This master class was made possible by a partnership between Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV) and LA Opera Connects
As part of this year’s Master Artist Series, aspiring young singers from both OCSA and CSArts-SGV got to step inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion – one of the nation’s largest opera houses – for an unforgettable master class with one of the world’s most prolific opera singers.
Among her many accomplishments, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham is a proud family artist at The Metropolitan Opera in New York. Her love of singing classical music has taken her to the great concert halls of Europe and she has received the Legion of Honour from the French government for her commitment to French music. She won a Grammy Award for her collection of songs by Charles Ives and has mastered countless operatic roles that span four centuries. She is the artistic advisor for the young artist program at LA Opera, and recently performed the role of the Witch in their production of “Hansel and Gretel.” Her singing career has given her many once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including holding the Mona Lisa in her hands after singing a concert at the Louvre.
In addition to sharing inspiring stories and practical advice from her opera career, Graham provided master coaching to two students from OCSA’s Classical Voice Conservatory and two students from CSArts-SGV’s Vocal Arts Conservatory, who each prepared an aria for the occasion.
For OCSA soprano Maggie Liu ('20), who sang Berta’s aria from “The Barber of Seville,” Graham helped her to convey the character’s emotions by defining the story and connecting the meaning behind the words to her pronunciation.
“You have to find something redeeming, something human in these characters,” said Graham. “There has to be some element of real pain or loneliness, and then it can turn into anger or derision. That’s how you can find different ways to say the same words over and over.”
CSArts-SGV’s mezzo-soprano Nara Duffie ('21) performed the “trouser” role of Cherubino from “The Marriage of Figaro.” Graham helped her to find ways to express the character’s shyness as he deals with feelings of love in the aria that translates to, “You ladies who know what love is, is it what I’m suffering from?”
“My main goal is expression,” said Graham, “because if what you are singing doesn’t mean anything to you, it sure won’t mean anything to the people who are listening to you.”
She joked that growing up in Midland, Texas, she had to make sure her family could understand what she was singing, even if it was in Italian, French or German.
Graham reflected on her experience after the class saying, “Every single one of the kids I worked with today had something special. Sometimes you just have to give them permission to go the extra mile and make more sound than they may be comfortable making. I’m there to encourage them, and I love seeing them light up when I can tell them, ‘Yes! That’s exactly what needs to happen, your voice is beautiful.’”
When asked what advice she would give to young artists who are just starting, she said, “As young people embarking on an art form, we have to understand that very few people get rich doing this. There are a lot of obstacles in your way, and you have to always believe that your love and your passion for the art will help you to overcome whatever comes your way. You can’t do it for the money; you can’t do it for fame; you have to do it because it is a fire in your soul, because it’s what motivates you, because it’s the language that your heart needs to speak.”
The master class with Susan Graham was made possible by LA Opera Connects and the generous support of our Master Artist Series sponsors. View the Master Artist Series flyer to learn more about the incredible guest artists working with our students this year.