In the Park with…
Adriana Zabala
Mezzo-Soprano, Opera in the Park
1. Where were you born / raised?
I was born in Georgia and raised in Miami, Caracas, and Houston.
2. What is in your ideal picnic basket?
Champagne, cheese, strawberries, and books. Of course, my honey is sharing it with me!
3. My most memorable moment performing outside was…
It’s not a performance per se, but it was in a natural setting, and was unforgettable. It was when I was 15 years old, and Leonard Bernstein came to the large barn in the forest at Tanglewood where our chorus was rehearsing. He asked us to stand in a circle, close our eyes, and start Durufle’s Ubi Caritas together by just listening and breathing. We closed our eyes and somehow took a collective breath. On the downbeat it started to rain on the leaves and trees surrounding the open barn doors. We sang the whole piece with our eyes closed, listening to the rain, feeling the breeze. When we finished, with the rain still echoing, we all slowly opened our eyes, and Bernstein had tears in his eyes.
4. My favorite outdoor performance I’ve attended was…
Kiri Te Kanawa singing Mozart arias with the London Symphony at Hampton Court in the summertime wasn’t a bad way to spend the evening many years ago. Also so many concerts at Tanglewood, like Rostropovich playing the Dvořák Cello Concerto and James Taylor on the 4th of July. Also Pavarotti in Spoleto.
5. My favorite summertime activity is…
… outdoor concerts, onstage and off! Generally, going to the ocean, traveling, and performing with great friends and colleagues.
6. My ideal vacation is….
… ocean, books, sun, storms, great food, friends, family, and (in cities) discovering art, architecture, and history.
7. Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: Are you having as much fun on stage as you seem to be having?
A: YEEEEEESSS!
Join Adriana for Opera in the Park on Saturday, July 22 at 8pm in Garner Park. FREE admission; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
In the Park with…
David Walton
Tenor, Opera in the Park
1. Where were you born / raised?
Nashville, Tennessee
2. What is in your ideal picnic basket?
Cured meats, dried fruit, grain mustard, crostinis, and light, hoppy beer.
3. My most memorable moment performing outside was…
…a talent show at camp covering Green Day songs.
4. My favorite outdoor performance I’ve attended was…
…Mendelssohn’s violin concerto with Joshua Bell, Yannick Nézet-Seguin, and the Philidelphia Orchestra at the Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival in Vail, Colorado.
5. My favorite summertime activity is…
…walking around the lake with my family.
6. My ideal vacation is….
…camping, hiking, or traveling overseas.
7. Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: What is my ideal summer temperature and time of day?
A: 60 degrees at dusk.
Join David for Opera in the Park on Saturday, July 22 at 8pm in Garner Park. FREE admission; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
Amanda Woodbury, soprano
Pamina in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
I was born in Phoenix, but I grew up in Dallas. I lived in England for 3 years when I was a kid.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
Crime fighting!
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
The Magic Flute! I sang First Lady.
4. My favorite opera is…
La Traviata.
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
Pre-show is smoothies and post-show is pizza.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I lived in England as a child.
7. The musical instrument that I wish I could play is …
The cello!
8. I like to binge-watch…
Heroes.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
My four siblings, because spending time with my family is my favorite thing to do.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
It has everything! Romance, magic, action, mystery and comedy.
Don’t miss the chance to see Amanda in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
Andrew Bidlack, tenor
Tamino in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
I was born in Pittsburgh, PA, but we moved around a lot and I was raised in Denver, CO; Laramie, WY; and Wichita, KS; before finishing high school in Chambersburg, PA.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I think I would have stayed in music and focused on another instrument, although I’ve often romanticized the idea of being a free-lance visual artist. Unfortunately I’m color blind, so that might have hurt my prospects, although maybe I could have passed off my green sunsets as something deliberate.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
I was Tom Snout in Britten’s A Midsummer Nights Dream.
4. My favorite opera is…
This changes all the time depending on what I last listened to. I always come back to Tosca, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Falstaff.
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
Pre-show: Pasta (I’m half Italian, after all).
Post-show: Meat.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I started playing piano when I was 5 and my mom was my first teacher. I started college as a guitar major and started singing in rock bands with my friends in high school.
7. My favorite musical instrument to play is …
Piano when I’m feeling focused, guitar when I want to jam.
8. I like to binge-watch…
I recently discovered this show Mad Men. Have you heard of it? It’s really good! (I’m a little late to the party…)
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Louis CK, Jon Stewart, Patton Oswalt, and David Cross. Maybe not so much a dinner party, but that seems like a fun group to hang out with and I think we could all use some laughter right now.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
There’s a reason it’s one of the most-performed operas! It’s got some of Mozart’s best music and since it’s a fantasy, every production is fresh and unique and can appeal to a wide audience.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: Would you like the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series this year?
A: Sounds good, thanks!
Don’t miss the chance to see Andrew in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions with
Alan Dunbar, baritone
Papageno in The Magic Flute
1. Where were you born / raised?
Born in the mountains of Jefferson, North Carolina; grew up by the ocean in Beaufort, South Carolina .
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
A woodworker of some kind, most likely a luthier.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
Candide as Pangloss/Voltaire in a student production at St. Olaf College.
4. My favorite opera is…
I can’t pick just one – Wozzeck, Eugene Onegin, Dead Man Walking, A View from the Bridge, Bluebeard’s Castle, and Le Nozze di Figaro.
5. My favorite pre-show / post-show meal is…
Pre-show: Anything that doesn’t make me feel too full – fruit, sushi, or other light-fare.
Post-show: Anything substantial and delicious. (Plus a good beer!)
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I’m also trained as a violin maker.
7. My favorite musical instrument to play is …
Violin, mainly chamber music (I don’t play much anymore, but I wish I did).
8. I like to binge-watch…
Shows that don’t go on for endless seasons like The Night Manager or The Honorable Woman; and, contrary to the first part of the answer, Game of Thrones, which does seem to go on forever.
9. What four people (living or deceased) would you like to invite for a dinner party?
Antonio Stradivari, Terunobu Fujimori (Japanese architect), Georgia O’Keefe, and Nick Offerman.
10. Everyone should see The Magic Flute because….
The music really is magical. It’s one of the few pieces that makes me wish I was a tenor or a soprano just so I could sing Dies Bildnis and Ach, ich fühl’s.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer).
Q: Why can’t you ever come up with good answers to this last question?
A: I have no idea.
Don’t miss the chance to see Alan in The Magic Flute, Mozart’s sublime opera that is part fairy-tale, part adventure story, and all enchantment. Performances are April 21 and 23 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
