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Returning to her roots
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| Soprano Lindsay Feldmeth is appearing Friday evening at Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale. |
Soprano performs concert featuring Puccini's work Friday at Brand Library hall.
By Joyce Rudolph
American soprano Lindsay Feldmeth performs arias around the world, but she has never forgotten her roots or the invaluable resource that is Brand Library in Glendale.
As a teenager growing up in the Eagle Rock area, Feldmeth would go to the massive music library to find operatic scores she wanted to sing.
So when the opportunity came about for a West Coast recital tour, she chose the library's intimate concert venue to kick off "Puccini Live!" scheduled for this Friday evening.
Franz Moser, director and founder of the Concerto Classico music society in Italy, will accompany her on the piano.
For the past nine years, Feldmeth has been training and performing in Austria and Italy. Last year she was looking for opportunities to perform with companies in Italy and she auditioned for Moser's Concerto Classico, which offers opera recitals — a collection of arias or songs in one program in one evening.
"I worked with him for a year singing about three recitals a week in Florence and Siena," she said.
What's special about their work together, Feldmeth said, is they have a similar musical sense particularly with regard to composers like Bellini and Puccini.
"We are able to react to each other spontaneously on stage," she said.
They will perform arias from Puccini's "La Bohème," "Madame Butterfly" and "Tosca," among others.
"I'm very exited to be doing Puccini arias," she said. "Puccini has a rare talent. He weds words and music in a very evocative way. Within the tradition of Italian opera, he elevated the status of the text, making it even more important than it had [been] before; and yet even non-Italian speakers enjoy his music because it captures the essence of love in a musical way that transcends language barriers."
Feldmeth and Moser also both like to tell stories about the operas they perform, she said.
"Opera is all about story-telling, I think that's why it touches people so deeply," Feldmeth said.
But for people new to opera, attending that first concert can be a jarring experience, she added.
"So, I try to make things more accessible, to tell what's going on in an aria before I sing," she said.
Born in Hollywood, Feldmeth, 29, attended elementary school at Calvary Christian School in Glendale and transferred when she was in fifth grade to Polytechnic School in Pasadena.
At 20, she moved to Austria and completed her master's degree with honors in opera in 2004 at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
She recently sang her first La Bohème with Ensemble Orpheus in Florence, giving her interpretation of the character Musetta. She has been a featured soloist in concerts and worship services throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain.
Soprano Shigemi Matsumoto, who has had a successful 20-year career singing opera, judged Feldmeth's singing at the Arleen Auger Memorial Fund Scholarships auditions in November.
"She has a beautiful soprano voice and uses it with artistry and musicianship," Matsumoto said. "I think she has the drive and work ethic to realize her potential."
Now living in San Pedro, Feldmeth is looking forward to the West Coast concert tour.
"Singing is a wonderful experience," she said. "Many people liken it to flying. It's really an amazing experience."
Feldmeth plans to go back to Siena this summer to teach younger singers, she said.
"I have had tremendous advantages in my career and I want to share them," she said.
FYI
WHAT: “Puccini Live!” recital featuring American soprano Lindsay Feldmeth and pianist Franz Moser, director of the Concerto Classico music society
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday; a dessert reception will follow
WHERE: Brand Library & Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale
TICKETS: $12 with a portion of the proceeds going to Amala, a charity for children in South East India, supported by Concerto Classico.
CONTACT: (310) 227-4418
As a teenager growing up in the Eagle Rock area, Feldmeth would go to the massive music library to find operatic scores she wanted to sing.
So when the opportunity came about for a West Coast recital tour, she chose the library's intimate concert venue to kick off "Puccini Live!" scheduled for this Friday evening.
Franz Moser, director and founder of the Concerto Classico music society in Italy, will accompany her on the piano.
For the past nine years, Feldmeth has been training and performing in Austria and Italy. Last year she was looking for opportunities to perform with companies in Italy and she auditioned for Moser's Concerto Classico, which offers opera recitals — a collection of arias or songs in one program in one evening.
"I worked with him for a year singing about three recitals a week in Florence and Siena," she said.
What's special about their work together, Feldmeth said, is they have a similar musical sense particularly with regard to composers like Bellini and Puccini.
"We are able to react to each other spontaneously on stage," she said.
They will perform arias from Puccini's "La Bohème," "Madame Butterfly" and "Tosca," among others.
"I'm very exited to be doing Puccini arias," she said. "Puccini has a rare talent. He weds words and music in a very evocative way. Within the tradition of Italian opera, he elevated the status of the text, making it even more important than it had [been] before; and yet even non-Italian speakers enjoy his music because it captures the essence of love in a musical way that transcends language barriers."
Feldmeth and Moser also both like to tell stories about the operas they perform, she said.
"Opera is all about story-telling, I think that's why it touches people so deeply," Feldmeth said.
But for people new to opera, attending that first concert can be a jarring experience, she added.
"So, I try to make things more accessible, to tell what's going on in an aria before I sing," she said.
Born in Hollywood, Feldmeth, 29, attended elementary school at Calvary Christian School in Glendale and transferred when she was in fifth grade to Polytechnic School in Pasadena.
At 20, she moved to Austria and completed her master's degree with honors in opera in 2004 at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
She recently sang her first La Bohème with Ensemble Orpheus in Florence, giving her interpretation of the character Musetta. She has been a featured soloist in concerts and worship services throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain.
Soprano Shigemi Matsumoto, who has had a successful 20-year career singing opera, judged Feldmeth's singing at the Arleen Auger Memorial Fund Scholarships auditions in November.
"She has a beautiful soprano voice and uses it with artistry and musicianship," Matsumoto said. "I think she has the drive and work ethic to realize her potential."
Now living in San Pedro, Feldmeth is looking forward to the West Coast concert tour.
"Singing is a wonderful experience," she said. "Many people liken it to flying. It's really an amazing experience."
Feldmeth plans to go back to Siena this summer to teach younger singers, she said.
"I have had tremendous advantages in my career and I want to share them," she said.
FYI
WHAT: “Puccini Live!” recital featuring American soprano Lindsay Feldmeth and pianist Franz Moser, director of the Concerto Classico music society
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday; a dessert reception will follow
WHERE: Brand Library & Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale
TICKETS: $12 with a portion of the proceeds going to Amala, a charity for children in South East India, supported by Concerto Classico.
CONTACT: (310) 227-4418
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