Florentine Opera Company Blog

Name: Dan Richardson

Hometown: Cedar Falls, IA

1. How did you first become interested in singing?

My junior high school choir director, Ruth Koltookian, said that she could hear me while the whole choir was singing, and that I had some talent.  I signed up for voice lessons and a few weeks later won a vocal arts competition at the local university.  From then on, I was hooked.

2. Where/with whom have you studied?

At Simpson College, I studied with the late Dr. Maria DiPalma, and in Chicago I took lessons for a few months from Richard Stilwell. Other teachers include Braeden Harris, Carl Lawrenz, and Todd Thomas.

3. What is your favorite opera and why?

Turandot has a very special place in my heart as it was the first professional opera I was ever involved in.  It also contains my all-time favorite line for a chorister, “coraggio scoglitore degli enigmi.” [Courage, Diviner of Enigmas.]”

4. What is your dream role?

I have to go with Scarpia.  Even though he’s a bad guy, he has, in my opinion, some of the best music in all of opera.  Mephistopheles is a close second.

5.  If you could have dinner with any composer, who would you choose and why?

Jacopo Peri…the original Florentine.  I think it would be interesting to get his opinions about modern opera.

6.  Do you have any pre-performance rituals?

I just try to relax and convince myself that I know what I’m doing.

7.  What has been your most unusual performance to date and why?

I performed at a holiday concert in the dining room of a restaurant which included me singing bass, baritone, and tenor rep all within the span of about an hour.  It was very challenging vocally, but came with a delicious free dinner.

8.  If you were tone-deaf, what would your dream job be?

I could be a judge for America’s Got Talent!

9.  What’s on your iPod right now?

At the risk of sounding like an opera nerd, there’s nothing on my iPod other than opera and some voice lessons.

10. What are you most excited to do in Milwaukee?

Singing with the Florentine Opera is the thing I’m most excited about in Milwaukee!  I’m also looking forward to checking out the Basilica of St. Josephat and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Name: Matthew Richardson, tenor

Hometown: Dubuque, IA

1. What was your favorite experience last season?

There were so many exciting moments from last season it’s hard to pick just one. One moment that was particularly nice was performing the Messiah with the MSO.

2.  What are you excited to experience during the 2011-2012 season?

I am very excited about all of the shows this coming season. Turandot has some of my favorite music and I think the story of Susannah is particularly moving.

3. What did you do on your summer ‘vacation’ ?

I sang some of the Alterra by the Lake concerts and I sang the role of Charlie Dalrymple in Brigadoon with Music by the Lake.

4. What do you like about living in Milwaukee?

Milwaukee is a great community. It’s fun to be a part of a city that has so many things to do and yet feels so accessible.

5.  Is there anything you didn’t have a chance to do in Milwaukee last season that is on your must-do list now?

I am hoping to see more Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concerts and to see the Milwaukee Ballet perform Dracula. I would also like to eat at Bacchus, Crazy Water, and Le Reve.

6.  What are you listening to lately?

I’m listening to a lot of old recordings. It’s neat hearing how singers in past years interpreted phrases.

7.  What’s your best backstage story or the craziest thing that has happened to you while performing?

There are two stories that stick out to me. The first happened on opening night of the first show I ever performed. I was in seventh grade and there was a tornado just as we were getting ready to start the show. The next happened during a show I performed at the College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, MA. While I was on stage, a man in the front row had a heart attack and they had to stop the show to get him out. Yikes!

8.  How do you approach preparing to perform in a world premiere like Río de Sangre, vs. preparing to appear in an established role?

I try to do most of my preparation as though I’m learning a new role no matter how common the opera is. That way I feel like I understand the character in a more authentic way. With more established roles, I also try to listen to as many recordings as I can find so that I get an idea of what other people have done. That way I can make a conscious decision if I want to emulate their choices or make my own.

9. How do you convince friends and family who have never seen an opera to give it a try?

Well, my best tactic is usually just trying to get them to come see me. I’m proud to say that at this point, most of my close friends and family members have been to see me sing so there aren’t many left who haven’t seen an opera.

10. Do you sing in the shower?

Only after 9 am.

Name: Kristen DiNinno, mezzo soprano

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

1. How did you first become interested in singing?

When I was a child, I was very shy. So, My mother signed me up for a theater camp, because she knew I loved to sing and thought it would get me to open up more. Ever since then, I couldn’t do anything else.

2. Where/with whom have you studied?

I studied with Ms. Daphne Alderson at Seton Hill University while in high school. In college, I studied with Dr. Karen Eckenroth at Otterbein College. I then began studying with Ms. Hilda Harris while at The Manhattan School of Music.

3. What is your favorite opera and why?

My favorite opera is Le Nozze di Figaro. Mozart was introduced to me early on while studying voice and I grew very fond of his music. I love the playful drama of this opera and how everyone can somehow identify with what a character is going through even in today’s world.

4. What is your dream role?

My dream role would have to be Carmen. She is a strong, powerful women and for someone who is used to playing trouser roles, it would be so much fun to play such an attractive, vivacious character.

5.  If you could have dinner with any composer, who would you choose and why?

If he were alive, I would say Mozart. As far as living composers, I would have dinner with John Adams. I am currently in a production of The Death of Klinghoffer and singing his music everyday I hear something new every time. His use of orchestration is just so fantastic. It is unlike any other orchestration I have heard.

6.  Do you have any pre-performance rituals?

I get a lot of sleep the day before and I wake up humming low notes just to get my voice moving. I drink tons of water on performance day, and will glance at spots of music that I want to go over. The rest of the day I try to relax, listen to music, or watch a movie just to keep my body and voice relaxed.

7.  What has been your most unusual performance to date and why?

One time while performing outreach for a high school a fight broke out between students. It was a little scary, but I kept singing. As they say, “the show must go on!”

8.  If you were tone-deaf, what would your dream job be?

A pilot. Before wanting to be a singer, I was set on being a commercial airline pilot. I love traveling and I think it is so amazing that we have the ability to do something so complex.

9.  What’s on your iPod right now?

Opera, of course. However, I love listening to some Mariah Carey, Ben Folds, Frank Sinatra, and John Cougar Melloncamp. I have a pretty eclectic mix of styles and genres.

10. What are you most excited to do in Milwaukee?

Sing! I also hear that there is great cheese!

Name: Erica Schuller, soprano

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

1. What was your favorite experience last season?

My favorite experience was singing in L’Italiana in Algeri. It was my first time singing a Rossini opera.
I was so nervous about preparing something so outside my normal repertoire, but the cast and director were so unbelievably supportive. Opening night, I really relished singing my high Cs on a moving podium!

2. What are you excited to experience during the 2011-2012 season?

I’m really looking forward to our production of Susannah. It was an opera I first experienced at Eastman School of Music while I was a student there. I wasn’t in the production, but I remember being so blown away by the music and the biblical adaptation of the story.  It will be such a thrill to have a role in this show.

3. What did you do on your summer ‘vacation’ ?

Mostly worked a lot and prepared a ton of music. I chose all new audition repertoire for the fall audition season. I also performed nine engagements for the Florentine Opera, including Florentine at the Lake and  several for children who have had little to no exposure to opera, which was very rewarding.

4. What do you like about living in Milwaukee?

So many things. Milwaukee is a truly beautiful city, and so much more sophisticated than most outsiders initially think. Since I grew up here, and my family still lives here, it’s a very special place. I love how diverse this city is, what an active arts community there is here, and how friendly and helpful the people are. My favorite view in the world is the sun setting behind our downtown. It’s stunning.

5. Is there anything you didn’t have a chance to do in Milwaukee last season that is on your must-do list now?

There are a lot of restaurants on my list to try!

6. What are you listening to lately?

A lot of Handel, actually. I’m studying roles in Ariodante and Orlando. My workplace plays a lot of popular music from the 80s and 90s, so I’m singing “My Sharona” a whole lot these days.

7. What’s your best backstage story or the craziest thing that has happened to you while performing?

I have a new favorite story after our last season. In L’Italiana in Algeri, I played the wife of Mustafa, played by the hilarious Kevin Glavin. In the final scene of the show Kevin had to shovel spaghetti in his mouth, which got caught in his beard in clumps. Every night when I went to hug him before the finale, Kevin made a point of aiming his spaghetti-filled beard in my face as we were singing. It was always a riotous challenge not to laugh in the middle of a performance!

8. How do you approach preparing to perform in a world premiere like Río de Sangre, vs. preparing to appear in an established role?

I think all roles, both established and new, need to be prepared with as much individuality as possible. This means learning the music thoroughly, doing your research on the ins and outs of language, historical significance, etc, and then bringing your own interpretation to the story. No one wants to see the same performance over and over.  New operas are difficult because you have no reference point musically to refer to. But established, oft-performed operas are just as difficult because it’s easy to compare yourself with past performances. I think it’s best to ignore everything around you, start from scratch every time you look at the score, and focus on what you as a performer have to say through the role you’re given to play.

9. How do you convince friends and family who have never seen an opera to give it a try?

My sisters both married computer whizzes, and neither had seen an opera before this year. Both of my brothers-in-law are really intelligent, supportive men, and I wanted to encourage them to come to one of the operas I had roles in this past season. I tried to choose operas that would appeal to their own interests. One of my brother-in-laws has a massive funny-bone, so I invited him and my sister to L’Italiana in Algieri. My other sister has a large interest in Baroque music, so she and I convinced her husband to come see our Baroque double-bill. I think a lot of bringing newcomers to the opera has to do with presenting it as approachable. For me, that means choosing performances that will appeal to ones interests and personality traits.

10. Do you sing in the shower?

Absolutely! It’s a great place to test how well you’ve memorized something!