Dinner with a (nice!) Diva: Meet Jennifer Rowley

I recently sat down with rising star soprano Jennifer (Jen) Rowley on the tails of a triumph as Musetta in a groundbreaking new production of La Boheme in Oslo.  The day we sat down (over prosecco and burgers!) was the day Jen had just been award a Richard Tucker Grant.  Needless to say, this Olympian-minded diva was bursting at the seams.

T:  Ok Jen, let’s get right down to business.  How did you, a girl from the Midwest, come to singing opera of all things?

 J:  Well, growing up I was a ballet dancer.  I distinctly remember my dad driving me to ballet class while I sat there screaming Billy Joel at the top of my lungs haha!  I got to the age where all the dancers went on pointe, and I HATED it.  A year later I got to high school and I was “too big” to be dancing; I was too tall, had too many womanly parts growing!  I still wanted to "move" so I joined show choir.  I found it was easy to sing, and I seemed to be good at it, so I switched schools to be with a top show choir.  The director listened to my voice and told me I should get involved in voice lessons.  I was offended!  I said to my mother, “I don’t need voice lessons!”  But like every good mother does, she wisely saw the reason he suggested that and told me, “EVERY good singer takes voice lessons, even the best.”  I took voice lessons through Oberlin’s preparatory program, and my teacher suggested that I audition for some voice programs for college.  I was a girl who wanted to become a chef and play softball; singing had never been a career option.  I auditioned for some schools, was accepted and got scholarship to Baldwin-Wallace College, and decided to go to school for Music Education.  I was in education school for one week and I thought to myself, “Nope, I’ma sing!”  I never looked back.

T:  Wow, that’s a great story!  A pretty natural progression, similar to my own story of how I came to singing.  Now tell me, I know that you worked a full-time job for several years while still singing on the side.  What are your feelings on your “non-traditional” career path, versus the traditional path of a Young Artist Program, singing full-time?

 J:  Well, I worked in the buying office at Saks [Fifth Avenue] for 5 years, and I learned a LOT.  I learned about the business world, I learned how to dress myself (and many other body types!), but the biggest thing I learned was how to balance work with life and with singing.  Working made me appreciate the time that I was able to sing in the week far more than if I had been handed a full-time YAP.  I really had to fight to be able to sing.  I would work all day at the office, and then I would shoot uptown to Martina Arroyo’s role preparation classes two days a week.  I would get there early and warm up and go over my score to make sure I had dotted all of my I’s and crossed all of my t’s.  There were good days and bad days, but I always had that fight within me.  I always kept my eye on the prize.  Working full time made me feel like I was living someone else’s life; when I was able to make time to sing, I felt like me.  At the end of the day I look back knowing with confidence that I wouldn’t want my journey to have been any other way.

 T:  And that, Jen, is one of my favorite things about you.  You have this incredible confidence in all of your decisions and this Olympian mentality that I think is lost among a lot of [younger] singers today.  You are a big proponent of the phrase “Big risk to high return,” and that seems to be a driving force in the build of your career.  A major “risk” that you took that really paid off big for you was when you went on, last minute, as Maria di Rohan at the Caramoor Festival; that really seems to be the event that catapulted your career.  Tell me about that.

 J:  I had just come back from doing a year long program in Bologna, so I had missed the entire audition season.  I wanted to audition for Caramoor, but my agent wasn’t sure it was exactly the right fit for what I should be doing.  I decided to go ahead and do the audition anyway; I knew they were looking for a cover for Norma, and while I knew that I shouldn’t be singing it on stage, I thought, “you know what?  I could COVER Norma.”  And there was so much that could be learned about bel canto style from Will [Crutchfield].  It was a learning experience I couldn't pass up.

So I got into the audition and I sang Puritani.  Maestro Crutchfield asked me if I could sing in chest voice, as not much was displayed in the aria.  After some vocalizing down, he heard that I did have comfortable access to my chest voice.  At this time, he told me that he thought I would be a great cover for the OTHER opera they were doing, a really rare Donizetti work called Maria di Rohan.  He described it by saying, “It’s like Anna Bolena and Lucia got together and had a baby.”  I thought to myself, ‘now THAT sounds like fun.’

 I got the offer and started learning the role; I fell in LOVE with it.  I had done some big singing previously, but this was a REAL big girl role.  We were talking 90 minutes of big huge legato singing; it was unlike any role I had ever learned.  But I thought to myself, ‘Big risk, high return.’  So I learned the role in and out.  I am a professional musician, so I went in as the cover learned, memorized, coached, and ready to go.  At my first coaching, Maestro was amazed at my preparation.  Anyone who knows him knows that he loves playing around with ornamentation tailored to specific singers.  He added ornaments all over the score (which I had already memorized!!!), completely throwing me for a loop.  But I worked at it every night, I coached it extensively, and I was absolutely ready to go when I was called on to sing the final dress rehearsal.  I knew it cold.

Feeling incredible support from the other Young Artists, I figured this would probably be the only opportunity to ever sing this work with full orchestra.  I sat there knowing how huge of a moment this was for me and thought to myself, “You know what?  I’ma just sing it.”  And I sang it.

T:  It’s so funny, I actually remember reading the review in Classical Singer at the time of this soprano filling in last minute in this rare Donizetti work and what a triumph it was!  I didn’t realize until last year when we first met that it was YOU who was the soprano!  It’s such a small, small world.
So I know you talk often about how much a student of theater and acting you are.  Now I know most people would say that acting isn’t as important as singing is in opera-

J:  I don’t know that I would say that it isn’t equal.

T:  OK, so in this time of the HD broadcast, demands on the performer are obviously shifting.  This was really tested in the Oslo Boheme that was just filmed in HD for DVD release.  How did you adapt from the grandeur of acting for several thousand people in the opera house to also being sensitive to acting for the close-up camera?

J:  Oh, that’s a really good question, haha.

I will admit, when we first got to Oslo, I left the first few rehearsals very frustrated.  I am an actress who ALWAYS does my homework when preparing for a role.  I research source documents, watch period films, listen to various recordings, look at historic photos from the time period.  I go into rehearsal with my character developed.  I knew who my Musetta was.  That first rehearsal we had, the director told us to throw out every bit of homework and character preparation we had done.  WHAT?!
 In this particular production we were constantly in and out of period and modern times; it was flashback, modern day, flashback, modern day, etc.  There was an extreme duality of character throughout the show for almost everyone on stage.  We all had to bring out our absolute best acting chops or otherwise this had the potential to fall on its face!

For me, I actually found that the HD was the same as every other night.  In this case, it was such a complex production with so much hidden meaning that it absolutely HAD to work.  Your intention had to be so concrete and clear, or the audience (whether in the movies or in the theater) wasn’t going to get it.  Sure, we had two rehearsals with the cameras and microphones, so I got to see and hear myself; I knew what to expect as far as that was concerned.  We also had the luxury of having the camera director there for every rehearsal we had.

T: That is SO important.  You usually don’t get that…

J: You don’t usually get that, but for this groundbreaking production you absolutely needed that.  I have never been part of a production that required so much acting to function, but I always bring that much passion and finesse to every role that I do.  I want the audience to leave sobbing; I do!  Even if I don’t give the best vocal performance of my life, I want the audience to leave feeling affected; like they spent the best money of their life, to FEEL with us.

I know who Stanislavsky is; I know what he taught.  I know all of these schools of acting and I USE these techniques; I use them because they work, and it affects the audience.  I want them to come back because it left them feeling so much.

T:  And that kind of mentality is what is going to keep modern audiences interested and coming back time and time again.

Now this “HD” (filmed in High Definition) phenomenon, do you think it’s good or bad?  There is some talk of people afraid that it will take bodies out of the opera house only to put them in a movie theater.  What do you think?

J:  Oh, I think it’s good!  Even if it just brings 5 more people into the opera house , that’s 5 more than were there before!

T:  I agree completely which is why I have come to really appreciate the beauty of “popera” (pop-opera – think Josh Groban).  If it brings even 1 more person in, it’s one more that is interested than was before.

J:  I think Josh Groban is great and absolutely hilarious.  He’s singing with Renee Fleming soon on TV, right?

T:  No, it was last week!  I was there for the taping! (Thanks Raquel!)

J:  Oh, OK!  I don’t know, I read about it on twitter, and then life got crazy haha.  I mean, the twitter following of Josh Groban is HUGE.  When he tweets about singing with Renee Fleming on TV, the exposure to the industry is massive.  And I also think that what Renee is doing for opera is absolutely GENIUS.  She’s bringing opera directly into the general public.  (Here, Jen is specifically referring to a rumor circulating about Renee Fleming on the short list for a very popular TV show).
Renee Fleming on TV?  I love it.  Anna Netrebko on the cover of Vogue?  I love it!  Danielle DeNiese on the NY Times best dressed list?  I LOVE IT!  That is what is relatable to the younger masses because it’s what they really care about.

Social media is the key for young singers and opera to stay relevant today.  The more singers like Joyce DiDonato are connecting with their younger audiences (and live tweeting during performances!!), the more we are going to see opera regain its hold on mainstream culture and that is SO important to the longevity of opera.

T:  Your career is snowballing and blowing up at an unbelievable rate (and justifiably so).  I’ve heard you referred to as “The Voice that is missing from the Met.”  If you could pick one dream role, what would it be?

J:  Tosca.  It is Puccini’s most beautiful music and is very clearly leading toward Verdi in style.  It is the most emotional thing I have ever experienced.  And, I know I am going to get flack for saying this, but she is ME.  Tosca is fire personified.  There are some moments in your life when you know it would be easier to give in.  And it wears you down until you think you can’t go any further, and then it explodes; and that’s exactly what happens to her.

Every singer has been there; worn down so much that you write that email to your agent saying, “I’m worn down, I’m tired, I can’t do this business anymore.”  But you get the end of the email and something makes you click SAVE instead of SEND; and then something happens and it sparks you to come back fighting harder and more fiercely than ever before.  And that’s what life is all about.  Now, it’s way more DRAMATIC than regular life, but you get what I mean.

T:  Have you talked to any houses about singing the role?

J:  I have talked about singing the role one day.  I know that it’s YEARS away, but I’ve been told that I will sing it one day, and that’s good enough for me!

T:  That’s a great feeling, isn’t it?

J:  When I do, I will be complete.

T:  Ok Jen, we’ve talked about a LOT of serious stuff here tonight (and had some serious bubbly!).  If you had to leave us with one thing, what would it be?

J:  You know, there’s this new Evanescence song that I run to.  It’s called “Ends of a Dream.”  There is a quote in there that I think sums it all up:  “Follow your heart til it bleeds as you run to the end of your dreams.”

Since sitting down with “La Rowley,” she has continued growing her career with a triumph at NYC Opera, a Carnegie Hall debut singing the Verdi Requiem, and secured several major contracts at major opera houses including a replacement for Diana Damrau in all performances of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden’s new production of Robert le Diable (Fall 2012).  This rising diva is one that you will certainly want to keep your eyes, and ears, out for.

Visit www.jenniferrowley.com for more information and a complete performance schedule!

Jennifer is a student of New York based teacher Michael Paul.

Journey to the center of the...

Living in New York, one is surrounded by culture at every corner.  You have art galleries abounding, Broadway, dance companies, opera companies, and that's just the start of it.  The arts can exist anywhere, but they need an audience; they need people that appreciate and understand them.  They need undying supporters, they need critics.  The arts could be looked at as one of the most complex businesses in the world.  You have major arts followings all around the world, and Europe always comes to mind as the Mecca of it all; but what about the US?  In a country with many budding cities, is New York still the cultural center of the United States?

In a city as big as New York, the answer should be obvious.  Of course New York is the epicenter of culture in the US!  It's the greatest city in the world!  But is that just what it is?  The OBVIOUS answer?  Let's consider a bit.  Note: I do not claim to be an expert on this subject.  I will merely take a stab at analyzing the situation from the perspective of someone who is very involved in the arts in several aspects of his life.

Let me get some of the obvious fields out in the open very quickly, and then I will dive deeper into the field which I am more familiar with: opera.  I think it goes without saying that when you think of the arts in NYC, you think of Broadway.  You have plays and musicals, on broadway, off broadway, off OFF broadway; the levels of professional theater seem endless in NYC.  You have dance companies such as New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance, the American Ballet Theatre which takes residence at the Met during the summer.  You have Carnegie Hall, Museum Row, and Lincoln Center!  New York seems to have it all.  But what about other areas in the country?

The United States seem to constantly be booming with the arts.  Celebrities are constantly speaking out in support of keeping the arts in schools.  In the time of recession when the government is pulling funding for arts programs in schools, more professional companies seem to be taking measures to expand their programming, do more outreach to schools; they are trying to supplement the arts education of America's youth to ensure the exponential thriving of the arts in the future.  This is really present in most major cities in the US, most "cultural centers."

But again we come back to the question, is New York the biggest?

In reference to the opera world, of course it is.  Where else could be?  That is not to diminish opera in any other city in the US, but simply the volume of access to the art in many forms both big and small helps indicate this.  You of course have the Metropolitan Opera.  This is pretty undisputedly the most well known opera house in the US, and one of the most well known in the world.  You have additionally New York City Opera, which may be struggling at the moment, but is certainly a well known company in New York under the past leadership of operatic legend Beverly Sills.  

In addition to these opera houses, you have Manhattan School of Music, NYU, Mannes School of Music, and of course we can't forget Juilliard and the Juilliard Opera Center where even Renee Fleming did some studies.  Next you have many smaller and even small scale companies: Amore Opera, Amato Opera, the Martha Cardona Opera Theatre, the Metropolis Opera Project, Chelsea Opera...there are way too many to list, but all these companies have audiences.  Where else in the US would you find the extreme variety and varying levels of professionalism all supported as in NY?

I think the key is not just in the sheer population and enormity of New York, but the key lies rather in the glamour and prestige of being "in the know".  New Yorkers love being fabulous.  They pride themselves on always looking their best, on knowing the best restaurants, and also, on being involved in the arts.  It has become "trendy" in New York to donate to the arts, to attend the performances and know who is singing in what and how they sound.  Opening Night at the Metropolitan Opera is a black tie red carpet affair complete with paparazzi and celebrities among Oprah, Martha Stewart, Renee Fleming (even if she's not singing).  To be a supporter and appreciator of the opera is a status symbol, and New York is all about showing your status.

This is certainly not to say that New Yorkers do not frequent the arts out of appreciation; they absolutely do.  There is nothing more reassuring, as a singer myself, than to the see the overwhelming joy and excitement coming from audience members after a performance that they are moved by.  To know that you are affecting (or the other singers are) these audience members makes it all worthwhile, and really shows their appreciation and knowledge of your audience.

New Yorkers have seen it all.  We have all seen Tosca and Traviata, Boheme and Carmen.  We love them, and still go to them whenever the chance is presented.  What I love most about New York is the variety of operas that you are able to see.  From The Nose to Der Vampyr, Dark Sisters to A Streetcar Named Desire in concert, all the way to a rare Rossini double bill, New York provides the variety of opera to inerest a new comer and also to keep the love of a long time opera goer fresh and excited.

I could go on all day about the thriving arts scene in New York.  I never find myself bored with the options at my finger tips, but rather more frequently frustrated that there are so many exciting prospects for my evening, but I can chose only one.  

At the end of the day though, I find the most important aspect to be that people are excited about the arts.  This is no competition!  Certainly we can be more excited about all of the different seasons we can subscribe to in New York, but the fact that the topic of this blog is even relevant today is very exciting.  We must all ban together and SUPPORT one another!  It is so important to spread the awareness and appreciation of the arts in all of its mediums.  To think of a world without the arts, to me, is to think of a world devoid of meaning.  The arts are such a therapeutic outlet for so many performers and audience members; it joys me to talk to people who are so moved by them from conductors and major patrons all the way down to a candid audience member's reaction after their very first time at the opera.

With all of these inspiring options in New York and across the rest of the country, it really leads one to wonder the bigger question: why aren't more areas in the US working to spread the awareness and appreciation of such a monumentally affecting aspect of society?

An artist among artists

Living in New York, culture and fashion become part of your everyday vocabulary.  I must admit, when I moved here, I knew little to nothing about real fashion.  I thought I did, but I quickly learned that Jcrew and Polo (although great companies) do not a fashionisto make.  While I have come to appreciate and even adore the artistry of high fashion designers, I can't help but keep my devotion to the artistry of the stage.  What, then, could be better than a high fashion couture designer who has a strong connection to the performing arts?  Enter Christian Lacroix.

Christian Lacroix is among the most genius couture fashion designers of our time.  Growing up, Lacroix loved going to children's shows at the theatre.  Obviously inspired by fashion, when he got home from any given show, he would sketch all of the costumes that he had just seen.  This love for the theatre continued to grow until he met Jean-Luc Tardieu, director of the Maison de la Culture in Nantes in 1986.  After talking with Lacroix, Tardieu knew that he had to have him as the costume designer for Edmund Rostand's "Chatecler". This story focused around barn animals, which Lacroix decided to represent these in a non-literal manner.  For instance, the barn owl was costumed in patterns of black and white polka dots layered to represent the feather like texture, without physically costuming as a bird.  The production was a major success, and a fantastic statement for Lacroix to make as a costume designer.  The following year he made an even bigger splash in the high fashion couture industry, building his reputation ever since.

While the primary focus of his career has been on couture designing, Lacroix has always had his hand in stage costume designing as well.  Among many others, some highlights of his costuming have been a production of Othello where he paired flea market finds with high end luxury fabrics.  He designed a Cosi juxtaposing jersey knit street wear with period 18th century gowns and other costumes.  He also designed a very critically acclaimed production of Carmen in which he found major inspiration from the shades and nuances used by Ignacio Zuloaga and Julio Romero de Torres in their paintings and combined it with a lot of influence from (appropriately) bull fighters.

The first time I saw Lacroix's work as a costume designer was at the Met Opera season opening gala in 2008, An Evening with Renee Fleming.  This evening was a vehicle to feature Ms. Fleming in roles that she picked as some of her favorites.  She sang Violetta, Manon, and the Countess in Capriccio to cap off the evening.  If that wasn't enough, the costumes for Ms. Fleming were all designed by leading designers in the fashion industry.  You had costumes designed by John Galiano, Karl Lagerfeld, and last but certainly not least, Christian Lacroix.

The result was one of the most memorable nights for me in recent operatic history, and one that certainly garnered quite a bit of media attention.  In addition to the evening being focused entirely around the people's diva, all of her gowns were designed exclusively for her, for that performance only, by couture designers.  Ms. Fleming did a spread in Vogue at the time to put these absolutely breathtaking gowns on display for the world to appreciate.  While she loved working with all the designers of the various gowns, Ms. Fleming in particular loved the designs of Mr. Lacroix.  She felt as though they were incredibly flattering and sexy while really driving home the feel of the character.  Mr. Lacroix designed the two gowns for Violetta.

In everything he does, Lacroix is known for designs that are a little bit eccentric while remaining elegant and extremely luxurious.  Everything he designs is hand made.  A lover of the arts, Lacroix has the utmost respect for all the mediums that perform on stage.  He understands that he is not the most important part of the evening, that he is there to serve the vision of the team that has hired him.  He is entirely humbled by the beauty of live performance on stage.  Although the costumes are not gowns to be worn for special occasions (but rather to be moved in, sweat in, to be comfortable in!!!), he still uses all high quality couture fabrics, hand tinting, etc.  He maintains the couture integrity of his gowns while still allowing for complete comfortable range of movement and better yet, they are all easily cleaned!

The first gown from the Fleming gala, shown below, was worn by Violetta while she is still in the country house.  Violetta has moved to the country with Alfredo, but his father has just come and told the courtesan that his family is being shamed by Alredo's relationship with her.  She must leave him.  The gown that she is wearing at this time is almost exclusively pastel chiffon.  The dress reads like a Monet painting, very impressionistic with broad strokes of color and silhouette.  The gown is corsetted with various rosettes about the gown, and then extremely flowy and feminine in the sleeves and skirt.  This gown shows the vulnerable side of Violetta; the side that she really wants to be and shows that she wants to give her whole heart to Alfredo.  But Germont simply won't allow that.





The next gown (for the next act of Traviata) is much different from the first.  Draped in heavy dark ruby silk, this gown shows the weight of Violetta's regret for leaving Alfredo.  While the first gown was very light weight, very sheer, and much smaller in scale, this gown is all about drama.  Also, the first gown had many colors in the dying, but this gown is all very saturated and dark shades of scarlet.  While the first gown represents Violetta's happy and carefree life with Alfredo in the country, this gown clearly shows the heavy weight consuming Violetta at this time.  She feels as though she has betrayed him, and cannot get the guilt out of her mind.  With a constricting corset as well as extremely fitted sleeves, the fit of the gown perhaps represents that she feels she is entirely constricted by her guilt; the dress serves almost as a proverbial straight jacket.  The much fuller ball gown skirt only continues to add weight to her psyche.



Ms. Fleming was so inspired by the costumes Mr. Lacroix designed for her here that she requested that he design all of her costumes for the Met's new production of Thais in the 08-09 season.  Thais is the story of a courtesan in ancient Alexandria.  She is visited by Athanael, a monk, who has visions of saving Thais.  After initially laughing at his ignorance to carnal joys, she is left to consider the beauty of eternal happiness.  So affected by Athanael's conviction, Thais decides to go to a convent and devote her life to serving the Lord.  Just at the moment of Thais' death (she ascends into heaven), Athanael realizes that he is in love with Thais, and is ruined by her death.  She, alternatively, has achieved eternal happiness.

Extremely operatic in nature, this story seems the perfect fit for Lacroix's designs.  How fitting for the life of luxury a courtesan leads to be designed by a couture designer.  We see here, especially in the first scene, the signature juxtapositions of this designer.  Thais enters in a gold, extremely fitted floor length gown with every embellishment possible (while staying tasteful).  She also wears a pink "shrug" of sorts, adding another layer of diva for Thais to play with.  The combination of gold and fuchsia is quite visually striking, certainly not for a timid woman.  Also, the fabrics, in Lacroix fashion, are extremely luxe (silks, etc) and provide a lot of structure, and even seeming uncomfortability for someone wearing this costume in real life; it's no jeans and a tshirt.  Thais wears this gown when she enters the opera, into a party of admirers.  She is certainly putting on a show that is larger than life.

The next time we see Thais, she is still in the same fuchsia we saw her in in the first act, but this time the gown is in chiffon.  There is much less structure to this gown with an umpire waist as the most fitted part of the gown.  There are flowy cap sleeves, and the rest of the gown is really just gathered chiffon.  I interpret this as a much softer side of Thais.  Although she is still bold and outspoken (as is evidenced by her confrontation with Athanael in this gown), she is really much more at ease in less structured, less rigid surroundings.  After the confrontation, Thais is left to meditate overnight, and the next time we see her, she is even more covered up.  While still wearing the same fuchsia chiffon dress, she is now covered with a much more demure chocolate brown coat/ cape, severely diminishing the amount of attention that might be drawn to her otherwise flashy self.  She continues in this costume really until we see her in the final scene.  Note: there is one costume that I do not mention, but it is really just seen onstage for a total of about 2 minutes when Athanael has visions of Thais at the beginning and near the end of the opera; think couture courtesan.

The final costume is one of the most stunning, artistically, of the entire opera.  Made entirely of starched paper/ fabric, this costume is fitted to Thais and covers her almost from head to toe.  While still mobile for Ms. Fleming on stage (breathing, singing, etc), the gown enables Thais to look like a statue.  At this point in the opera, as she is ascending into Heaven, this particular production really portrays Thais as a goddess, already having achieved her ascent among the non-human.  Looking almost entirely unwearable by human standards, this gown I think very successfully achieves a look of otherworldliness.

Thais is just one of many productions designed by Mr. Lacroix, but has been brought to focus by the star power of Renee Fleming, and also by the Live in HD broadcast of the opera done by the Met.

I encourage everyone to watch this stunning opera, and also to notice the other production values throughout a performance aside from the performers themselves.  The more you expose yourself to various productions, the more you will be able to appreciate a good production from a bad production, or even a mediocre production.

We are artists.  We all have something to say, whether it is onstage or off.  Just because we are not the diva of the evening does not mean that we don't have something extremely meaningful and legitimate to say.

So as has become my M.O., this is a call to action.  Appreciate the work that is done behind the scenes, and don't just throw the costumes and sets by the wayside.  Having taken set and costume design courses, it is not as easy as it looks.  Who are we to so strongly disrespect someone else's work; if you hate it that much, take up costume design yourself and show us what a really meaningful production is.  If nothing else comes of it, you may just appreciate a little more all the work that goes into designing and costuming and entire show!

In the meantime though, let's appreciate the brilliant artistry that we occasionally get to experience happening on stage together, whether it be performances, costumes, sets, or hopefully all of the above.