Category Archives: Resident Artists

I speak Southern. Just you try and tell me it’s not a language. Try.

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Feature Friday

Angie Keeton (Teaching Artist)

What made you decide on a career in the arts?

Angie Keeton (Teaching Artist)

I don’t know if you really get to decide. Many talented folks try so hard for so long and still never get the chance to make this their full-time job. Hard work, sacrifice and luck all play into the equation when it comes to any non-profit work in the arts. Originally I was going to study medicine, but caught the performing bug in High School. With a LOT of encouragement from my teacher and even MORE counseling for my parents, I was lucky enough to get to study music in college and have been ten times as lucky to be able to make a living performing and teaching.

How long have you been working with opera?

I hadn’t even seen an opera until I was 18 years old. It was La traviata at Opera Theater of St. Louis. I wept my eyes out and decided that THAT was what I wanted to do. But I performed in my first opera 3 years later as a junior in college (Faust).

My first time in a show with Minnesota Opera was as a supernumerary in Rigoletto in 2003. I started as the Teaching Artist in early 2004. My 2 sad years away makes this my 6th FULL season serving as Teaching Artist.

What do you think makes Minnesota Opera unique from other companies?

I have never felt part of a work “family” more than with Minnesota Opera. Although the company produces opera and opera education programs that are world-class, there is still a small-company charm about it. Everyone is so committed to making a great experience for the artists and partrons. I am very proud to say that I work for this company.

Is there any “haute” backstage gossip you would like to share from this or previous performances?

Well, I don’t want to get in trouble. But in my first comprimario role in Madame Butterfly in 2004, one of my chorus colleagues, who is a MNOP veteran, always came to visit me on stage right before I was supposed to sing my lines as Butterfly’s cousin. He would hand me some random object that he was hiding up the sleeve of his kimono. One night it was a plastic eyeball, the next night an ENTIRE role of gaffers tape. But the last night he handed me a piece of chocolate that, god forbid, was going to melt all over the $1000 silk kimono if I didn’t eat it right away. Luckily I was able to gobble it up and clear my throat just before singing my line. Hope I don’t get banned from the costume shop for breaking the #1 commandment—NO EATING IN COSTUME!

If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring three things, what would they be?

Husband Seth, baby Miles and our 7lb rescue mutt, Stevie. But do you think I could get a bonus item in the form of a case of a good red wine for being such a good mom?

What has been the most challenging piece you have worked on and why?

Nixon in China at Minnesota Opera. You are just flying by the seat of your pants, concentrating on the challenging and unpredictable rhythmic patterns for 3 hours. It was thrilling and exhausting, but we always wondered if the audience realized how hard it was for the performers.

Besides opera, do you have any other favorite genres of music? What are some of your favorite artists from that genre?

I really listen to anything and everything. It helps me stay in touch with the kiddos I visit in the schools, as well as hold on to my youth. But our collection of music spans from Medieval Chant to LCD Soundsystem, or from Willie Nelson and Jonny Cash, to William Shatner’s “Has Been” album. You just never know what you’re gunna get if you shuffle our iTunes library.

Are you really as scandalous as they say you are?

Me? No. I’m just all talk and no walk. Anyway, I work with kids! However my alter-ego, Sergeant Keeton, is a different story. To find out more about her, you have to attend Tempo’s annual Opera Boot Camp.

Do you have Twitter, a Facebook page or website fans can follow?

www.angelakeeton.com

Do you speak any languages besides English? What are they?

Typical singer’s working knowledge of French and Italian but my conversation skills are best auf Deutsch!

Gabriel Preisser (baritone, Lieutenant Gordon, Resident Artist)

Where are you based when not performing?

Gabriel Preisser (baritone, Lieutenant Gordon, Resident Artist)

Orlando

What advice do you offer aspiring artists?

Stay out of debt and follow your passion.

Where do you feel you delivered your strongest performance?

Figaro in Barber of Seville with Owensboro Symphony.

What tends to be the most challenging element of performing?

Making new and fresh every time.

Are you really as scandalous as they say you are?

I love to have a fun time, let’s leave it at that.

Are there any favorite backstage stories/moments you would like to share?

Tenors… Agh…! “Where is the Count for his entrance?” Holds the show… Oh turns out he is taking a shower backstage. He thought he had enough time between scenes and was getting sweaty the poor thing… Tenors!

What are your top three favorite operas?

Falstaff, Giovanni, Il Pagliacci

What is your dream role?

Rigoletto

How long have you been working with opera?

About 8 years

What has been the most challenging piece you have worked on and why?

Postcard from Morroco, complex music and subject matter.

Mary-Lacey Rogers (Resident Artist Administrator)

How has music changed your life?

Mary-Lacey Rogers (Resident Artist Administrator)

It’s made me more self-aware and forced me to redefine the word “perfect.” It’s a brutal career path and staying grounded is a talent not maintained by all.

What do you think makes Minnesota Opera unique from other companies?

Everyone here cares about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what they can do to make you or it better. Since I’ve been here I’ve been helped through running resident artist auditions to being offered winter clothes for my first winter ever… It’s an all around support system.

 Is there any “haute” backstage gossip you would like to share from this or previous performances?

The Cosi cast liked eating potato chips with pickles…. In the same bite. Gross.

What do you typically order when you go out for coffee?

“The largest coffee you have plus a shot.”

Besides opera, do you have any other favorite genres of music? What are some of your favorite artists from that genre?

Country, Jazz, Blues, Pop—anything with a good story and a good beat.

Name your top five favorite movies.

Peter Pan

The Wedding Date

Sleepless In Seattle

Anything with “James Bond” in the title

The Proposal (#5 changes out depending on my mood and the weather)

Are you really as scandalous as they say you are?

I’ve heard rumor that behind my back, fellow employees call me a “kitten with a whip.” I’m not ashamed…

Do you have Twitter, a Facebook page or website fans can follow?

I have a blog! The Rustic Stiletto : http://therusticstiletto.wordpress.com/

Do you speak any languages besides English? What are they?

I speak Southern. Just you try and tell me it’s not a language. Try.

What do you like to do when you aren’t busy creating great opera?

Well the first time I wasn’t involved in an opera, I biked across America, a 4,000 mile, 62 day, Baltimore to San Francisco bike ride. Then I became a PADI certified Open Water, Advanced, and Rescue Diver and moved to Key Largo to restore Coral Reefs. Then I went into the wilderness in Utah to learn canyoneering, white water rafting, and how to safely remove scorpions from your sleeping bag while you’re still inside. Then I got Wilderness Medicine certified and obtained my Wilderness First Responder so that I could save myself (and others) in the wilderness. I assisted in Pediatric Pulmonary Cancer research study, and picked up blogging. (“creating great opera” is a really stable thing for me to keep doing…..)

“The largest coffee you have plus a shot.”

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Feature Friday

Angie Keeton (Teaching Artist)

What made you decide on a career in the arts?

Angie Keeton (Teaching Artist)

I don’t know if you really get to decide. Many talented folks try so hard for so long and still never get the chance to make this their full-time job. Hard work, sacrifice and luck all play into the equation when it comes to any non-profit work in the arts. Originally I was going to study medicine, but caught the performing bug in High School. With a LOT of encouragement from my teacher and even MORE counseling for my parents, I was lucky enough to get to study music in college and have been ten times as lucky to be able to make a living performing and teaching.

How long have you been working with opera?

I hadn’t even seen an opera until I was 18 years old. It was La traviata at Opera Theater of St. Louis. I wept my eyes out and decided that THAT was what I wanted to do. But I performed in my first opera 3 years later as a junior in college (Faust).

My first time in a show with Minnesota Opera was as a supernumerary in Rigoletto in 2003. I started as the Teaching Artist in early 2004. My 2 sad years away makes this my 6th FULL season serving as Teaching Artist.

What do you think makes Minnesota Opera unique from other companies?

I have never felt part of a work “family” more than with Minnesota Opera. Although the company produces opera and opera education programs that are world-class, there is still a small-company charm about it. Everyone is so committed to making a great experience for the artists and partrons. I am very proud to say that I work for this company.

Is there any “haute” backstage gossip you would like to share from this or previous performances?

Well, I don’t want to get in trouble. But in my first comprimario role in Madame Butterfly in 2004, one of my chorus colleagues, who is a MNOP veteran, always came to visit me on stage right before I was supposed to sing my lines as Butterfly’s cousin. He would hand me some random object that he was hiding up the sleeve of his kimono. One night it was a plastic eyeball, the next night an ENTIRE role of gaffers tape. But the last night he handed me a piece of chocolate that, god forbid, was going to melt all over the $1000 silk kimono if I didn’t eat it right away. Luckily I was able to gobble it up and clear my throat just before singing my line. Hope I don’t get banned from the costume shop for breaking the #1 commandment—NO EATING IN COSTUME!

If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring three things, what would they be?

Husband Seth, baby Miles and our 7 lb. rescue mutt, Stevie. But do you think I could get a bonus item in the form of a case of a good red wine for being such a good mom?

What has been the most challenging piece you have worked on and why?

Nixon in China at Minnesota Opera. You are just flying by the seat of your pants, concentrating on the challenging and unpredictable rhythmic patterns for 3 hours. It was thrilling and exhausting, but we always wondered if the audience realized how hard it was for the performers.

Besides opera, do you have any other favorite genres of music? What are some of your favorite artists from that genre?

I really listen to anything and everything. It helps me stay in touch with the kiddos I visit in the schools, as well as hold on to my youth. But our collection of music spans from Medieval Chant to LCD Soundsystem, or from Willie Nelson and Jonny Cash, to William Shatner’s “Has Been” album. You just never know what you’re gunna get if you shuffle our iTunes library.

Are you really as scandalous as they say you are?

Me? No. I’m just all talk and no walk. Anyway, I work with kids! However my alter-ego, Sergeant Keeton, is a different story. To find out more about her, you have to attend Tempo’s annual Opera Boot Camp.

Do you have Twitter, a Facebook page or website fans can follow?

www.angelakeeton.com

Do you speak any languages besides English? What are they?

Typical singer’s working knowledge of French and Italian but my conversation skills are best auf Deutsch!

Gabriel Preisser (baritone, Lieutenant Gordon, Resident Artist)

Where are you based when not performing?

Gabriel Preisser (baritone, Lieutenant Gordon, Resident Artist)

Orlando

What advice do you offer aspiring artists?

Stay out of debt and follow your passion.

Where do you feel you delivered your strongest performance?

Figaro in Barber of Seville with Owensboro Symphony.

What tends to be the most challenging element of performing?

Making new and fresh every time.

Are you really as scandalous as they say you are?

I love to have a fun time, let’s leave it at that.

Are there any favorite backstage stories/moments you would like to share?

Tenors… Agh…! “Where is the Count for his entrance?” Holds the show… Oh turns out he is taking a shower backstage. He thought he had enough time between scenes and was getting sweaty the poor thing… Tenors!

What are your top three favorite operas?

Falstaff, Giovanni, Il Pagliacci

What is your dream role?

Rigoletto

How long have you been working with opera?

About 8 years

What has been the most challenging piece you have worked on and why?

Postcard from Morroco, complex music and subject matter.

Mary-Lacey Rogers (Resident Artist Administrator)

How has music changed your life?

Mary-Lacey Rogers (Resident Artist Administrator)

It’s made me more self-aware and forced me to redefine the word “perfect.” It’s a brutal career path and staying grounded is a talent not maintained by all.

What do you think makes Minnesota Opera unique from other companies?

Everyone here cares about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what they can do to make you or it better. Since I’ve been here I’ve been helped through running resident artist auditions to being offered winter clothes for my first winter ever… It’s an all around support system.

 Is there any “haute” backstage gossip you would like to share from this or previous performances?

The Cosi cast liked eating potato chips with pickles…. In the same bite. Gross.

What do you typically order when you go out for coffee?

“The largest coffee you have plus a shot.”

Besides opera, do you have any other favorite genres of music? What are some of your favorite artists from that genre?

Country, Jazz, Blues, Pop—anything with a good story and a good beat.

Name your top five favorite movies.

Peter Pan

The Wedding Date

Sleepless In Seattle

Anything with “James Bond” in the title

The Proposal (#5 changes out depending on my mood and the weather)

Are you really as scandalous as they say you are?

I’ve heard rumor that behind my back, fellow employees call me a “kitten with a whip.” I’m not ashamed…

Do you have Twitter, a Facebook page or website fans can follow?

I have a blog! The Rustic Stiletto : http://therusticstiletto.wordpress.com/

Do you speak any languages besides English? What are they?

I speak Southern. Just you try and tell me it’s not a language. Try.

What do you like to do when you aren’t busy creating great opera?

Well the first time I wasn’t involved in an opera, I biked across America, a 4,000 mile, 62 day, Baltimore to San Francisco bike ride. Then I became a PADI certified Open Water, Advanced, and Rescue Diver and moved to Key Largo to restore Coral Reefs. Then I went into the wilderness in Utah to learn canyoneering, white water rafting, and how to safely remove scorpions from your sleeping bag while you’re still inside. Then I got Wilderness Medicine certified and obtained my Wilderness First Responder so that I could save myself (and others) in the wilderness. I assisted in Pediatric Pulmonary Cancer research study, and picked up blogging. (“creating great opera” is a really stable thing for me to keep doing…..)

4/4 Monday Music Insights with Jeremy

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I am sitting here in Wuthering Heights rehearsal, watching them stage the fight scenes. It seems like there is a fight scene in every act!

Playing the piano growing up, I was always told to “play softer, play softer”. Finally in these fight scenes, the music is always really aggressive and I get to play plenty loudly, trying to sound like an orchestra of 50 some people on one piano! This score is not just assailing, it has tons of lyrical writing.

The composer wrote that he wanted the music to be like a huge tone poem, representing the natural state of the moors, where Wuthering Heights takes place. You can tell this right away as the music depicts a huge snow storm at the beginning of the opera. When the protagonist, Cathy, enters one hears the birds of the moors singing to her. As the characters develop within the story the music begins to show their psychological progression as well. This relationship between music, nature and the character’s psychological state is all tied together. In the Romantic tradition, the character’s mood becomes linked with their natural surroundings and and the music depicts all of this deliciously. It is kind of easy to understand this living in Minnesota in April with snow still on the ground. After living for in Minnesota for two winters, I certainly understand this!

Here is to a beautiful weekend, the end of winter and more Wuthering Heights exploration!

-Jeremy Reger, Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Coach/Accompanist

Opera Insights

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MN Opera resident artist Michael Nyby here, updating from the intermission of our penultimate performance of the Pearl Fishers. If any readers are coming to our last performance on Sunday, come to the Ordway an hour prior to curtain to watch the Opera Insights presentation, hosted by Mary Dibbern, our marvelous head of music and featuring the vocal stylings of myself and fellow resident artists Naomi Isabel Ruiz and Brad Benoit. Before each performance we sing a few excerpts from the opera and Mary gives a short but very informative and entertaining talk about the opera’s genesis. Hope to see you there!

Off to Great Start-Brad

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Hi Everyone!

The season opened with great success, well received by audiences and critics alike. The deluge of promotions for The Pearl Fishers not only helped make for a great opening night, but let the public take part in the process of the artists putting the show together, ranging from the witty discussions of Zandra Rhodes design process at a Vita.mn sponsored event to the singing artist singing all over town for many social events to making commercials!

The opening night gala was a huge success, too, as the four Resident Artists males sang their hearts out in renditions of Unchained Melody and My Way, waggishly in the manner of a certain all male opera group.

Yes, the season has opened, but the work has just begun. We have already started work on the comical Casanova’s Homecoming and are looking forward to putting that production together with so many Twin City locals and favorites!

Catch Pearl Fisher if you haven’t yet!!

Pearl Fishers at the Ordway

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Good evening readers! Resident artist Michael Nyby here, updating from the first Pearl Fishers orchestra run at the Ordway. I’ve always felt that opera is best viewed from the balcony, where one can best assimilate the full visual and auditory value of a production. As viewed from seat 28 of balcony row 2, this is quite a visually striking production. Anyone familiar with the design of Zandra Rhodes would not be surprised.
Along a similar vein, I am always fascinated by the transformation of voices once a production enters the performance space. Sure, all the soloists sound good in the small rehearsal spaces, but the acoustics of a well-designed performance hall have a way of adding a richness and warmth to the voice, and the design of the Ordway makes excellent use of this effect. The design is essentially that of the classic European opera house–tall, shallow, and steep–as opposed to the wider, deeper design of many North American houses. The classic design was tailor made for opera, whereas the larger American houses were often built as multi-use venues, where the unique acoustical requirements of the human voice tend to take a backseat to economic efficiency of design. With that in mind, the Minnesota Opera and the residents of the Twin Cities are fortunate to have such a wonderful space for opera. I’m excited to observe the onstage experience firsthand when I sing my role in Casanova’s Homecoming in November!

First Impressions of The Pearl Fishers

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Greetings, readers! My name is Michael Nyby, I’m a first year resident artist baritone with the Minnesota Opera. My first assignment this season is the cover to Zurga in the Pearl Fishers, so here I am in the Ordway watching the production’s first piano tech rehearsal. The rehearsal hasn’t yet started, but let me tell you, the set is a sight to behold. This production was designed by renowned fashion designer Zandra Rhodes. The bright colours and wild angles of the design stand in stark contrast to the classy old-fashioned billiard hall look of the Ordway’s interior. Speaking of Ms. Rhodes, she just walked in the room. She has bright pink hair and is wearing a very loud outfit which matches the set to a T!

I’ve watched the cast run through the opera many times now, but tonight–with the costumes, set, and some lighting work–is when we’ll really start to make some magic….
And to think I’m getting paid to sit here and watch it!

Best-
Mike

Opera Tasting Debauchery

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HI EVERYONE!

Brad here.

It was quite a weekend. The social club Tempo, a group of young professionals that love to support opera, kicked off the season with a night of wine tasting and opera music presented by members of the Resident Artist Program. The night was lots of fun for the performers and audience since most of the performing was coming right from the tables of those attending the event.

Afterwards, a couple dozen of attendees, event coordinators, and artist went to the Chambers Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis to continue the fun only to end up with a dozen more people reliving their glory days late into the night at me and fellow Resident Artist Octavio’s place. It made for a long Sunday, but it was all worth it since this week we start technical rehearsals for The Pearl Fishers which opens next week!!

Hope you are all coming!

And we’re off!

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Hi Everyone!

This is Brad Benoit. I am a second year Resident Artist program singer, excited to be back and ready to have another productive and fun season with The Minnesota Opera!

With only three weeks into the season, we have already had plenty of promotion events, previews, and staging rehearsals for our first production of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers.

It is full season and I plan to keep all of you fellow bloggers involved in all of the work and fun of the season!

until next post…