SAN JOSE – Shawna Lucey is Opera San Jose’s new common director and simply moved in from New York. However she’s not new to Opera San Jose.
In 2018, she made her directorial debut with La traviata on the opera’s historic California Theater and felt a fast kinship right here. Her profession has taken her from the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the place she discovered to talk fluent Russian, to the Santa Fe Opera and to Columbia College in New York, the place she is incomes a grasp’s diploma in nonprofit administration.
However San Jose reminded her of Houston the place she grew up and “it type of felt like residence” throughout her keep right here.
“I had a implausible time. I actually liked the corporate,” she mentioned. “I felt like I might do my finest work as an artist right here.”
Opera San Jose has a status as an incubator for rising artists in addition to directors. And Lucey, in her first function as common supervisor, takes over from Khori Dastoor, who now leads the Houston Grand Opera.
Lucey joined Opera San Jose in the beginning of the 12 months, halfway by way of the primary opera season because the COVID shutdowns and simply earlier than the February manufacturing of Carmen, which drew such giant audiences that an additional bar was added within the foyer. The Irene Dalis Vocal Competitors is resuming this spring as properly.
We caught up with Lucey for an interview about what’s in retailer.
Q: I noticed that photograph of you together with your black leather-based jacket and your blue glasses and I assumed, ‘Wow, you look fairly hip and funky.’ How does that translate into being the final director of an opera?
A: My husband shall be more than happy if I look hip and funky. He’s my primary stylist. He’ll be proud to know that his work isn't for nothing.
Q: However actually. You’re solely 42. How did you get into opera – and discover it attention-grabbing?
A: I'm initially a stage director. So my directing mentor mentioned to me, ‘Properly, you converse a number of languages, it is best to actually look into directing opera.’ And I assumed, I don’t know something about opera, really. I’ve by no means actually thought of it. So I utilized for each job I might get and whereas I used to be ending my graduate diploma, I acquired a technical apprenticeship on the Santa Fe Opera. And my first job was to arrange the orchestra for an orchestra studying of Verdi’s Falstaff after which sit within the rehearsal and simply help the orchestra as wanted. And so they began taking part in that piece, and I assumed, ‘Oh my God, if my job could possibly be to work with this music day by day, signal me up.’
I imply, it was love at first observe. So suffice it to say I climbed the ladder. I did every kind of jobs in opera, passionately studying the repertoire, getting my palms soiled backstage. I liked each step of it, the fervour of the music, the unimaginable manufacturing values, the wonderful expertise that opera singers deliver to the stage, the engagement with patrons and board members. I simply couldn't get sufficient. I'm an enthusiastic evangelist for the artwork type as a result of it's actually cool. And so it modified my life, and I’ve by no means regarded again.
Q: How previous had been you whenever you had that epiphany?
A: 27.
Q: What else about opera appealed to you at that age?
A: Singers all the time say ‘Oh, each individual can sing.’ I’m right here to let you know, I did a lot theater coaching, a lot faculty and my academics had been so good at being trustworthy with me. They had been like, ‘You already know, Shawna, you possibly can act and you may dance, however you positive can’t sing.’ It’s very useful when persons are trustworthy with you want that. So I'm an enormous admirer of the human voice and individuals who can sing. To actually do what opera singers do is a exceptional reward. It’s like being an Olympic athlete. You’re seeing them construct the character and you then begin to hear them sing out and they don't seem to be carrying microphones. They're singing with a full orchestra and they're singing so superbly and so brilliantly that their voice travels to you, it doesn’t matter how distant you're from the stage you're getting that the ability of their voice. Opera as an artwork type encompasses the very best, the bottom, essentially the most sensible, essentially the most joyful, essentially the most tragic, essentially the most humorous situations of human existence. That is what these nice items of music deliver to us.
Q: I consider Julia Roberts in that scene from Fairly Girl when she’s getting all choked up, and Richard Gere falls in love along with her as a result of she’s so moved by opera. How will you translate that keenness to a brand new viewers?
A: I believe everybody in my industry would say, particularly after the closure of dwell performances, there may be nothing extra highly effective than experiencing dwell music collectively together with your group. Once we sit collectively as a group and we expertise these tales, with the best music humankind has ever produced, there may be nothing like that and we really need it. We want it as a group.
Q: How are you taking opera out into the group?
A: It’s a multi-pronged, operatic assault. We need to make it possible for individuals who won't suppose opera is for them perceive that they're invited to our get together, they're completely a visitor of honor. And which means going and assembly them the place they're. I can’t reveal every little thing that we've cooking, however I'll simply say we're undoubtedly planning on having Indian classical dance with some operatic music, partnering with the South and West Asian communities which are so vibrant right here within the South Bay Space. And we’ve acquired some actually thrilling household programming arising. I actually have an eight-month-old daughter, and household programming is admittedly vital to me, ensuring that kids have entry to nice music.
Q: Symphony San Jose has introduced in new audiences by performing soundtracks together with projected motion pictures, like Harry Potter. Is there one thing that may have an computerized attraction to get younger individuals serious about opera?
A: There’s an industry-wide push for experimentation and firms are attempting varied totally different ways. It’s just like the Nutcracker on the ballet – it’s type of a gateway drug, for lack of a greater phrase. We in fact are looking for our gateway. We’re all devoted to discovering our hook proper? How do we actually take away the limitations and ensure opera is correct on the heart of the cultural lifetime of the cities that we dwell in? As we push ahead with our group programming subsequent season, we’re actually going to get ourselves on the market onto the streets and into the farmer’s markets and past with our nice music. We’re lastly rising out of the pandemic, and we’re going to push to deliver opera to the individuals in order that it's actually accessible, actually accessible. Possibly we present up at your workplace for a lunchtime arias sequence.
Q: I do know this had already been deliberate earlier than you got here right here, however simply the concept that Opera San Jose is doing West Aspect Story – I believe that may draw much more individuals in.
A: I like the nice operatic warhorses. I believe they’re wonderful –and American music belongs in that canon. West Aspect Story is an ideal instance of a chunk that bridges musical theater and operatic theater. Its music is unimaginable and the story itself, this story of America, is so vital to deliver to the stage and I’m thrilled to be doing it. We're in negotiations to have titles in Spanish. That is one thing we’ve been pushing for at opera San Jose for fairly a while.
Q: What’s impressed you to date about San Jose?
A: My husband and I and our child have been house looking, and we each have actually liked what number of murals there are and the way a lot avenue artwork there may be in San Jose. We’re so impressed with that. It simply is so stunning. As we stroll and drive and take within the metropolis, I imply, I believe music must be proper with them.
SHAWNA LUCEY
Title: Common Supervisor and CEO, Opera San Jose
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Age: 42
Training: College of Texas, Austin; MFA on the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute of the Vakhtangov Theater; incomes grasp’s of science in nonprofit administration at Columbia College.
Household: Married to movie actor Ebeneezir Nii Sowah, who spent a part of his childhood in Ghana and is residence elevating their eight-month-old daughter, June James.
FIVE THINGS ABOUT SHAWNA LUCEY
- Lucey’s second ardour is nail artwork. “I all the time have very lengthy acrylic nails that all the time have some very thrilling nail artwork on them.”
- Lucey lived in Moscow for almost 5 years and have become fluent in Russian. She’s additionally fluent in Italian.
- She likes to raise weights.
- Her grandfather was an Irish immigrant and when she was little they spoke Irish collectively.
- She’s a “sneaker head,” with an unlimited Nike assortment in her closet. What number of pairs? “I can’t reveal that.”