Pamina costume rendering by Christianne Myers, costume designer.
Name: Ava Pine , Soprano
Hometown: Fredericksburg, Texas
Favorite opera:
Usually whatever I’m working on, or just finished working on! But if I had to choose, I’d say La Boheme. There’s a reason it’s so popular – the tunes, the stories, the emotion.
Least favorite opera:
Eugene Onegin. I just can’t find anything in the characters that I like.
I knew I wanted to sing opera when:
I am a latecomer to opera, so this realization was quite slow in coming. I guess I knew when I realized that I was happiest when I was making music.
Before performing, I always:
drink lots and lots of water.
What I love about performing live is:
The “now or never” mentality. Learning how to cope with the unexpected makes it exciting.
The best thing about opera is:
The synergy of so many elements — musical, visual, dramatic, plus the sheer visceral pleasure of hearing top-notch vocalism paired with the wave of the orchestra sound. Can you tell I love my job?
I would tell someone who’s never seen The Magic Flute:
They’ll love it because it’s the perfect concoction of real emotion, ritual and whimsey.
If I could have dinner with any composer, I would choose:
Puccini – so I could solve the TuranDOT v. TuranDOH debate once and for all.
If The Magic Flute were made into a blockbuster film, Pamina would be played by:
Amy Adams. She has a knack for playing innocence, naivety and optimism without seeming the tiniest bit cliched.
On my iPod you’ll find:
A little bit of everything! Most frequently played would be Paul Simon or Bob Dylan.
If I were tone deaf, I would have gone to work as:
A therapist
While I’m in Milwaukee, I’m hoping to:
Drink some beer! I love beer!
(Ms. Pine’s appearance is sponsored by the Marie Z. Uihlein Artist Fund)
Miss a Post? MEET THE REST OF THE MAGIC FLUTE CAST:
Getting to know…Heather Buck (Queen of the Night)
Getting to Know…Craig Verm (Papageno)
Getting to Know…Rodell Rosel (Monastatos)
