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singing an aria in Italian
(Dale Johnson) The Minnesota
Opera was founded in 1963.
Each year, we perform 5 works
at the Ordway,
and we do a variety of
educations programs, tours.
We also have a training program
for young singers.
We produce a lot of new opera
that's commissioning new pieces,
standard rep as well.
In 1998, I founded the Minnesota
Opera Resident Artist Program,
and we were trying to fill
a need of creating
really first-rate young artists
and training them, making them
part of our productions
here at Minnesota Opera.
Thank you.
and I am a soprano
the Minnesota Opera,
and this is my first year
as a resident artist.
The way that Italian vowel is
with speaks Italian.
allow your mouth
to have a little bit more
roundness in it,
and I'd like for you
to kind of pop off
so it's a kind of spooky,
ghostly sound.
As the Minnesota Opera
was getting better,
as the quality of our work
was increasing,
the secondary characters
met a high standard.
So it was really
all about artistic quality
throughout the entire cast.
So we created this training
program to fill that need.
It attracts first-class,
international world talent now;
we really didn't.
Nobody knew Minnesota Opera.
was very much a part of
of Minnesota Opera.
What you're doing is,
you're doing...
just a little bit.
As a resident artist we not only
sing things on the main stage,
but we also have classes.
and Dale specifically,
decisions and what to sing.
jazz
which we did
in the fall was absolutely
just an amazing time,
and I got to play Clorinda
who is one of Cinderella's
evil stepsisters.
Being part of this program,
professional experience.
they have good voices,
training
to get the technique
of the voice to work,
how to act.
They often need work
in pronunciation
so we give them language lessons
in French, Italian, and German,
of the opera.
It's that next degree
after school
on a professional stage.
Yeah, there, that was good!
Does that feel good?
Yeah, it's fun.
Each year, the Minnesota Opera
receives about 750 applications
to be in our training program.
we take 3 or 4 singers
applications.
So do a really easy...
descending tones
ya-ya-ya-ya-ya,
like you're a jaw tension guy.
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!
Breathe. Ya-ya-ya
enough breath for me, okay?
My background is pretty diverse.
North Texas University.
After graduating, I saw that the
Navy Band was having auditions,
and got the job.
for inauguration in 2008
there in front of the Capitol,
the National Anthem,
and it was an incredible
experience when you're seeing
the millions of people right
there on the National Mall.
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!
(Floyd)
The voice is spectacular,
on the right path.
high-performance car--
you have to break it in slowly
what it really has.
Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!
we're gonna go this morning.
isn't it? Uh-huh.
been using 2/3rds of your voice.
Oh wow! both laugh
How'd that feel?
A little out of control?
Feels a little out of control.
Good.
I think our program is
competitive because we offer
of really important things
for the development
of young singers.
We offer them roles on stage.
a complete training package
style, movement.
We invest in these
young singers because we hope
to be able to bring them back
to Minnesota.
an aria
graduate school, I started
in the Resident Artist Program.
It was in its 2nd year,
interesting company,
the Twin Cities,
I had not been before,
main stage opportunities.
and what they were asking me
to do on their main stage
was something extraordinary.
Adriana Zabala is a very special
singer; we're very proud of her.
She came into the program
in 1999,
stayed for a couple of years.
leading roles for us now
since she left the program
in The Barber of Seville,
in The Marriage of Figaro,
role was Pinocchio.
even learning of the fact
American premier, Pinocchio,
to play the part.
Every single note
of the whole thing
from the beginning,
and it was incredibly physical.
a 2-hours-plus role--
running, jumping,
puppetlike movement,
and being lifted by people,
people's shoulders,
the fact that the role
total off stage.
So I viewed it a little bit
like my personal marathon.
Adriana sings an aria
Adriana Zabala,
she's now singing with us
Wuthering Heights,
and she's really
stealing the show.
What I like about Isabella is
that she's kind of
got her head on straight,--
well, she's unfortunately
a bit duped by Heathcliff,
by the mystery of him.
It's a very beautiful,
sincere, aria,
I really, really enjoy
singing it.
(Dale)
Resident Artist Program
is a place where young singers
can find themselves.
They can find their art, they
can find literally their voice.
They can become true artists.
they know
to discover who they are.
Every notion I have
of professionalism,
of what it means to be brave,
to just go for it--
all of that, all of that
came from being here.
When these young singers perform
at the Met or at Covent Garden,
or Berlin Staatsoper, it brings
the name of Minnesota Opera
to the international stage.
Then singers
from those countries
come to audition for us as well.
plays softly