Ten Questions With…
David Lefkowich
Stage Director of La Bohème
1. Where were you born / raised?
Born in Albany, New York; raised in Delmar, New York.
2. If you weren’t a director, what profession would you be in?
Chorus singer at the San Francisco Opera.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
In 2004, I was the assistant director for La Fanciulla del West at Glimmerglass Opera. The performer singing Billy Jackrabbit was indisposed for the final performance and the cover was already singing Castro (another role in the show). I had to go on as Billy AND Castro whenever they were onstage and not singing. Full makeup, four quick changes, and two fight scenes. Harrowing.
4. My favorite opera is…
The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky / Les Contes d’Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach / whatever I am currently directing.
5. My favorite pre/post-show meal is…
Pre-show: is anxiety considered a meal?
Post-show: steak-frites.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I spent the first year of my career as a healthcare consultant. I didn’t hate it.
7. A few of my favorite books are…
Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon), anything by Haruki Murakami, The Velveteen Rabbit (Marjery Williams).
8. If we were to turn on your ipod right now, what five artists/songs would we see on your recently-played list?
Bastille, “Pompeii.” Hozier, “Take Me to Church.” Lionel Ritchie, “You Are My Destiny.” Various recordings of Carmen, La Bohème, and Lucia di Lammermoor (my next three projects).
9. What is the best costume you’ve ever worn?
I have only worn a few costumes professionally, but one of the most fun was when I performed as a super in the David Hockney Tristan und Isolde at San Francisco Opera. Bright orange hat, tunic, and leggings, plus a broadsword.
10. Everyone should see La Bohème because….
The music, the passion, the romance, the heartache, and the despair. It has everything needed for a fantastic evening of entertainment.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q: Have you ever fallen into the orchestra pit?
A: Not yet!
Don’t miss David’s production of La Bohème, one of the greatest operas of all time! Performances are November 13 and 15 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions With…
Nathaniel Hill, baritone
Madison Opera Studio Artist
1. Where were you born / raised?
I was born in Defiance, Ohio. It’s a small rural town in Northwest Ohio and I lived there until I went to college.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
That’s tough. Maybe the film industry. Maybe a lawyer. Or maybe an Alaskan hermit, I’m not really sure.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
The Carmen chorus with Toledo Opera when I was about fifteen. I was instantly hooked.
4. My favorite opera is…
Either Carmen, Pagliacci, or Don Giovanni.
5. My favorite pre/post-show meal is…
Pizza!
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I have seven older sisters. Yes, seven.
7. A few of my favorite books are…
Mostly biographies. Into the Wild, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, etc…
8. If we were to turn on your ipod right now, what five artists/songs would we see on your recently-played list?
Mostly opera and musical theater, but you might get lucky and find The Who, The Tallest Man on Earth, Bon Iver, Bob Dylan, and even Kanye.
9. What is the worst costume you’ve ever worn?
The worst costume was definitely from this summer when I wore a fat suit as Gregorio in Roméo et Juliette.
10. Everyone should go to the opera because….
It’s thrilling. They’re the greatest stories ever told. Why wouldn’t you go?
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q: Who will win the 2016 NBA Championship?
A: Cleveland, obviously. Go Cavs!
Don’t miss the chance to see Nathaniel all year long, on our mainstage and in our community. First up is La Bohème, one of the greatest operas of all time. Performances are November 13 and 15 in Overture Hall. Tickets start at $18; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions With…
William Ottow, tenor
Madison Opera Studio Artist
1. Where were you born / raised?
La Crosse, Wisconsin.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
I don’t really know, being a politician has always interested me, but I’d probably be a pretty bad one. I’d be a political science or economics major if I didn’t sing, but I can’t say I know what you do with those degrees.
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
The chorus of Don Giovanni at UW-Madison my freshman year; that’s really when I realized that opera is a thing I wanted to do.
4. My favorite opera is…
How can I pick just one opera? But instead of choosing La Bohème or Werther or Così fan tutte or L’Elisir d’Amore or Carmen, I’ll choose Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten. Albert was my first major role and it will always have a special place in my heart.
5. My favorite pre/post-show meal is…
I always forget to eat pre-show, so usually I just eat a couple apples, but post-show I enjoy a nice burger with something brewed by New Glarus.
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I ran track at UW-Madison for three years. #badgertough
7. A few of my favorite books are…
Harry Potter will always top my list of favorite books. Others include the Miss Peregrine series by Ransom Riggs, The Great Gatsby, Heirs of Cain by Abraham Rothberg, Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth, and The Outsider by Albert Camus.
8. If we were to turn on your ipod right now, what five artists/songs would we see on your recently-played list?
Looking at my actual playlist I see Madison Opera’s season of La Bohème, Little Women, and The Tales of Hoffmann, mixed in along with Benjamin Britten’s “Holy Sonnets of John Donne,” The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, and The Decemberists, among others. (Is that more than five? I can’t count past four.)
9. What is the worst costume you’ve ever worn?
My junior year of show choir in high school, a portion of our show we were dressed as 80s rockers. We had pleather pants, neon mesh shirts, long, ratty wigs, and giant silver platform boots. It was so ridiculous, it only lasted one performance before we had to scale it back.
10. Everyone should go to the opera because….
Often I think I encourage people to go to the opera because I love it, but people should go to the opera because they love it. I see people fall in love with opera all the time; it’s easy to do. But in order to fall in love with opera, you have to go and experience it for the first time. Luckily Madison is a wonderful place to experience opera, as there are many more affordable opportunities than other communities of a similar size. La Bohème was the first opera I ever saw live and it opened the door to a new world for me. Madison Opera has a wonderful season programmed this year and people owe it to themselves to open themselves up to this world I live in and love.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q: How many wisdom teeth did you have?
A: Five.
Don’t miss the chance to see William all year long, on our mainstage and in our community. Visit madisonopera.org for more information.
Ten Questions With…
Marie McManama, soprano
Madison Opera Studio Artist
1. Where were you born / raised?
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.
2. If you weren’t a singer, what profession would you be in?
There is nothing I would rather do and I consider myself fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I love!
3. The first opera I was ever in was…
The Very Last Green Thing on Earth with Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 1995. It’s a short children’s opera about a dystopian earth where plants no longer grow, kind of like Wall-E but with opera singers. I played a “child of the future.”
4. My favorite opera…
To watch: La Bohème.
To listen to: The Magic Flute.
To sing: any Donizetti comedy.
5. My favorite pre/post-show meal is…
It is uncomfortable for me to sing on a full stomach (heavy costumes, acid reflux), so I typically eat something light a couple hours before performing. After a show, anything goes!
6. People would be surprised to know that…
I have played classical violin my whole life, but I won the concerto competition when I played in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra by singing opera arias.
7. A few of my favorite books are…
Anything by Daniel Handle, Gone Girl, Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster.
8. If we were to turn on your ipod right now, what five artists/songs would we see on your recently-played list?
Billy Joel, Ben Folds, Pentatonix – for the proud choir nerd in me, Guster. And they are all amazing live!
9. What is the worst costume you’ve ever worn?
Hmm… worst opera costume. I honestly don’t remember any terrible opera costumes. I did have to wear a bedazzled disco ball bathrobe and a feather boa when I sang Juno in Orpheus in the Underworld, but that was more awesomely bad. I am pretty excited to try on my three-headed alien costume for an upcoming production of The Magic Flute, though!
10. Everyone should go to the opera because….
Nothing makes you feel more cultured than going to the opera! It is unlike any other art form in that it combines visual art, literature, drama, music, and singing in a way that a poem, a play, a ballet, or an orchestral concert cannot do on its own. It demonstrates the awesome capabilities of the human voice by not using any electronic amplification. At the opera it’s all real – real voices, real music, real emotions – and that is a pretty amazing thing to experience.
Bonus: One question you wish someone would ask you (and the answer):
Q: What is the story behind your wedding ring?
A: The engagement stone is my husband’s father’s grandmother’s from the 1800s. It’s European round cut, a style that is no longer made because it is cut to reflect candlelight. My wedding band is made from the first Christmas present my (now) husband ever gave me, a small diamond necklace. Because I wore it all the time, the chain kept breaking and I nearly lost the pendant several times. I wanted to put it somewhere I would never lose it but could still wear it. It’s been on my finger ever since.
Don’t miss the chance to see Marie all year long, on our mainstage and in our community. Visit madisonopera.org for more information.
In the Park with…
Kyle Ketelsen
Bass-Baritone, Opera in the Park
1. Where were you born / raised?
I was born and raised in Clinton, IA. In many ways it’s your standard, working-class, mid-America town. On a lovely stretch of the Mississippi, and a strong music tradition in the schools. Quite similar to my current town, Sun Prairie, WI.
2. What is in your ideal picnic basket?
Cheese, meat, and fruit. Along with delivery vehicles like bread and crackers. Red wine and/or Belgian beer. And because that’s not fatty enough, some form of chocolate for dessert is needed.
3. My most memorable moment performing outside was…
I think it’s a toss-up between two “Carmen” productions. One was at the Hollywood Bowl, which is such a festive atmosphere, not to mention the amazing performers who have stepped foot on that stage. The other was just a few weeks ago in Orange, France, in a Roman theater built in the first century. Tremendously appreciative crowd, and the history of such a venue is exhilarating.
4. My favorite outdoor performance I’ve attended was…
Probably the Three Tenors concert, Tiger Stadium, Detroit in 1999. It was a wedding gift to my wife, and I was just beginning my own career. Fascinating juxtaposition with the three men on stage, and their body of work. Amazing!
5. My favorite summertime activity is…
Anything with my family outside. The Dells. Baseball and softball games with the kids. Cookouts! We’ve been to many Madison Opera “Opera in the Park” concerts as viewers. Also, NOT shoveling snow.
6. My ideal vacation is….
Really anywhere with my family. Opening our kids’ eyes to the world. Historical destinations are among our favorites. Otherwise, I think I prefer lakes and mountains to sun and beach. So many lovely places in Wisconsin that do in a pinch!
Join Kyle for Opera in the Park on Saturday, July 25 at 8pm in Garner Park. FREE admission; visit madisonopera.org for more information.
