the great soprano Patricia Racette, who is the artistic director of OTSL's young artist programs. The large orchestra (members of the St. Louis Symphony) occupies the up-stage area; singers enter to play scenes down-stage of the orchestra. A great softly-lit cyclorama provides a background. It's all very minimal, but, oh my, such voices!

The fifteen selections presented cover a wide spectrum: lyric, baroque, singspiel, romantic, heroic, bel canto, modern, etc. And, though OTSL uses English translations for its major productions, this Center Stage evening is all sung in the original languages. (Some of us cling to the perverse opinion that opera sounds better that way.)

he final moments of the first act of Turandot: After Calaf commits to the challenge of the riddle the entire chorus slowly swells up in massive, gorgeous dramatic power to a wonderfully fulfilling climax. I was thrilled to the bones. It's splendid work by chorus master Kevin J. Miller and all the singers.

"Pur ti miro" from L'incoronazione di Poppea: Counter-tenor Kyle Tingzon and soprano Xiao Xiao sing Nero and Poppea. Their voices are so perfectly matched that when they twine together in this lovely duet it could almost be one singer singing of his love for himself. Most striking. And perhaps, for these characters, not inappropriate.

Soprano Angel Azzarra singing Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos demonstrates simply astonishing power and pure beauty. I saw the rafters lift about an inch.

"Is that a hat box?" (from Argento's Postcard from Morocco) is a charming little curiosity. Almost Absurdist, perhaps Surrealist, it could have been written by Ionesco. (It was, in fact, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses.) Such a choice illustrates the freshness and variety of the works one finds at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

The orchestra, under the baton of Daniela Candillari is full of some of the finest musicians in America. Their playing is rich, subtle and lovely indeed

Everyone seemed to be having a joyous time! Singers, musicians, and certainly Maestra Candillari, who frequently turned downstage at the end of a selection to cast a proud, beaming smile upon those marvelous young singers--her protégés--her colleagues.

Some good friends of mine are STLO devotees. They've not missed a show in years, but they had never come to a Center Stage evening until now. This recent performance blew them away! It's a very important part of the festival. Don't miss it next year.

English

Center Stage by Monteverdi, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, P. I., Händel, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Puccini, Argento, Strauss, Donizetti, Catán, Verdi, Alates (2022/2022), Dirigent Daniela Candillari, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Saint Louis, United States

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