LAYLA VINSON
Staff Writer
After four intense and gratifying weeks of collaboration and pedagogy, Chautauqua Opera Conservatory closes out its season with its annual Sing-Out at 2 p.m. today in Fletcher Music Hall. Displaying a range of performances from arias to spirituals, the event will surpass the storytelling of an operatic plot and showcase each student’s development in their journey at Chautauqua Institution.
“This is the chance for [Conservatory students] to showcase their talents as individuals, so they’re going to be giving you lots of highlights: great moments from operas and in their repertoire as opposed to sort of part of a bigger production,” Jonathan Beyer, director of the Conservatory, said. “So it allows the audience to get to know them more personally as a singer and artist, because they’re just up there on their own.”
While audiences had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the singers as individuals at the Sing-In at the beginning of the season, Beyer deems the Sing-Out as having a “lighter, celebratory energy,” devoid of the early nerves from weeks prior. These inhibitions have faded as each student improved on specific areas of their study, whether that be vocally, dramatically or musically.
Reflecting that growth brought to the surface with the help of Conservatory faculty, baritone Brendon Rapushaj expressed great appreciation for the master class series throughout the season — particularly for his session with Kevin Murphy, which he deemed “probably one of the best coachings I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Going back to something a little more intimate really kind of centered me vocally, but also just artistically,” Rapushaj recounted, highlighting Murphy’s sensitivity to the interconnection between language and music in his teaching. “… I’ve found that genuinely, across the board with every single person that I’ve worked with, that I haven’t had an experience that wasn’t utterly impactful.”
Offering a shared perspective on the meaningful connections and coachings at Chautauqua, baritone Clinton Garrison harbors great gratitude towards the overwhelming support from both the faculty and community.
“It just feels very nice to know that the work that we’re doing isn’t just being done for an empty room. It’s being done for people who actually want to come out and want to support young people pursuing the arts,” Garrison said, expressing pleasant surprise at the consistent attendance for events that range from the mainstage double-bill to weekly master classes. “I would say that the support from the community has been felt, and it’s truly appreciated.”
Garrison reflected on the diverse array of guests who joined the faculty through the master class program, highlighting the distinct individuality of each artist as experts in their respective fields. The guidance and supported advice spans past the pedagogical agenda of the Conservatory through organizations such as the Chautauqua Connections Program, which seeks to enhance support systems for students or early-career artists by linking them with a host individual or family in the Chautauqua community.
“I want to shout out the Connect Program,” Garrison said. “The Connect Program, I think, is brilliant. I was connected with Joyce and Scott [Brasted] and they have been nothing but loving, kind and embracing people. And I know my colleagues who are also part of the Connect Program feel the same way.”
Looking back on the season at large, Rapushaj also found hearth and appreciation for Chautauqua’s atmosphere in the midst of nature and its slower lifestyle, both of which differ drastically from his childhood in the Bronx and current studies in Manhattan.
“Being here has allowed me to take deep breaths, a lot of deep breaths,” Rapushaj laughed, deeming the rural lifestyle as a breath of fresh air in spite of recent bouts of smog that plagued the area. “And I’ve loved that, and I think it’s only helped my artistry because I personally think that artists are just an extension of the person. And if you take care of the person, you take care of whatever art that you’re trying to present as well.”
With such positive words to share about the season, Rapushaj and Garrison look forward to the Sing-Out. Offering “Come Paride Vezzoso” by Gaetano Donizetti and “Steal Away” by Shawn Okpebholo respectively, the baritones will provide a range of repertoire for their final Chautaqua showing of the year.
“There’s going to be a joy in this [Sing-Out] that is going to be really exciting,” Beyer said. “I think this is a chance for everyone to just exude the joy of singing, and there’s no pressure or outcome on the line. It will be a variety of pieces, it will be people having fun and showing off an even better skill than they came in with.”
