Art of aria

The auditorium at McKinley Arts and Culture Center, home of Nevada Opera, is full of a muted chatter. The singers/actors of the upcoming opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi are about to start rehearsal. The opera’s accomplished director, Kyle Marrero, quietly goes over stage directions with tenor Ted Green, who performs the role of the Duke. Robin Andrew Stamper, conductor and artistic director for Nevada Opera, discusses music with a woman at a piano. Everybody seems a little tired and perhaps unenthusiastic. After all, it is a Friday afternoon. Then Green starts to sing.

The goose bumps are instantaneous, and I feel myself blush. Green sings with more than his voice. Voice alone could not produce that much power and passion. No wonder the actors don’t need microphones during performance. It’s almost embarrassing to be in the presence of someone doing something so personal. I simply watch, eyes wide and mouth agape. Even though I do not understand a word he’s saying, just watching Green rehearse is emotionally stimulating and draining. I empathize. I can’t imagine what it must be like for him and the other singers to do this every day.

Starring in the Nevada Opera’s latest are Jane Redding as Gilda (soprano), John Ames as Sparafucile (bass) and Oziel Garza-Ornelas as Rigoletto (baritone), as well as a large and talented chorus. The opera is a story of doomed love, similar at times in plot to Romeo and Juliet. Rigoletto is a hunchback jester to the Duke. The Duke secretly loves Rigoletto’s daughter, Gilda. Sparafucile is an assassin who offers his services to Rigoletto if ever he should need them. Thus the tragedy ensues.

Nevada Opera’s 2002-2003 season commences with Rigoletto at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8, followed by a matinee performance on Sunday Nov. 10. Johann Strauss’ opera, Die Fledermaus, will be performed in February and Puccini’s famous Madama Butterfly, which Stamper says, “Will rip your heart out,” will be performed in May.

Stamper, who became artistic director in October 1999, has an impressive resume and looks forward to producing Rigoletto, which was performed 35 years ago in Nevada Opera’s opening season. Before rehearsal, I talk to Stamper about his own background and passion for opera.

What does it mean to be artistic director?

I am responsible for sets, costumes, for choosing the repertoire, the singers. Everything you see here is my responsibility. We have experts in each area as well, but I oversee it all.

Where did your interest in opera come from?

I was a piano performance major. I supported myself accompanying singers. I loved their voices, and I loved the music. Because I was an accomplished pianist, I could play difficult opera pieces. Really, I’m a frustrated singer who tries to sing at the piano. An opera singer is the physical, the personal and the emotional all wrapped into one. There’s nothing like it. Their instrument is what they live with, sleep with and always have with them, unlike the piano.

Can opera be accessible to all people?

Opera is not a mystery. It was common entertainment before television. People went to the opera like they went to a football game, screaming and jeering. There will always be some people who will never like it. There will also be many people who don’t know that they could like opera. Opera has so many chances for extraordinary excitement because there are many different art forms coming together. It is a multifaceted unit.

How do you choose the operas and the singers?

Sometimes I choose an opera because I know it’s terrific. I travel to places like New York, Cincinnati and San Francisco constantly looking and listening. I am also a strong proponent of using locals. Often you’ll have a director, soloists and costumes all coming from different places. It’s like going to 15 different grocery stores to get your favorite ingredients to throw in your favorite stew. When they all come together, it tastes so good.