Friday, October 26 through Sunday, November 4^this National Opera Week 2012.  I am down in Savannah, GA where VOICExperience kicked off all of National Opera Week’s offerings Friday with a conversation at the Telfair Jepson Auditorium with the great American composer, Carlisle Floyd.

Floyd on Floyd was webstreamed by VOICExperience and archived by OPERA America.  Marc Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America, skyped an introduction from New York that was projected on the large screen above the stage, speaking about Carlisle Floyd and the great contributions he has made, as well as addressing the exciting offerings around the country for National Opera Week.  He concluded with “I was dared to say this, so…Live from New York and Savannah—it’s National Opera Week!”  And with that, Maria Zouves, VOICExperience’s executive director, began a stimulating discussion with Carlisle Floyd, focusing on how he wants his work to be presented and interpreted by artists.  It was a great opportunity to hear right from the composer himself how he wants his work to be heard—tempo, voice, expression were all covered.  Clips of his work were played and analyzed by the composer.  And Floyd acknowledged that while his score calls for a certain tempo, he now wanted it to be different in certain passages.  He even apologized at one point for making parts of Susannah so difficult for the singers, claiming had he been a little older when composing it he would have known better.

Maria Zouves, Executive Director of VOICExperience, with Carlisle Floyd

The conversation also included the story of how Susannah was originally brought to the stage, including a young Carlisle Floyd flying to Aspen as a graduate student to meet with Phyllis Curtin in person at her insistence.  After going through “Ain’t It a Pretty Night” and “The Trees On The Mountain” they decided on the spot that she would perform Susannah and she then immediately called Mack Harell to have him sing for Blitch.  Fascinating stuff.  Audience members got to ask their questions as well, which ranged from thanking him for his work to inquiring as to whether the 86 year old is working on another opera.  (The answer is yes!)

Floyd on Floyd was the perfect introduction to Carlisle Floyd for me, as a newcomer to his work.  The next evening, I heard a selection from his operas in VOICExperience’s “An American Songbook Concert” with works not only by Carlisle Floyd (introduced by him), but also Leonard Bernstein, Andre Previn and A. Lippa.  Even Disney works from Beauty and the Beast by A. Menken were presented.  The evening’s selections ranged from opera to operetta to musicals. 

Telfair Academy Rotunda

Young opera singers from around the United States, including Savannah, performed and were welcomed by a letter from the Mayor read to the audience thanking VOICExperience for bringing opera to Savannah.  All of the singers had participated in VOICExperience previously and were spectacular, a testament to VOICExperience’s excellence.  Several times the crowd was moved to tears by the performers.  Telfair Museums hosted the performance in the Telfair Academy Rotunda.  Being surrounded by rich warm wood and stunning paintings added to the atmosphere.  The Telfair’s rotunda actually reminded me greatly of the room from Silence of the Lambs where Hannibal Lecter was caged in the museum in Philadelphia.  That ambiance definitely added to the revival scene from Susannah.  The Savannah Philharmonic Chorus, conducted by Sherrill Milnes, also performed in that scene.  The ominous chorus singing while Blitch urgently intoned people to ask for forgiveness and be saved gave me goosebumps.  It was a truly terrifying sequence.

The second half of the program focused on lighter fare, songs of love and American theatre.  It was fun to hear theatre songs sung operatically and was perfect for introducing opera to the many opera newbies in attendance.  Even better, it was obvious the singers were having fun.  They were moving through the audience at points, genuinely smiling and enjoying themselves.  The evening concluded with the announcement of the inaugural Savannah VOICExperience Festival to begin in August 2013.  An exciting development for both Savannah and VOICExperience.    

While we are now stranded in Savannah due to Hurricane Sandy, National Opera Week goes on.  Monday evening, Sherrill Milnes conducted a master class for local singers and the week contains more events.  And National Opera Week has events throughout the United States.  We will be attending other events in Savannah given Hurricane Sandy’s insistence that we stay in the South and look forward to the future of opera and VOICExperience in Savannah. 

– Elizabeth Frayer

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