‘New York quality’
By Joey Berlin
Originally published 01:41 p.m., May 16, 2008
Updated 01:41 p.m., May 16, 2008
Kansas Concert Opera was created to boost the careers of singers from the state of Kansas. Artistic director Stanford Felix expects high quality, though, and he says that if necessary, he’ll go elsewhere to get the voices he needs.
Fortunately, he hasn’t needed to do that for KCO to perform Georges Bizet’s opera classic “Carmen.” The group of state singers assembled for Sunday’s performance at Beach Music Hall — including one Emporia State University graduate — are, in Felix’s words, of “New York quality.”
“So it’s really great to be able to find those kind of quality singers in Kansas,” he said. “I knew they were here, and that’s why I started (the company).”
An Emporia-based nonprofit, KCO is still in its first season. Its performance of “Carmen” — with one tonight in Olathe as well as Sunday’s show here — is its follow-up to renderings of Puccini’s “Tosca” last fall. Felix said that next season, he hopes to start a scholarship program that will hopefully lead to national and international tours for KCO, during which it would represent the state with its performances.
“Kansas is not what you think about when you think about opera,” Felix said. “But we can change that.”
Elaine Fox plays the title role as the gypsy who romances the corporal Don Jose, played by Hugo Vera. Madison native William Browning, a graduate of Emporia State’s music program, plays Escamillo, a bullfighter who wins Carmen’s affections, leading to jealousy from Don Jose. Natalia Rivera is serving as the guest musical director and pianist for “Carmen.”
Felix describes Browning as a singer “just on the edge” of becoming a success. He’s finishing up a master’s degree in music at Wichita State University and recently sang in “Faust” with the Wichita Grand Opera.
“He’s just there; he needed a little more on his resume,” Felix said. “It’s just a great thing for a number of these people. Well, everybody — it’s a great experience, but some of ’em, it’s catching ’em right before they’re big.”
KCO is successfully filling Felix’s vision of a portable concert opera that doesn’t use elements of a set theater, such as sets and costumes, and displays English subtitles for the audience to follow the storyline. That type of performance makes having great voices all the more important, Felix said.
“Really, without all the sets and everything else, you have to have great singers, or else you lose the audience, basically,” he said. “If you have weak singers and you don’t have the sets and the acting to make up for that, you pretty much lose the audience. ... But I have not had to go out (of state) so far in this first season, and we have some of the best singers I’ve ever worked with. And being out in New York for 14 years, I sang with quite a few people.”
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Posted by murmusic (Regina Murphy) on May 17, 2008 at 5:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This organization is fantastic. The Tosca performance was incredible. We are so fortunate to have them performing here - don't miss out!
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