{"id":35320,"date":"2016-03-19T07:43:56","date_gmt":"2016-03-19T11:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=35320"},"modified":"2021-05-25T10:53:14","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T14:53:14","slug":"interview-emily-dangelo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/03\/19\/interview-emily-dangelo\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Emily D\u2019Angelo: “Stay grateful and remember that it’s not about me”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fast-rising Canadian mezzo Emily D\u2019Angelo shares her thoughts on being true to her music and herself.<\/h3>\n
\"Emily
Emily D\u2019Angelo (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

H<\/span>ow does it feel to be all of 21 and on top of the opera world?\u00a0 Just ask Canadian mezzo Emily D\u2019Angelo<\/a>. At an age when most young people are still unsure of a career path, D\u2019Angelo has already had a blazing start in her chosen profession. The past twelve months have been hugely significant for her, with an extremely impressive list of achievements. \u00a0She won First Prize at the 2016 American National Opera Association\u2019s Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition, as well as second Prize at the 2015 OREL Foundation Ziering-Conlon competition. She was also awarded Encouragement Grants at the George London Foundation Competition (2016) and the Gerda Lissner\/Liederkranz Foundation Competition (2015). Closer to home, she won the 2015 Norcop Prize in Song at the University of Toronto, where she\u2019s finishing her studies. And she won both First Prize and the Audience Choice Award at Centre Stage<\/em>, the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition.\u00a0 D\u2019Angelo will be joining the COC Ensemble next season.<\/p>\n

As if that\u2019s not enough, on Sunday, March 14th<\/sup>, on the stage of the Met, D\u2019Angelo was chosen as one of five winners<\/a> of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals.\u00a0 She receives a prize of $15,000, plus the huge exposure that comes with such as prestigious win. I caught up with her the day after for a chat by telephone.\u00a0 Still exhilarated by the incredible experience, D\u2019Angelo fielded my many questions with well-considered, articulate answers, tinged with a mix of youthful enthusiasm and level-headedness:<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> First of all, congratulations!\u00a0 How does it feel to be in the winner\u2019s circle?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> It was absolutely thrilling\u2026I don\u2019t think it has quite hit me yet. To sing on that stage, a huge, beautiful hall where so many amazing singers have performed. It was unlike anything I could have imagined\u2026a real honour.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> I understand your teacher, soprano Elizabeth McDonald, was there to witness your success. Was your family there as well? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, Elizabeth was there and also my coach Jo Greenaway, and my parents.\u00a0 Elizabeth and Jo and I have been working together since I was in Grade 12, and throughout my undergrad at U of T. It was a special moment for sure\u2026they were all so thrilled. My parents were even happier than I was!<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Was there a particularly moment in the competition that sticks out as being particularly memorable? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I would say the first rehearsal with the orchestra was definitely the most memorable. Just to sing with that orchestra, and feel their support and their musicality, what a huge privilege it was.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> How did you feel about your own performance?\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the jury and the audience loved you, but how did you feel? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I felt that I had given everything I could to the music and to the character (I was singing). I felt I was true to myself\u2026what more could I hope for? \u00a0At that moment, I wasn\u2019t thinking about my technique, or whether the judges were going to love me.\u00a0 It was all about the music, to do it justice.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> You\u2019ve been extremely successful at competitions – I was at your win at the COC Ensemble Studio Competition, and I\u2019m coming to your Jim Norcop scholarship concert. Tell me, what\u2019s the secret of your success in competitions?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know (laughs)! \u00a0I just treat it like any other performance \u2013 I don\u2019t think of it as being in a competition. I\u2019d say I\u2019m not thinking about showing what I can do. It\u2019s not about me \u2013 it\u2019s always about the music, always about the character. \u00a0To me that\u2019s not a secret, to perform and be yourself and don\u2019t think about what other people are going to think about what you\u2019re doing. I see a competition as an amazing opportunity to perform on these great stages, to audiences that really want to hear you.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What are you planning to do with your prize money?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> (Big laughs) I haven\u2019t gotten that far yet! \u00a0I would say\u2026there are costs for coaching, for flights, to get to other competitions and other engagements. Probably it\u2019ll go into lessons and the normal professional expenses.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Now let\u2019s backtrack a little bit \u2013 tell me about your upbringing. Do you come from a musical family?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I do. There\u2019s one professional musician in my family \u2013 my grandmother is a pianist. She\u2019s very talented musically and has always been a big inspiration to me. When I was a baby, she made a recording of lullabies for me. There are others in my family who are also musically gifted.\u00a0 My dad Anthony plays the guitar, and my mom Catherine sings in a choir. They both have very nice voices. My sisters, Lauren and Naomi, have wonderful voices!<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What was your earliest memory of singing?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Hmmm\u2026 I can remember being put down for a nap, and all I was doing was sing. My parents told me to go to sleep, and I would just sing to myself. \u00a0My mom says I sang before I spoke. I was maybe three\u2026<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Do you remember the first time you sang for people? Either on a stage or just getting up and singing for family and friends. Do you have memories of that?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I have a memory of being at my grandmother\u2019s house, and she\u2019d play the piano, and my aunt would take out her violin and my sisters and I would sing together. \u00a0I played the violin at the time, and we would all have a (musical) moment. \u00a0I do remember singing \u201cBist du bei mir\u201d for some family friends who were German. They were so taken by it that they were crying\u2026<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Wow, that must have been a special moment!\u00a0 You sang it in German? I noticed that your only German piece in your repertoire list is Frauenliebe und Leben. I can really see you as Octavian and the Komponist \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Oh I would absolutely love to sing Octavian! Those are two of my dream roles.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> When did you take your first voice lesson?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I officially started when I was 15, although I had a lesson before that. I was in the Toronto Children\u2019s Chorus for nine years where I learned to sing in German and other languages, and learned to read music.\u00a0 Jean Ashworth Bartle for five years and then the last four years it was Elise Bradley. We went on international tours, sang in the Musikverein, Koerner Hall, and Roy Thomson Hall.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Wow, the Musikverein!\u00a0 That must have been an incredible experience. How old were you? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I think I was 13. That\u2019s where I got my love for music \u2013 I was hooked in the Toronto Children\u2019s Chorus, singing this amazing music.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Do you remember your first stage experience as a soloist, not counting your time in the children\u2019s chorus?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I had the opportunity when I was 16, to sing with the TSO. I actually sang \u201cBist du bei mir\u201d! \u00a0That was my first big experience as a soloist, with a big orchestra and a huge audience. That was probably the<\/em> moment! \u00a0I remember saying later to a friend \u2013 oh my gosh, I want to be a singer! That was definitely an epiphany for me, the moment when I thought – this is something I want to do for the rest of my life. From there I went to U of T. I had already worked with Elizabeth (McDonald) for a year, in Grade 12.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Have you always been a mezzo?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, I sang alto in choirs the whole time\u2026I was convinced I had this low voice. I didn\u2019t go above the stave ever, except in warm up. When I first started taking voice lessons with (my first voice teacher) Heather Wilkie, she said to me \u2013 you can sing high even when you are a lower voice. She encouraged me to explore.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What\u2019s your working range? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> The lowest in my rep is a low A and the highest is a high C \u2013 only in Stefano\u2019s aria (in Romeo et Juliette<\/em>). I\u2019m most comfortable as Rosina, who goes to a high B. In art songs, it\u2019s very much in the middle. I try not to categorize my voice. My New York teacher Trish (Patricia McCaffrey) just says \u2013 you are a singer. We haven\u2019t really thought about categorizing. When you are young, you want to keep your options and your mind open to the possibility of change.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What mezzo roles do you feel are the most comfortable \u2013 Rosina, Angelina, or Isabella?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> As far as the Rossini rep, I\u2019d say I\u2019m most comfortable in the middle and high \u2013 Rosina and Angelina.\u00a0 Isabella is a little low. When I was a bit younger, I hadn\u2019t explored so much the top, but now Rosina is very comfortable.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Do you have a favourite composer<\/em>?<\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong>\u00a0I adore Mozart\u2026I think Mozart has the most amazing music, but I wouldn\u2019t even say I have a favourite composer. I adore new music. I recently did Messaien\u2019s Poemes pour mi<\/em>. I absolutely adore Messaien. I love singing coloratura but I also enjoy new music \u2013 I don\u2019t want to specialize too soon.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Tell me, do you have a role model?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Just one?<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> As many as you want\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> There are people on the faculty at U of T whom I really admire, especially the women. There are so many people I look up to, and so many have helped me, given me guidance. As far as singers, Elizabeth and Wendy Nielsen have found the balance of having a career and having a family, being down to earth people who live normal lives. I\u2019d say those are values I really admire.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Tell me about the roles you want to sing, your dream roles, besides Octavian and Komponist. <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I love Sesto and Idamante\u2026and anything by Handel! I love baroque music.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Have you tried Bradamante?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Not yet, but I am covering Ariodante <\/em>at the COC next year.\u00a0 It\u2019s going to be Alice Coote and she\u2019s another person I really admire, vocally, artistically and as a person. I also like Romeo, in Capuleti e i Montecchi<\/em>.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I enjoy physical activity, but I broke my foot\u2026<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Oh yeah!\u00a0 I remember you hobbling out on stage at the Four Seasons Centre to sing at the Ensemble Competition!\u00a0 Tell us what happened\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I broke two bones in my foot. It was a silly fall \u2013 I wasn\u2019t wearing shoes, I was running, and I tripped, landing right on the side of my foot. It wasn\u2019t a very exciting story. I was on crutches for three months, couldn\u2019t wear shoes for four months; I felt it was a test of my character.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> So you enjoy physical activities\u2026 Do you like to play sports?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yeah, for fun. I play a lot of soccer, but it has gotten to a point where I\u2019m so busy that I haven\u2019t had the time. I enjoy running, hiking, and swimming. But right now most of my spare time is used for learning repertoire. I also listen to a lot of piano and symphonic music. Right now I\u2019m just really obsessed with art song, learning as much music as I can.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Do you have a favourite song cycle?<\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong>\u00a0 I love Messaien \u2013 probably any song by Messaien. \u00a0I also love Berg\u2019s Sieben fruhe Lieder<\/em> \u2013 I\u2019m going to sing it next year.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Do you sing the Wesendonck Lieder?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong>\u00a0 Oh gosh, I love the Wesendonck Lieder<\/em>! \u00a0I am going to sing it. I also love Schoenberg\u2019s Opus 2<\/em> \u201cVier Lieder\u201d.<\/em> Anything by Mozart of course \u2013 the purest, perfect music.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> One final question \u2013 what\u2019s the best piece of advice you\u2019ve been given?\u00a0 About your career or your life, as an artist, as a person? Something that\u2019s a guiding light for you\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I would say that one of my guiding values is something that my parents instilled in me from the time I was very young. It’s not about me. In my journey as an artist, it is comforting and inspiring to have a goal and a purpose that involves more than just myself, but to really try to always put the music first and find compassion and humanity in whatever it is that I do. To stay humble, to stay grateful and to remember that it’s not about me.<\/p>\n

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