Interviews and Conversations

This post continues from A Conversation with Director-Designer John Pascoe, Part 2 regarding his international career in opera stage direction and production design. We have committed to posting an ongoing series of discussions on his career influences and on a variety of opera-related subjects.  [Below: John Pascoe in the year 1980; resized image of a personal photograph, courtesy of … Read more

This interview was conducted on the Ranch of the Santa Fe Opera. The facilitation of this interview by the Santa Fe Opera and the Washington National Opera is deeply appreciated.   [Below: Conductor Carolyn Kuan; edited image, based on a professional photograph, courtesy of Carolyn Kuan.]   Wm: Where were you raised as a child? CK: … Read more

The following continues a conversation that first took place as interviews set up by the Houston Grand Opera and San Diego Opera [Rising Stars: An Interview with Raymond Aceto, Part 1] and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden [Rising Stars: An Interview with Raymond Aceto – Part 2]  and has continued at the Dallas Opera and the Santa Fe Opera … Read more

The following interview was conducted in on the “ranch” of the Santa Fe Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is gratefully acknowledged.   [Below: Soprano Joyce El-Khoury; resized image of a publicity photograph, courtesy of Joyce El-Khoury.] Wm: What were your earliest memories of music? JEK: I was born in Lebanon of Lebanese parents. My grandfather George … Read more

The following interview took place in the administrative offices of the Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation is deeply appreciated.   [Below: Dramatic soprano Christine Goerke; resized image of a publicity photograph, from christinegoerke.com.] Wm: You were raised in Long Island, New York. What were your earliest musical experiences? CG: Well, there were no professional musicians in my … Read more

This post continues from A Conversation with Director-Designer John Pascoe, Part 1. John has generously permitted me to pursue a much more in-depth discussion of the factors that led and allowed him to pursue an international career in opera stage direction and production design. We have committed to posting an ongoing series of discussions on his career … Read more

The following interview took place in the administrative offices of the Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation of this interview is gratefully acknowledged.   [Soprano Yunah Lee; resized image of a publicity photograph.] Wm: What were your earliest memories of music? YL: I grew up in South Korea. When I was a child, the only place that I … Read more

The following interview took place in the administrative offices of the Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation is deeply appreciated. [Below: Lyric coloratura Rachele Gilmore; edited image, based on a Dario Acosta photograph, courtesy of Rachele Gilmore.] Wm: What are your earliest memories of music? RG: I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t aware of music. My … Read more

The following interview took place at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House with the deeply appreciated facilitation of the San Francisco Opera.   [Below: Basso Morris Robinson; resized image of a photograph from Facebook/Morris Robinson, Bass.] Wm: As a child, you were influenced by your father, a minister at the Israel Baptist Church in Northside Atlanta, … Read more

The following interview took place with the deeply appreciated facilitation of the San Francisco Opera. [Below: Baritone Michael Todd Simpson; resized image, based on a publicity photograph.] Wm: You are from Gastonia, North Carolina. Are you from a family with deep North Carolina roots? MTS: Our entire family, including aunts and uncles, grew up on the same road. My great grandfather … Read more

The following conversation took place at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. with the deeply appreciated facilitation of the San Francisco Opera.     [Photo: Lyric tenor Saimir Pirgu; edited image of a Fadil Berisha photograph, courtesy of Saimir Pirgu.] Wm: Saimir, this is my first opportunity to congratulate you on your Edgardo … Read more

The following conversation began at the Park Hyatt in Milan, Italy. Wm: John, I’m grateful to begin what I hope will be a series of conversations with you.  [Below: John Pascoe; edited image of a photograph from www.johnpascoe.com.] Although I have been able to conduct interviews and conversations with many opera personalities, it’s most difficult to … Read more

The following interview was conducted in the administrative offices of the San Diego Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is deeply appreciated.   [Below: Lyric tenor Giuseppe Filianoti; edited image, based on an Arielle Doneson portrait photograph, courtesy of giuseppefiianoti.com.] Wm: What were your earliest memories of music?  GF: I believe I was born with … Read more

The following interview took place in the administrative offices of the Houston Grand Opera, whose facilitation of this conversation is deeply appreciated. This section follows: An Interview with Houston Grand Opera Managing Director Perryn Leech Part 1.   Wm: You came to opera very indirectly. You were enrolled in a drama school and were introduced to … Read more

The following interview took place in the administrative offices of the Houston Grand Opera, whose facilitation of this conversation is deeply appreciated. This section is followed by: An Interview with Houston Grand Opera Managing Director Perryn Leech Part 2.   [Below: Houston Grand Opera General Director Perryn Leech; resized image of a publicity photograph.] Wm: Although it’s … Read more

The following interview was conducted in the administrative offices of the Houston Grand Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is gratefully acknowledged.   [Below: Wendy Bryn Harmer; resized image of a publicity photograph from wendybrynharmer.com.] Wm: Although born in Roseville, California, you were raised in Bountiful, Utah. In my discussions with opera singers, many were … Read more

The following interview is with Signora Jolanda Meneguzzer, a lyric-leggiero soprano  from Florence, Italy, whom I saw perform several roles at the San Francisco Opera in the 1962, 1963 and 1965 seasons. Her responses to my questions are shown in Italian, followed by their translation into English.   [Below: Jolanda Meneguzzer; edited image, based on … Read more

Note from William: The following interview with the Opéra de Montréal’s General Manager, Pierre Dufour, took place in the administrative offices of the Opéra de Montréal.   [Below: Opéra de Montréal General Manager Pierre Dufour; edited image of a publicity photograph.] Wm: You became general manager during a time of financial crisis for the Opéra de … Read more

The following interview took place in the administrative offices of the Opera de Montreal, whose facilitation of this interview is deeply appreciated.   [Below: Bass-baritone Burak Bilgili; edited image, based on a Alvaro Jaramillo photograph, courtesy of Burak Bilgili.] Wm: You attended the music conservatory of the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in the … Read more

This interview was conducted at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, with much-appreciated facilitation by the San Francisco Opera.   Wm: You were raised in New York City, but your mother is Argentinean. How did your parents meet? IL: My mother was born in Argentina, but moved to the United States in the 1960s … Read more

The following interview took place on the “Ranch” of the Santa Fe Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is gratefully acknowledged. [Below: Basso Kevin Burdette; promotional photograph, courtesy of Kevin Burdette.] Wm: What were your earliest experiences with vocal music? With opera? KB: I am youngest of five children, the baby. I was brought up … Read more

Rossini Royalty: DiDonato, Brownlee, Pizzolato and Barbera in Curran’s Staging of “Donna Del Lago” – Santa Fe Opera, July 26, 2013

The following interview with Composer Theodore Morrison took place two days after the world premiere of Morrison’s opera “Oscar”. The interview  was conducted in the administrative offices of the Santa Fe Opera, whose facilitation of the interview is gratefully acknowledged.   Wm: Congratulations on the premiere. I’d like to begin with some questions about your … Read more

The following interview was conducted in the offices of the Glimmerglass Festival, whose facilitation is greatly appreciated. Wm: You grew up in greater Los Angeles in a family that played classical guitar. What were your earliest experiences in vocal music? RM: I sang in choir in elementary school in fourth or fifth grade. When I was older my … Read more

The following interview took place on the “ranch” of the Santa Fe Opera, whose facilitation of this interview is deeply appreciated.   [Below: Tenor Michael Fabiano; edited image, based on a Ariel Doneson photograph, courtesy of Michael Fabiano.] Wm: Most of the opera artists whom I’ve interviewed were engaged or influenced in childhood or adolescence … Read more