{"id":36445,"date":"2016-04-26T11:07:45","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T15:07:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=36445"},"modified":"2016-04-26T16:21:47","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T20:21:47","slug":"profile-elizabeth-deshong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/04\/26\/profile-elizabeth-deshong\/","title":{"rendered":"PROFILE | Face-To-Face With Elizabeth DeShong"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a wide-ranging, in-depth interview, the American mezzo shares her thoughts on her art and her life.<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong (Photo: Dario Acosta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

M<\/span>ezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong<\/a> is an interviewer\u2019s delight.\u00a0 Not only does she have a beautiful voice that brings audiences to their feet, she has the razor-sharp intellect, the analytical mind, and the level-headedness that allow her to bring meaning to everything she does onstage and off, to stay focused on what is important to her, as an artist and a person. Articulate and insightful, serious-minded yet friendly and cordial, my chat with her was a joy.<\/p>\n

DeShong is well-known to Toronto opera fans, having sung here on three previous occasions. Her COC debut was as Hermia in Britten\u2019s A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em> in the spring of 2009. \u00a0This was followed by Angelina in the scintillating production of La cenerentola<\/em> in 2011, and as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly<\/em> in the fall of 2014. And now she\u2019s back in town to sing her first ever Calbo, in a Rossini rarity, Maometto secondo<\/em>. A concert artist when she\u2019s not putting on costume and makeup, DeShong was in town last December, making her Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut as the alto soloist in Messiah<\/em>, under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> First of all, welcome back to Toronto!\u00a0 Since this is your fourth time with the COC, can you tell us your impressions of singing at the COC? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I\u2019ve always found the Toronto audiences and the staff at Canadian Opera Company to be tremendously supportive and enthusiastic. The Four Seasons Centre is a lovely space. The sense of community very much reminds me of my time at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Whenever I return to the COC, I am greeted by familiar, smiling faces. It sets the tone for the artistic collaboration ahead.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> You\u2019ve sung in some very large opera houses, like the Met, Chicago, San Francisco. Our house here is relatively small at just over 2,000 seats. And it has very good acoustics. Do you make adjustments vocally to the different sized houses?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Getting used to the particular acoustics in each opera house is an important part of the rehearsal process. In a good acoustic, the size of the house is almost an afterthought. You can sense your voice in the hall from the stage. This is not always the case, however, and in those circumstances, you have to learn to trust the hall to avoid pushing your voice, and, at times, be more pragmatic about where you sing on the stage. The Met is a particularly wonderful house for the singer.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk a little about your background and how you got into this profession. You grew up in small town Pennsylvania, and went to Oberlin for your undergrad in voice, and then to Curtis. When did you take your first voice lesson?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> That\u2019s a little hard to say, probably my sophomore in high school. Kathleen Osborne is my first voice teacher. From there I went to Daune Mahy in Oberlin. I still see her from time to time \u2014 and will this June, for a little check-in.\u00a0 Daun gave me my foundation as a singer for sure. I also studied with Marlena Malas.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Have you always had a low voice?\u00a0 Did you sing in a choir, growing up?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, the low notes\u2026my original comfort zone [laughs]. \u00a0I\u2019ve always sung in a choir. I think it\u2019s tremendously important.\u00a0 My father is a United Methodist Church minister, so I grew up singing in church, but also in my school choir in elementary school and as an undergraduate. I\u2019ve always been comfortable in the low part of my voice. I started out singing mostly contralto rep when I first started.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> So do you go down to a low G?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I can sing a little lower than that if I have to! F is probably where I want to stop\u2026 G healthy. Whatever note you\u2019re willing to sing in public you must have a good solid whole step above (or below) it that\u2019s just as comfortable. It can\u2019t be the last note you\u2019ve got! \u00a0My comfort zone above an \u201cA\u201d came later, after Oberlin and onto graduate school at Curtis.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> You made your professional opera debut as Hansel at Glyndebourne?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> If you don\u2019t count the roles as a young artist or at Wolf Trap, then I suppose Hansel at the Glyndebourne tour was my professional debut. I had just finished at the Ryan Opera Center in spring of 2008, so it would have been the fall of 2008.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> But I read somewhere that you sang as early as 2002\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> That might have been my debut with the Cleveland Orchestra. It was my first professional orchestra. I was so fortunate; they had the role of the narrator in Debussy\u2019s Damoiselle \u00e9lue<\/em> Felicity Lott was the soprano. That started my relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra. They had me do the Durufle Requiem<\/em> and then Beethoven 9th.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Wow, not too many people can claim to have made a debut with this piece, and with Felicity Lott!<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> It was a tremendous experience, to sing in that wonderful Severance Hal\u2026 I can\u2019t even say how grateful I was.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> You moved from central Pennsylvania to Akron, Ohio. Is that where home is now?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, it is. We lived six years in Chicago when I was at the Ryan Center. After that, we wanted to be closer to one of our families and with the access to two airports (Akron and Cleveland).<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Is your partner, Ryan Albrecht, also a singer?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, he\u2019s a tenor. We met as singers at Oberlin, in the same voice studio. But he\u2019s a recording engineer.\u00a0 He has the technical abilities and has always been computer oriented. It was a logical transition.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> So he understands the demands of a classical music career\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> He does, but that doesn\u2019t make the logistical demands any easier, but he understands what a singer has to do to protect the voice, stay healthy, etc.\u00a0 He understands that.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Singing opera is a tough profession, isn\u2019t it\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> There are lots of rewards, but it does ask a lot of you. I say that to young singers \u2013 I tell them \u201cI won\u2019t discourage you, but if there\u2019s anything else you can see yourself happy doing, think long and hard about it. You get a lot of education (studying to be a singer). You can become a doctor in the time that it takes to become a singer, all the training programs and young artist programs when you wait for your voice to mature. There are lots of other things you can accomplish that can guarantee you something at the end.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> When you were studying, was there anything that you would have been happy doing, other than singing?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I never look back. I\u2019ve always known I had to be in music. I think I could have found numerous other ways to be in music\u2026.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Perhaps music education?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> That wasn\u2019t a goal of mine, but I do love to teach when I\u2019m asked to work with young artists. I am happy to do that. I never took time off from pursuing what I wanted. I think that\u2019s part of it. You have to have such a drive\u2026 there\u2019s always somebody else who wants to do what you\u2019re doing. There are a lot of talented people out there.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Maybe I missed it when I was doing research on you, I don\u2019t recall seeing any mention of competitions in the material on you.<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I did the local ones; I won the ones in Chicago such as the Musicians Club of Women, and I did some when I was an undergraduate. Really before I could enter the Met competition, I worked there, so it\u2019s over. You are literally not allowed\u2026 you wouldn\u2019t do it anyway.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> So many singers tell me that competitions jump-started their careers, but you didn\u2019t need it to get started.<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong>\u00a0Competition can be great for that, but there\u2019s a risk \u2013 being very young, doing a competition, and all of a sudden, because of the buzz, you get pushed into things that you are not ready for. It\u2019s very easy to become a flash in the pan, to make a big splash too soon. You\u2019re offered a role and it seems like a great opportunity, but maybe you just aren\u2019t seasoned enough to do that role. But you feel you have to take it because it\u2019s offered.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Let\u2019s talk a little about your upcoming show \u2014 Is Calbo in Maometto a new role for you? Can you tell us what appeals to you about this role? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s my first time. I\u2019ve done a lot of trouser roles and quite a bit of Rossini and Donizetti. The musical style is familiar to me. Now I\u2019m adding the dramatic Rossini to my repertoire. \u00a0Calbo has many dimensions to him. He comes across as a fighter, a warrior, someone eager to go to battle, to fight because of honour and duty. But when he\u2019s confronted with Anna, he loses that edge, and he is tremendously emotional, tender and thoughtful. It\u2019s so interesting how he shows the true love and respect for her. \u00a0He\u2019s a complex character, the soldier and the lover. \u00a0Her father is pushing us into this union. I\u2019ve put together my backstory for Calbo \u2013 maybe his father was killed in battle. He\u2019s a close friend of Paolo Erisso, who has taken him under his wing, just like he has raised Anna. Anna and Calbo grew up side by side. There\u2019s familial love and<\/em> romantic love for Calbo. I think the reason his love is so selfless in the piece, even when she says I love another man, is because there\u2019s that sense of duty and honour to the family.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> That\u2019s an interesting analysis. I\u2019ve noticed that you like to use a back story to help you delve into a character.<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, I do. I think it\u2019s important to fill in the gaps \u2013 it gives your text, and your relationships on stage more meaning. Even if the audience doesn\u2019t see the specifics, I think they feel them. I really do believe it comes through.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Having said that, Rosina would be difficult\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong>\u00a0[Laughs<\/em>] \u2014 she\u2019s more out front, more bubbly and \u201csurfacey.\u201d \u00a0With Rosina I\u2019d look more at her emotional spirit \u2013 it\u2019s the spirit that\u2019s important to capture. The same spirit is also in Angelina (La<\/em> cenerentola)<\/em>. She\u2019s just as keen and as motivated as Rosina. It\u2019s important never to play Cenerentola as a victim. Even though she takes a different approach, she has the same strength of character. That\u2019s the only way she can be a vital part of the show because she\u2019s surrounded by strong characters.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Since you sing a lot of trouser roles, like Calbo, I want to ask you \u2013 as a woman, how do you approach a trouser role? \u00a0Do you enjoy singing trouser roles? You\u2019re quoted as saying gender shouldn\u2019t be front and centre. Focusing on gender would just lead to role stereotyping\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I think to superficially impose masculine traits (on a character) is going to feel \u201cput upon.\u201d If you\u2019re feeling the clothes you are wearing, if you are experiencing the situation you are in, and you know the relationships and how people are speaking and responding to you, it\u2019ll happen naturally and without having to think that \u201cI\u2019m a man.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019d like to inhabit a character that has a different perspective, so if something pushes my boundaries a certain way, I\u2019m happy to do it. I won\u2019t say I\u2019m any happier playing a princess than a soldier\u2026 not at all.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Maybe things have changed. I remember interviewing retired women singers some years ago, singers who sang in the 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s. A couple of them said they couldn\u2019t say they enjoyed the acting part of trouser roles\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I\u2019d say I enjoy it. I am careful with my repertoire by doing a variety of things. I\u2019m not speaking from the perspective of someone who has sung, say, Octavian for ten years, or only Cherubino. Keeping the variety, you don\u2019t feel short-changed. Fortunately, with the flexibility of my voice, I have options\u2026<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Have you always had that flexibility, that agility?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> It\u2019s something that has come naturally to me, not something that I\u2019ve had to work really hard. Just a good foundation for breath support, that\u2019s just good technique. I have a big voice, but a\u00a0big voice doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s an inflexible voice. That\u2019s how I\u2019ve always been taught. I do know it doesn\u2019t come naturally to everyone.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> You do have an unusual voice, from contralto lows all the way up to a high C. \u00a0And you\u2019re going to be doing Adalgisa in Chicago, and Isabella at the Met! Very high role and very low roles. Have you done the high mezzo roles like Octavian and the Komponist? <\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I did the Komponist once in Wolf Trap when I had just finished the Ryan Opera Centre. I stepped in with a few days\u2019 notice. \u00a0I really enjoyed it. Because I am a pianist, they had me actually playing the piano with the orchestra. It kept me a part of the performance.\u00a0 I loved that!\u00a0 I\u2019d love to do that again, to showcase that extra skill. It\u2019s a nice way to keep the Komponist involved (in the opera).<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> One thing I\u2019ve noticed is that you haven\u2019t sung a lot of new music\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> It just hasn\u2019t come my way. I\u2019d love to create a role \u2013 it\u2019s sort of on the bucket list.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done Adams\u2019 Gospel According to the Other Mary<\/em>.\u00a0 That\u2019s as close as I\u2019ve gotten (to new music). I love singing Adams. I sang the third secretary in Nixon in China<\/em> in St. Louis. Learning the Berg was the hardest thing I\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Since you are a pianist, I want to ask you \u2013 when you learn a new role, do you take it to a coach, or do it yourself on the piano?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I do it on my own. Because of my piano skills, I do feel that I\u2019m able to teach myself the music thoroughly, I can learn my part faster. I taught those three roles in Lulu<\/em> to myself. There are tremendously wonderful coaches in the houses I sing in, and if I missed anything, someone will give me a correction, advice, whatever. I really do feel I can do it myself.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Well, that tells me you are a very good musician!\u00a0 Besides, it saves you a lot of money\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> On a practical level it does save me a lot of money. I\u2019m always happy to take someone\u2019s thoughts when I\u2019m at a job \u2013 it\u2019s not for a lack of willingness to learn or to take an idea. For example, in regards to ornamentation, if I write it and it makes sense to me, being motivated dramatically by my own mind and through my own voice, it\u2019s going to be that much better. If I make it up, it lives and breathes with me. If someone else gives it to me, I can make it feel natural but it\u2019s going to take an extra step. So I enjoy creating on my own. Since I left the young artist program, I\u2019ve taught my rep to myself.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Wow, that\u2019s very impressive! But let\u2019s say when you\u2019re learning a new role, not just the notes, but the whole role. Would you take it to someone who\u2019s famous in that role, a famous Rosina, Angelina, Isabella, for example?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Probably not\u2026<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Really? Don’t you want their interpretation?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> That\u2019s not to say I couldn\u2019t gain something from knowing what they\u2019ve done. But at the same time, I never listen to a piece before I\u2019ve learned it. It\u2019s very easy, with a musician\u2019s ear, to latch onto something and mimic it without meaning to.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What if it\u2019s a role you\u2019ve never heard before? Would you listen to a CD?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I would get the score, and if no score is available, then I\u2019ll listen to some clips. There\u2019s no way to know if something is right for me until I sing it. Listening only gets you so far. You have to know your own voice, what the demands are and how it feels. I know there are things to learn from others who\u2019ve done it, but I just want to make those choices myself.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> That\u2019s a very courageous way of doing it. I\u2019ve talked to singers who tell me they would take it to the most famous exponent of the role, hoping to \u201clearn from the master.\u201d Maybe it has something to do with getting the \u201cseal of approval\u201d so to speak.\u00a0 We all do things differently\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Sure. I would never say my way is the right way \u2013 everybody has to find their own inspiration, own way of working that suits them. It\u2019s just what\u2019s best for me.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> I noticed that you\u2019re singing lots of new roles. Do you try to have new roles every season?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> It seems like it [laughs]!\u00a0 This past season was exceptional in that way. I had the three roles in Lulu<\/em>, Fenena in Nabucco<\/em> at the Lyric, Arsace in Semiramide<\/em> in Bordeaux; now I\u2019ve come here for Calbo. In that many months in one season, I had six new roles.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> What is your process in learning a new role?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I\u2019ll play it on the piano first. I\u2019ll sing along with it, but I play it through.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> Before you even read the background information on the piece?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> Yes, it\u2019s amazing how much the score will tell you. I\u2019d like to have the musical reference first because that\u2019s the emotional undercurrent that feeds the words. So if I have that understanding when I put the words in, my vocal line will shape itself properly, it all naturally comes together in one process.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> You mentioned in an interview that the best thing about this career is you enjoy the travel.\u00a0 After a few years of this, do you still feel the same way?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> I do. That\u2019s not to say I don\u2019t miss my bed! Being home for more than five weeks a year would be nice. I\u2019m grateful to be busy so it\u2019s not a complaint. I still think travel is one of the best gifts you can give yourself whatever your profession. Part of the appeal of being in opera is the global access, learning about people, living in places with people who you wouldn\u2019t get to know about otherwise. It breeds compassion, it only positively affects your artistry, to have new perspectives, new understandings. Travel really is the best gift, and the world would be a better place if they get out of their comfort zone and experience more of the world. I do understand that this isn\u2019t financially possible for a lot of people. Without this career, I\u2019d be in the same position, but fortunately, this job provides that. As much as music is a gift, I think the travel and understanding that comes with it is a gift of equal measure.<\/p>\n

JS:<\/strong> I often ask an artist this question at the end of an interview – What\u2019s the best piece of advice you\u2019ve been given, the advice that serves as a guiding light for you, as an artist and a person?<\/em><\/p>\n

ED:<\/strong> [Pause<\/em>] I think it was Marlena Malas who gave this piece of advice, one summer when I was at Chautauqua – \u201ckeep your mouth shut, and your ears open.\u201d That may sound humorous, but really there\u2019s a lot of wisdom in that. In a young artist program, you should be watching and listening; you should be learning. That\u2019s the great gift a young artist program can give you, the ability to watch other artists, watch them succeed, and watch them, sometimes, fail. To see what works, to see how the voice navigates a run of shows; how someone presents himself each day, walks into a rehearsal, how does this person make everyone feel. Is it an environment of creativity? Are they creating a healthy environment? Or are they alienating other people? What is successful about their artistry? \u00a0[A young artist program]\u00a0is the only place where you can learn that skill. To allow yourself not always to be visible, but to be a part of things, and to learn.<\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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