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10 Questions with Stephen Powell

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San Diego Opera Audiences have gotten to know baritone Stephen Powell pretty well over the last two decades (made his SDO debut in 1997) and practically needs no introduction. With that being said, it's great to have him back, even better as the title role in Rigoletto! Stephen was kind enough to answer some casual questions during his time in between rehearsals. 1. What was your last gig before coming to San Diego? I sang the role of Oliver Jordan in the European premiere of William Bolcom's new opera DINNER AT EIGHT this past fall at the Wexford Festival in Wexford, Ireland. I debuted the same role in the world premiere in March of 2016 with Minnesota Opera. 2. How do you relate to/feel about your character, Rigoletto? As a father of two sons, I relate very personally to Rigoletto's need to protect his child from the real dangers of the outside world. In his world away from home, he leads a fragile existence under the protection of the Duke. He knows the precarious po
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10 Questions with Alissa Anderson

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We're excited to have Alissa Anderson back in San Diego! Alissa first joined us for Rossini's La Cenerentola (2016) and since then she's kept busy  with Opera in the Heights, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Santa Barbara. Before she sings Maddalena for us in Rigoletto, Ms. Anderson was kind enough to answer some casual questions for us to get to know her better! 1. What was your last gig before coming to San Diego? A one woman show with Mercury Chamber Orchestra in Houston called Flowers of Evil. Before that it was The Witch in Into the Woods with Utah Festival Opera. 2. How do you relate to/feel about your character (Maddalena) in Rigoletto ? Maddalena is a strong woman and a survivor who uses her skills and grit to survive...that being said, her career path isn't one I would aspire to personally ;) 3. Are there any dream roles that you would love to sing and why? And since we're dreaming it doesn't
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10 Questions with Kyle Albertson

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" Renowned not only for his luxurious voice, confidence, and style, but also for his versatility and ability to bring a character to life on stage, bass-baritone Kyle Albertson is taking the business by storm. His recent debut as Wotan in Wagner’s epic masterpiece Die Walküre   with the Dallas Symphony was met with critics calling him “the most impressive aspect of [the] performance” ( Theater Jones),  praising his “luxuriant tone quality” ( Texas Classical Review ), and exclaiming that his “gripping” and “high-intensity performance will surely rank as a legend in Dallas musical history.” (http://www.uzanartists.com) We're excited to finally meet Kyle Albertson in a couple of weeks when he arrives in San Diego for the first time during the run of RIGOLETTO (Feb 2-10 at the SD Civic Theatre). Kyle graciously took some time out of his Holiday "break" to talk about his love for Metallica, Greer Grimsley, and Whiskey; all things we at the Opera also enjoy. Special ku
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10 Questions with Alisa Jordheim

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Lyric, coloratura soprano Alisa Jordheim will make her company debut as Gilda in Rigoletto in the beginning of February. Native of Appleton, Wisconsin, Alisa comes to us with a variety of experience in opera, oratorio, and musical theater performance ; and prioritizes her health and exercise to maintain an active career. Recent appearances include: Opéra national de Pari s, Palm Beach Opera, and Crypt Sessions NYC.  Miss Jordheim was kind enough to pause her Holidays to break the ice with us before we start rehearsals on January 14th, we can't wait to meet her! 1. What was your last gig before coming to San Diego? "Three concerts (in one day!) on New Year’s Eve with the New Philharmonic; and, a concert of opera scenes (including some from Rigoletto) with the New York Opera Society." 2. How do you relate to/feel about your character (Gilda) in Rigoletto ? "I relate to Gilda’s close relationship to her father as I am very close to mine (of course, a
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10 Questions with Evan Hughes

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American bass-baritone Evan Hughes is making his San Diego Opera debut next month as Figaro, fresh off singing the role in at The Semperoper in Dresden, Germany. As a n alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Evan's career has already led to great international success including performing roles with companies like the MET, Santa Fe Opera, National Dutch Opera, and Komische Oper, Berlin to name a few. We're looking forward to hearing him in the San Diego Civic Theatre for THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, but we're also excited to get to know him a bit better before he arrives: 1. What was your last gig before coming to San Diego? My last gig was actually three gigs at the same time. I was performing in Germany for two companies, doing two revivals, and one new production within the same couple months. This kind of thing happens in the opera world in Germany! I was singing Somnus in Barry Kosky’s delicious production of Händel’s S
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10 Questions with Sarah Shafer

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When you look at Soprano Sarah Shafer's diverse performance resume, it's hard to find a better example of a successful artist in 2018. Her unique ability to sing a variety of vocal and operatic repertoire keeps her busy. In the midst of singing as a soloist for chamber music concerts around North America, and less than a year after her debut at the MET, she is making her San Diego Opera as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (opening October 20th). We're excited to meet Sarah next week when rehearsals start, but she answered some casual questions so we could all get to know her better before then: 1. What was your last gig before coming to San Diego? I was singing Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 in Norway with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. It was very rainy and very beautiful! 2. How do you relate to/feel about your character (Susanna) in The Marriage of Figaro ? I love Susanna — she is maybe the character I relate most to in all of opera. I lo
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10 Questions with Caitlin Lynch

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It's hard to argue a better fit for the role of The Countess than American soprano, Caitlin Lynch. Caitlin is making her SDO debut next month after performing the role with the Metropolitan Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Seattle Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Lyric Opera Baltimore, Michigan Opera, and Opera Lyra Ottawa. We asked her ten (11) questions to get to know her better before she arrives in San Diego. 1. What was your last gig before coming to San Diego? Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs singing the soprano solo in Robert Paterson's piece "Walt's America". 2. How do you relate to/feel about your character (The Countess) in The Marriage of Figaro ? I love her. The Countess is the role I have sung the most in my career. My professional debut was singing the Countess with Michigan Opera Theater, in Detroit, my hometown! I have so many wonderful memories singing this role. And I learn more about her (and myself) every new chance I get to dive in
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