EDITORIAL
BEHIND THE SCENE ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE AT THE ATELIER LYRIQUE Martina: Hello Montreal Opéra lovers! Martina and Mish here for our first episode of the Moments with Mishina podcast! I’m Martina, a mezzo-soprano in my first year with the Atelier, and I’m here with my friend and fellow first year, Mishael! Mishael: Hello everyone! I’m a tenor! Martina: (jokingly) How do you know if a tenor is a tenor? They’ll tell you. If you’re reading this, you’re likely sitting down in Wilfrid Pelletier on November 21, anxiously waiting for this evening’s show to begin. You may be thinking to yourself, “I wonder what it’s like to prepare for a concert like this...” Mishael: Well, for example you and I are in the Rossini Trio “Ah, qual colpo” where the Count reveals his true identity to Rosina while Figaro keeps guard. What you’ll see on stage is us having a blast, but let me tell you it takes a huge amount of work to get there! Martina: Absolutely, Mish. Hundreds of hours learning the notes, the Italian, the bel canto style, and the staging have led us to this very evening. Mishael: So Martina, I’m curious - how do you start? When you first think of putting a character up on its feet, what comes to mind? Martina: Before I even learn the notes? Well, I do my research on the opera as a whole. I find out who Rosina is, what her relationship to each character is, and how I may or may not relate to her in order to figure out what dramatic direction and character research I’ll need to engage in. Rosina is an eye-catching, cheeky, “rebel on her own.”
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Mishael: (jokingly) So your research on her must not have taken so long! Which leads me to think - you know, we’ll often go through hours and hours of tedious preparation just to sing a single measure and it can really bog you down! The trick, and I’m sure you can relate, is to not take yourself so seriously! Even the most dramatic moments have to feel like there’s bound to be a wink at the end. That way we stay fresh, we stay curious and we feel like we have no idea what’s going to happen even though we’ve just about rehearsed the scene for the hundredth time!
