CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Caitlin Lynch
Caitlin Lynch is one of the most promising young sopranos on the threshold of a prominent career. Mrs. Lynch was an artist diploma student here at CCM from 2004-2006 where she performed leading roles in Ariodante and Don Giovanni.
photo by Arielle Doneson
Where do you call home these days?
My home base has been Cincinnati– Milton Street, but we are moving to Ann Arbor, MI in the fall. I have mostly been on the road, living out of suitcases, in hotel rooms, etc.
What performances and events do you have coming up?
- Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC– Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium (May 28-June 10)
- Gotham Chamber Opera, NY, NY– Eliza in the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Dark Sister (preview performances Sept. 23-25 and official premiere performances Nov. 9-19)
- Seattle Opera — Micaela in Carmen (Oct. 21-28)
- Baltimore Opera– Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro –(March 9, 11, 2012)
- Dallas Opera– First Lady in The Magic Flute (April 20-May 6, 2012)
- Opera Company of Philadelphia — Eliza in Dark Sisters (June 8, 10, 13, 2012)
Could you share a little bit about what you have been working on this past year?
- Arizona Opera, Konstanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio April 2011
- Palm Beach Opera, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Feb. 2011
- University Musical Society, Ann Arbor, MI, soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Dec. 2010
- Opera Carolina, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Oct. 2010
- Opera Cleveland, Leila in The Pearl Fishers, Sept. 2010
- Awards and accolades: George London Awards Honorable Mention and 3rd place in the New York MET Regional Council Auditions
What are some of your fond memories of CCM?
One of the most inspiring moments I had as a student was singing “Let Evening Come” by William Bolcom for William Bolcom himself in a master class. It was thrilling and humbling and I will never forget it.
Each role I had while I was at CCM taught me something– musically, dramatically, physically. I feel very blessed to have had those experiences. I will never forget singing Ginevra in Ariodante for the first time. I was so overwhelmed by all of that recit. and all of the arias– I never thought I would be able to do it… and then I did. 
And it felt great. And so many of my fellow cast mates in that production are having fantastic careers right now! CCM has the most extraordinary young talent.
What was something of value that you took from CCM?
I learned how to sing while I was a student at CCM with Bill McGraw’s guidance and patience, and I continue to learn from him now. He is still my teacher and I feel he always will be. He is one of the best teachers in the world and I am forever grateful for his continued guidance
I also learned how to learn music with Tibby Plyler’s innovative teaching and wisdom. She is still the coach I work with when preparing new roles and reviewing old roles. The woman is a genius and her methods unlock and reveal music in the most powerful ways.
Stephanie Blythe visits CCM Opera
World renowned mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe joined us at CCM Opera on Thursday for an inspiring two hours of conversation and Q&A with students and faculty.
Ms. Blythe recently performed the role of Fricka in Wagner’s Opera Die Walküre live from the Metropolitan Opera HD Broadcast. She will be singing this Saturday May 28th in Mendelssohn’s Elijah at the Cincinnati May Festival.
Preview of CCM Opera Studio Production of Giulio Cesare in Egitto
CCM’s Spring Opera Studio Production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare opens this weekend. To learn more about the creative team click here.
Giulio Cesare in Egitto
by George Frideric Handel
Friday, May 27th – 8:00pm
Saturday, May 28th – 8:00pm
Sunday, May 29th – 2:30pm
The Cohen Family Studio Theater
For ticket information contact the CCM Box office at 513-556-4183 or email boxoff@uc.edu.
Conductor Mark Gibson and stage director Steven Goldstein from opening night of Dialogues of the Carmelites
Mark Gibson and Steven Goldstein, opening night of the CCM Opera Mainstage Production of Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites.
This production marked the first mainstage opera production for Steven Goldstein as the Weinberger Chair of Acting at CCM.
Click here to read Janelle Gelfand’s interview with Steven about Dialogues of the Carmelites and his interpretation of the opera.
Steven Goldstein’s “A Little Night Music” highlighted in The Sondheim Review
The Sondheim Review (TSR) is the quarterly magazine dedicated to the work of the musical theatre and Broadway’s foremost composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim. In the Winter issue our own Steven Goldstein was reviewed by Rick Pender for his production of A Little Night Music.
Steven Goldstein brought maturity to a student production of A Little Night Music in Cincinnati. – Rick Pender, The Sondheim Review
Click here to read Rick Pender’s review of CCM’s A Little Night Music.
Metropolitan Opera Mezzo-Soprano Stephanie Blythe Q & A session with CCM Opera Students
Mezzo-Soprano Stephanie Blythe visits CCM Opera this Thursday from 2:00pm – 4:00pm in DVAC 300 for a Q&A session with CCM Opera students and faculty.
Ms. Blythe was most recently featured in the Metropolitan Opera’s HD production of Wagner’s Die Walküre as Fricka.
This session is open to all CCM Opera Students and Faculty.
The 26th Annual NOA Vocal Competition includes 2 CCM Opera students
In the 26th Annual NOA Vocal Competition, 112 singers entered the Artist Division, with 13 advancing to the finals. 4 singers from this division were chosen to perform for the NOA banquet. Among the four finalists were 2 CCM Opera students. Catherine Martin (MM), an alumna who is currently a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio program, was awarded 1st place and the Todd Duncan Legacy Award AIMS Scholarship. 3rd place, the Marjorie Gordon Award, was given to current CCM Opera masters student Yoon Geong Lee (MM).
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions 2011-12
UPDATE :
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for 2011/2012 will be held at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music on October 22, 2011 at 10 AM in Werner Recital Hall. The Judges for the Audition will be announced in early June. The Regional Auditions will once again be held in Chicago at the Music Institute on Sunday November 6. They are planning to broadcast the Regional Auditions on WFMT in Chicago. Details for 2011/2012 will be posted later this summer at: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/auditions/national/
This year the National Council is planning to make it easier for singers to register on-line.
Review of Encompass New Opera Theater Production, Angel of the Amazon
Encompass New Opera Theater’s world premiere of Angel of the Amazon featured two CCM Opera students, Caitlin Mathes and José Rubio. Click here to read the previous blog post from March which previewed this production.
OPERAGASM EXCLUSIVE REVIEW: ANGEL OF THE AMAZON
from http://operagasm.com
05/16/11
by Sarah Heisler
Since its inception in 1975, Encompass New Opera Theatre has tried to champion contemporary American opera and develop new audiences for the medium, and its world premiere production of Angel of the Amazon, a new music drama by Evan Mack has done just that. The two-act work is based on the life of Sister Dorothy Stang , who lived and worked among the indigenous farmers of Brazil, fighting for the protection of the Amazonian Rainforest before she was brutally murdered in 2005 by emissaries of the logging companies. Using forty years of letters as source material, Mack manages to craft an interesting and affecting narrative as the action skips from the “present day” of Sr. Dorothy’s death back and forth through time, starting with her first day in the jungle in 1969.
The intimate Jerome Robbins Theatre in the beautiful Baryshnikov Arts Center seems ideally suited to new works; the resident company in the theatre is the famed and innovative Wooster Group. The production design of John Michael Deegan and Sarah Conly enhanced the minimal set with the steady use of projections onto an inverted V of 4 wings of muslin or scrim and a cyclorama. An additional moveable screen provided a frame for clarifying year and place supertitles (think Les Miserables’ time-traveling supertitles). The projections transported the audience from the rain forest to the office of a bishop to the inside of a small hut to the Capitol building all without feeling contrived; it was so masterfully executed as to make opera aficionados wonder why one couldn’t simply replace the monstrous “machine” of the current Met Ring cycle with this more effective and less troublesome projection concept.
Director Nancy Rhodes, who is also Artistic Director of the company, guided the company through one of the most affecting and nuanced productions imaginable. While the singing and acting was generally quite good, it was the confident directing that created much of the emotional impact and brought the composer’s vision to the audience. There was not a moment that was lazy or had not been thought out, yet there was nothing manipulative about the experience. No one was bludgeoned with meaning; the material simply spoke for itself.
Caitlin Mathes as Sister Dorothy Stang in Encompass New Opera Theatre’s Angel of the Amazon. Photo by Richad Termine.
With a new work there it is always interesting to listen as the composer introduces his musical language. The sections of the story in the “present” time were full of long sustained stringers and atmosphere, which made an interesting contrast with the thicker textures, harmonies, and native rhythms of the flashbacks. Musical theater lovers might hear echoes of Jason Robert Brown’s introspective power, Stephen Sondheim’s peerless narrative style, and even Andrew Lloyd Webber’s unflinching use of chromaticism. However to say that Mack’s work is anything but his own would be to do him a disservice. This music is new and inspiringly brave in its breadth, and yet it is easily accessible to an audience that might have been wary of “modern opera.” The true joys were the Act One quintet and the frequent choral numbers, which were written with an obvious understanding of how voices work together to create something bigger. Mack’s truly beautiful libretto was refreshingly strong. Luiz’s Act Two aria was particularly poignant in its expression of anguished doubt. “What does it take to live the life that you wanted?” He rails at God, “I’ve seen what you did to your only son… what will you do to my dream?”
In the title role of Sister Dorothy, mezzo-soprano Caitlin Mathes possessed a bright and engaging voice with penetrating focus that was shown to its best in the upper range when she opened up and supported. Her acting was truly remarkable; never did one question that this fresh and pretty twenty-something singer was a nun living out her life from her late thirties till her death at seventy three. At times, however, more vocal gravitas would have been welcome; occasionally she simply sounded too young.
The standout performance came from baritone José Rubio as the passionate farmer Luiz. His commanding voice had a depth and presence that was enhanced by natural and crisp diction. His handsome sound was consistent through his generous range. This is a role that star baritones should clamor to sing. Bass-baritone Elex Lee Vann made an strong impression in his multiple roles of gunman, logging company representative, and native farmer. His hearty yet chilling opening solo prepared the way for an evening of evenly beautiful and sturdy singing. Baritone Justin Ryan used his instrument with authority and style in his dual roles of the Bishop and the second gunman. Tenor Adam Russell did not fare as well in his roles of multi-generational landowners. His sizeable tenor was occasionally throaty and tight and turned strident at the top.
The orchestra, ably led by Music Director Mara Waldman, was comprised of marimba, guitar, violins, celli, and two pianos and the amazingly textured sound makes it hard to imagine telling this story with any other grouping. Ultimately this work is almost a love letter to Sr. Dorothy; she is portrayed as such a saint that it is sometimes hard to see with her as a real person. Still, this exciting music gives a voice to a truly important story and Encompass New Opera Theatre has given a voice to a truly important new composer.
CCM Opera countertenor John Holiday takes top prize at Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition
CCM Opera countertenor John Holiday, Jr. takes top prize of $8,000 at the 23rd Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition.
DALLAS, MAY 14, 2011 The Dallas Opera Guild’s 23rd Annual Vocal Competition for young opera singers concluded on a high-note this evening when ten outstanding finalists (with Texas connections) were awarded a total of $20,500 in prize monies. The historic evening marked the first time this much-anticipated spring musical event has graced the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dallas.
26-year-old countertenor John Holiday, Jr., a 2007 graduate of Southern Methodist University now working towards a master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2012), wowed judges and audience members alike with his extraordinary renditions of “Crude furie” from Händel’s Serse and “Che farò senza Euridice” from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, which showcased the exceptional beauty and timbre of his unusual vocal type.
For the thirteenth consecutive year, opera lovers attending the daylong program were encouraged to cast ballots for the “People’s Choice Award,” a $1,500 prize which went to 29-year-old baritone Norman Garrett, a Texas Tech University graduate who was awarded a Bachelor of Music Degree in 2005 and has since gone on to earn a Master’s at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (2009). He now studies with David Lofton at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Garrett possesses a commanding stage presence and a rich baritone with great vocal color. During this evening’s finals round he performed “È sogno? O realtá” from Verdi’s Falstaff and “Sois immobile” from Rossini’s Guillaume Tell (William Tell), accompanied by Julian Reed.
The “People’s Choice” honor (decided by the ballots of those participating audience members) was awarded to Mr. Garrett by the Presidents of the Dallas Opera Guild, Martha and Robert Allday.
CCM Opera Alumni Spotlight – Caitlin Mathes
Caitlin Mathes
From time to time CCM Opera would like to highlight alumni that are working in the field of professional opera. This spotlight session will focus on CCM Opera alumna mezzo-soprano Caitlin Mathes. Caitlin was an Artist Diploma student and performed leading roles in Handel’s Alcina, Argento’s Postcard from Morocco & Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea.
Where are you now and what projects are you currently preparing?
- I’m currently living in New York City. I am covering Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia for Opera New Jersey and working on other concerts with them as well. I am performing in a Weill-ed Night Cabaret in New York City in the beginning of August. Staring in the fall I travel to Portland Opera where I will be covering Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Paquette in Candide, Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Mary Madalena in Phillip Glass’s Galileo Galilea.
What have been some highlights from the past year for you?
- I recently placed 1st in the 2011 Lotte Lenya Competition, I performed the role of Sister Dorothy Angel in Angel of the Amazon with Encompass Opera and I’ve performed in several cabarets.
Can you talk about some fond memories you have of CCM?
- I remember a piece of advice/ compliment given to me after a competition…. “I do a lot of wine tasting. And sometimes I come across a wine which I know is a quality wine, but it just isn’t my taste. Voices are like that, and you are going to come across people who don’t like your sound, but rest assured, you are a good wine.” So, that day… I learned I needed to start drinking more wine, or at least find people who liked the wine I offer. Or let the wine age a little, breath a little… and then maybe it’ll be more palatable.
What is something of value you took away from CCM?
- Everyone is so talented at CCM. I think CCM really required me to look to myself and find out what it was that I specifically had to offer in my performances. I had to figure out what it was that I could rely on in my own product, because having self is the thing that I think is going to sustain me in this field.
Dallas Opera Competition boasts several CCM Opera students and alumni in the semi-finals
The 23rd Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition will be held on the stage of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Saturday, May 14, 2011. The Competition provides a preview of future stars. At least 20 past Competition winners have performed with major opera companies in USA and Europe. Some of these winners are: Clifton Forbis, Weston Hurt, Latonia Moore, Jennifer Black, Erin Wall, Tekesha Meshè Kisart, to name a few.
CCM Opera participants at this year’s competition include:
- Noel Bouley (AD)
Ian Ramirez (MM)
John Holiday (MM) - Norman Garrett (MM, alumnus)
Brent Turner (MM, alumnus)
CCM Opera AD student Xi Wang featured in NYCO VOX Contemporary American Opera Lab
New York City Opera’s VOX is an exciting opera lab of new works that offers American composers and librettists the opportunity to workshop their works, hearing them performed by a full orchestra and excellent roster of soloists. CCM Opera’s Xi Wang will perform the the NYCO’s VOX production of Dr. Sun Yat-sen by Chinese composer Huang Ruo.
Production Information:
The opera Dr. Sun Yat-sen, commissioned by Opera Hong Kong (OHK), co-presented with China‟s National Centre for the Performing Arts and Hong Kong‟s Leisure and Cultural Services Department in association with Opera Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. New York audiences will enjoy a rare opportunity to preview 25 minutes from the first act of Dr. Sun Yat-sen in New York City Opera’s VOX: Contemporary American Opera Lab on May 14th.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen
by Huang Ruo
Saturday, May 14 at 2:30 pm
NYU Skirball Center
566 LaGuardia Place
Preview of CCM Opera’s Spring Mainstage Production, Dialogues of the Carmelites
Photography by Mark Lyons
CCM Opera continues its season with the Spring mainstage production of Francis Poulenc’s masterpiece “Dialogues of the Carmelites” (Dialogues des carmélites). Based on a true story, this heartbreaking saga of martyred nuns runs from May 12-15, 2011 in CCM’s Corbett Auditorium. Conductor Mark Gibson and stage director Steven Goldstein collaborate on this intense, dramatic opera based on a true story. Learn more about the production at ccm.uc.edu/opera
Steven Goldstein
Director Steven Goldstein recognizes the beauty of the Carmelite’s story.
“The simplicity of the story is what’s gripping in the end. The storytelling Poulenc accomplishes draws an audience into the tragic story of how innocents were slaughtered for their pure beliefs, and how in that process grace is achieved,” explains Goldstein. He also feels that the basis of the plot-line on a true event also reveals a lesson on humanity. “Unfortunately, events such as this are repetitive historically, even to our days today. Dialogues of the Carmelites shows how a society can lose its moral center and become vicious.”
WVXU’s Anne Arenstein sat down with talked with the Steven about this CCM Opera production. Click here to listen to the interview online.
Photography by Mark Lyons
Danielle Messina, a second-year graduate student from Poughkeepsie, New York, plays Blanche in CCM’s production. She too sees the unique simplicity of Poulenc’s opera. “The fact that the opera is different from other operas is reflected in the name- Dialogues of the Carmelites. I think of Mozart operas where we have these great duets and great arias, but the music of Dialogues is a different take on opera. We’re not singing duets- we’re talking, sometimes giving monologues- and because of that, there’s a lot of listening involved. We’re trying to find this stoic, cloistered life not only in the plot-line, but in the music as well.”
Written over a four-year period and completed in 1957, Dialogues of the Carmelites follows the life of Blanche de la Force, a shy, aristocratic young woman who seeks refuge in a Carmelite nunnery during the French Revolution. The opera is based on the true account of the Martyrs of Compiègne, a group of 16 Carmelite nuns who were sent to their deaths during the Reign of Terror following the overthrow of the French monarchy.
Performance Dates
May 12-15, 2011
- Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 12-14, 8 p.m.
- Sunday, May 15, 2:30 p.m.
Location: Corbett Auditorium
Tickets: $27-$29 general admission, $17-$19 students
Ordering or Additional Information
Box Office: 513-556-4183 or boxoff@uc.edu
Opera Fusion: New Works, a collaboration between Cincinnati Opera & CCM Opera
Cincinnati Opera and CCM Opera are pleased to announce the establishment of a new joint venture, Opera Fusion: New Works, a program designed to support the development of new American operas.
Click here to visit Cincinnati Opera’s website and read the official press release.
Click here to read Janelle Gelfand’s article that details this exciting joint venture between Cincinnati Opera and CCM Opera.
Opera Fusion: New Works builds on an established and successful four-year partnership between Cincinnati Opera and CCM Opera. In 2007, Cincinnati Opera and CCM Opera launched The Corbett Foundation Opera Fusion program, created to promote and enhance young artist training opportunities, collaborative academic programming, internships, and an ongoing artistic relationship between the organizations. Opera Fusion: New Works, which is funded entirely by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, allows this existing relationship to expand into new areas. Opera Fusion: New Works will be jointly administered by representatives from each of the collaborating organizations. Marcus Küchle, Director of Artistic Operations of Cincinnati Opera, and Robin Guarino, J. Ralph Corbett Chair of CCM Opera, will act as co-artistic directors for the program.
Mark Diamond sparkles at Houston Grand Opera competition
CCM Opera wanted to share this article that was written about masters student Mark Diamond. In February of this year he placed first place in HGO’s Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers.
Baritone tops field of eight at HGO Concert of the Arias
By EVERETT EVANS
Houston Chronicle
From February 9th, 2011
More than 700 applied, but Mark Diamond was chosen.
The 23-year-old baritone took first place in Houston Grand Opera’s 23rd annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. The winners were selected during last week’s Concert of Arias at Wortham Theater Center, the final round in which eight singers each performed two arias.
“I did not expect to win,” Diamond says, “so it’s pretty exciting. HGO is an amazing company, and this competition has a spectacular reputation.”
Diamond won with his performances of the arias Hai già vinta la causa from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen from Eric Wolfgang Korngold’s Die tote Stadt.
Frederica von Stade, the legendary mezzo who last week completed her farewell opera engagement in HGO’s Dead Man Walking, joined general director Anthony Freud and music director Patrick Summers in selecting the winners.
Baritone Thomas Florio won the second-place prize; soprano Lauren Snouffer won third place, and bass Adam Lau received the Audience Choice Award.
A native of Augusta, Ga., Diamond is working toward his master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He hadn’t planned on a career singing opera when he began his undergraduate studies in music education at Georgia Southern University.
“I was planning to teach choral music,” he says. “But voice lessons were required. I found I had a gift for singing and decided to nurture it. As soon as I made an effort, I began getting encouragement, good feedback and opportunities with summer programs like the Aspen Music Festival and Glimmerglass.”
Once such a career goal is identified, Diamond says, it’s natural to enter competitions.
“You’re surrounded by people in the same league, or slightly ahead, and you know what all of them are doing. Teachers and mentors encourage you. Of course, it’s tricky to keep the right balance. You have to maintain a level of confidence in yourself that’s pretty high — but you also have to keep a humble attitude in knowing there are a lot of greatly talented people out there. And competitions are subjective.”
Diamond, recipient of a 2010 Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, recently made his Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut as a soloist in George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. This summer, he will participate in the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, singing Figaro in Gaetano Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.
More than 700 singers from around the world applied for this year’s competition. Two rounds of auditions in four U.S. cities selected 20 semi-finalists, who came to Houston for the next round of auditions, which narrowed the field to the eight who sang in the Concert of Arias.
More than 700 singers from around the world applied for this year’s competition. Two rounds of auditions in four U.S. cities selected 20 semi-finalists, who came to Houston for the next round of auditions, which narrowed the field to the eight who sang in the Concert of Arias.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers and the HGO Studio’s outreach efforts to attract and nurture the best young talent.
Diamond has accepted an offer to join the HGO Studio, beginning in fall 2011.
CCM Opera alumna Catherine Martin talks her experince in the HGO Studio
