Spotlight On: Christopher Zemliauskas, Conductor

Christopher Zemliauskas,
Conductor

Editor's Note: Today's blog comes from an article in our 2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide). Emily Murdock (Associate Director, Education & Community Engagement) interviewed Christopher Zemliauskas, conductor of our one-act operas Don Quixote and the Duchess and The Prodigal Son. He was last in Central City in 2013 conducting the opera Our Town.

2015 will be your 10th summer with Central City Opera. Is there something special about CCO that keeps you coming back?

One of the things that has brought me back to CCO over the years is the consistently high level of the productions and the artists that take part in them. The roster of singers, directors, and conductors that have worked at CCO over the years is impressive to say the least, and I appreciate the company's dedication in bringing those people together. It has offered me the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the great artists of our profession, which has been invaluable to me. The repertoire that I have been able to work on at CCO spans from Handel to Sondheim, and this richness and variety of material is very exciting (and rare among opera companies today). Though I don't live in Colorado anymore, working at CCO each summer is like coming home.

Do you have any favorite moments in these operas?

I love working on Britten operas in general, and specifically I am fascinated with his chamber operas and the church parables. Having conducted another of Britten's church parables, Curlew River (at CCO in 2008), I am familiar with the style of composition and orchestration. Both pieces have a predominantly male cast, sparse orchestra, different tempi happening at the same time, lack of bar lines/meter, and heavy use of tone-rows (an aspect of twelve tone composition). For me the real joy is taking these aspects and communicating the story through the music. In many ways it's like putting together a puzzle. Every note, rhythm, theme, and choice of instrumentation means something in these pieces, and it's a rare opportunity to be able to have the time and resources to help interpret these pieces for a wider audience.

Christopher Zemliauskas conducts a rehearsal for The Prodigal Son.
Photo by Tyler Donovan.

What is your background as a musician? How did you become interested in conducting?

I started playing the piano at age 6, and had the opportunity to attend a performing arts high school where I studied both classical and jazz piano. It was there that my love for collaboration took root, as I had the chance to play in orchestral ensembles, for singers and instrumentalists, and even for dance concerts. I continued my studies at Ithaca College and the University of Minnesota in both solo piano and accompanying, and was a resident artist pianist at The Minnesota Opera after receiving my Master's degree. At MinOp I was able to play for and learn from dozens of conductors, and I began to assist on several productions. Conducting became for me a natural extension of the collaborative process, and was a way for me to add my voice and interpretation to, what is—in an ideal situation—a team of thoughtful and creative people.

Central City Opera's 2015 Festival runs through August 9, though both one-act operas have now completed their runs. Check out the2015 Opera Insider (Festival Resource Guide) for additional artist interviews, background on the original production and even musical versions of word search and Sudoku!

Props for the 2015 Festival

Props Master Ellie Engstrom
carves the back of a Chaise.

The Central City Opera Properties Department has just finished refurbishing a chaise lounge that will be used in the upcoming production of La Traviata (opening July 11). "It was super fun and definitely one of the most interesting things to do for the show,” said  Ellie Engstrom, Props Master. In addition to applying a new stain to the wood, the old lounge chair needed to be stripped of its paint, sanded, reupholstered, retrimmed, and given a 

Assistant Props Master Tori Schilling,
details part of the chaise lounge.

new back, which Engstrom personally created and carved. This piece is one of many items that has to be created for this Festival’s lineup, which has proven to be diverse for Engstrom: “It’s a nice balance of traditional and modern opera between La Traviata and Don Quixote." Refurbishing furniture is a common practice in theatre in an attempt to tie existing furniture to current productions. Many skills that are learned by props artisans are as useful outside of the world of production as they are within it. Home reupholstery can be an easy way to revamp old or outdated furniture that is still usable. Moreover, painting techniques which are used in props design can be combined with this process to give the piece of furniture an artistic flair. In preparation for the opening of La Traviata next Saturday, the properties department is currently busy with transporting their props for the show from rehearsal spaces to the Opera House. Including the necessary furniture pieces in La Traviata, Engstrom and crew have created banquet tables of realistic cakes, cookies, scones, and other dessert items.  Grab some tickets to CCO this Festival and check out what Ellie and other designers have created!

CCO Properties Department and the completed Chaise
(Behind, L to R: Chelsea Keuhnel, Hayley Parker; on chaise, L to R: Ellie Engstrom, Tori Schilling)

"Death by Aria" and the Artists Training Program

Editor's note: This is our first post from Tyler Donovan, our 2015 PR/Marketing Assistant Festival Intern. Welcome!

From left: Katherine R. Weber, Molly Hill, April Martin, Cristina Bakhoum. Maya Kherani, Hannah Christine Busch. and Tatiana Ogan
The women of the 2015 Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program at "Death by Aria"

Last Sunday, the annual Central City Opera “Death by Aria” concert was held by the participants of the 2015 Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program.  Pieces were performed from operas by Rossini and Massenet, among others. The concert allows the Young Artists to demonstrate their skills and acquaint themselves with their fellow performers and designers. Participants of the Artist Training Program also function as the chorus for the Festival’s operas. 

Studio Artist, Isaac Assor

Studio Artist Isaac Assor is excited for the Festival: “It’s a wonderful season. Man of La Mancha was one of my favorite shows growing up, and it’s nice to get to do that in an opera setting, and The Prodigal Son has just been really rewarding and challenging”. Assor will have the chance to be a part of shows outside of the Opera House, one of the unique aspects to this Festival. CCO’s The Prodigal Son will be performed at churches in Central City and Colorado Springs while Don Quixote and the Duchess will be featured in a historic venue in Central City as well as the First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins: opera is being taken "out of the box" this summer.

The 10-week young artist program provides daily opera training in diction and movement, makeup and costuming, individual vocal coaching, and sessions in career management such as how to write a resume and maintain a performance portfolio, how to audition in order to succeed, combined with rehearsals and performance opportunities. The widely known program has become a national model for the comprehensive development of young singers. To learn more, visit one of the following web pages:

• Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program
• Get to know the 2015 Apprentice Artists
• Get to know the 2015 Studio Artists
• Central City Opera's 2015 Festival, running July 11 - August 9
• Follow Central City Opera's adventures with the hashtag #operaoutofthebox on Facebook and Twitter, including through the company's year-round offerings with our Ensemble Artists