San Francisco Classical Voice, April 15, 2014, Nicole Paiement: The Bright New Force of Opera Parall

le,! "# $i%a &o'%ton https://www.sfcv.org/events-calendar/artistspotlight/nicole-paiement-the-bright-new-force-of-opera-parallele April 15, 2014 Nicole Paiement: The Bright New Force of Opera Parall le BY LISA H !S" #

Nicole Paiement At a time when man# performing organi(ation% are %tr'ggling to %ta# afloat, an) other% are clo%ing their )oor% altogether, there*% a #o'ng compan# in town gaining moment'm: Opera Parall le +or OP,- .t ha% fo'n) that a')ience% appreciate the opport'nit# to %ee mo)ern wor/% that are rarel# performe) or "ran) new, with high m'%ical %tan)ar)% an) ca%t% compo%e) of worl)0cla%% %inger%- The compan#*% %'cce%% i% a reflection of it% fo'n)er, arti%tic )irector, an) con)'ctor Nicole Paiement*% commitment to ta/ing contemporar# opera to the wi)er a')ience %he %o )eepl# feel% it )e%er1e%Paiement i% a g'e%t con)'ctor with companie% %'ch a% 2alla% Opera an) 3a%hington National Opera, an) i% on the fac'ltie% of the 4an Franci%co 5on%er1ator# of 6'%ic an) 75 4anta 5r'(- A% the )irector of the Bl'eprint 4erie% at the 5on%er1ator#, %he i% acti1el# in1ol1e) in the commi%%ion an) e8ec'tion of new wor/%- $ater thi% month, %he will con)'ct a new pro)'ction of a )o'"le "ill of 9'rt 3eil*%Mahagonny Songspiel :+1;2<, an) Po'lenc*% Les Mamelles de Tersias+1;44, at the =er"a B'ena 5enter for the Art%- .n >'ne, the compan# will pre%ent the American premiere of Anya 1 , "# Briti%h compo%er An)rew ?or", which contain% a plot ha1ing to )o with %e8 traffic/ing in the @'ropean 7nion-

$h% did %o& decide to call the compan%

pera 'arall(le)

3ell, we '%e) to "e calle) @n%em"le Parall le, which . %tarte) a 1er# long time ago- The fir%t i%, in French when we %a# cinema parall le! or %omething parall le,! it*% not #o'r main%tream cinema or #o'r main%tream m'%ic- . wa% reall# intere%te), at fir%t, to loo/ at all o"%c're m'%ic, not A'%t 20th0cent'r#, an) perhap% re)i%co1er wor/ from &an)el all the wa# to the 20th cent'r#That wa% one i)ea- The other i)ea wa% to wor/ in parallel !i"h other organi(ation% an) other art form%- . wa% reall# intere%te) in an# piece% that wo'l) reB'ire inter)i%ciplinar# acti1itie%- An) . )i) a lot of recor)ing% an) a lot of wor/ in that fiel)- An) then . wa% offere) a po%ition at the 5on%er1ator# an) %tarte) to )o Bl'eprint an) reali(e) that @n%em"le Parall le an) Bl'eprint were a little "it )o'"ling their effort% in term% of the repertoire an) the re%earch . wa% )oingAl%o, at that time . %tarte) to )o B'ite a "it of opera at 75 4anta 5r'( an) . wa% feeling 1er# connecte) to it a% a me)i'm- Opera ha% thi% great power to "ring people to the 21%t cent'r# in term% of the m'%ical lang'age- .f %omeone i% not %o /een on contemporar# m'%ic an) at time% if the#*re not appreciating or 'n)er%tan)ing the m'%ical lang'age, perhap% %omething el%e will gra" them an) the#*ll %till "e hearing that m'%ic an) enAo#ing it "eca'%e of another a%pect of itHow do %o& define *contemporar%+ opera) 3e*1e )e"ate) a lot- . "elie1e there i% a )ifference "etween contemporar#! an) new! opera- .n a larger, glo"al wa#, . can loo/ at opera% that were written at the time of &an)el an) feel that the# are e8tremel# contemporar# "eca'%e the# are inno1ati1e in the wa# the# %tretch the form of opera, or the# will "ring a %'"Aect matter that can "e tran%po%e) to a 21%t0cent'r# ae%thetic an) ma/e '% thin/ a"o't %ocial i%%'e%- .t*% not that . reall# thin/ that Opera Parall le wo'l) nece%%aril# )o &an)el, "'t . )o thin/ that contemporar# opera ha% a "roa)er )efinition than new m'%ic-! =e%ter)a#, . wa% %t')#ing the 3eill prior to o'r rehear%al an) in one of the mo1ement% there i% a pha%ing "etween the timpani an) the "ra%%, an) thi% wa% e8actl# what wa% written "# the minimali%t people :late la%t cent'r#C, an) 3eill )i) it in 1;40,o %o& relate at all to the character "herese in the 'o&lenc who is fr&strated professionall% beca&se she is a woman- since %o&.re a woman cond&ctor in a field where most of the top cond&ctors are men) Opera ha% thi% great power to "ring people to the 21%t cent'r# in term% of the m'%ical lang'ageD Or %omething el%e will gra" them an) the#*ll %till "e hearing that m'%ic an) enAo#ing it "eca'%e of another a%pect of it.t i% /in) of a hot %'"Aect %ince the #e! $or% Timesarticle in 2ecem"er a"o't women con)'ctor%.ntere%tingl#, the# )i) inter1iew me an) the# al%o inter1iewe) 2alla% Opera, where . ha1e

con)'cte), "'t the# )i)n*t write a"o't that "eca'%e the# wante) to p't the foc'% on the fact that there are not a lot of women con)'ctor% in opera, an) it*% a realit#- . ten) to thin/ that . ha1e a /in) of pioneer %pirit an) that*% wh# . li/e thi% contemporar# m'%ic an) .*m intere%te) in p'%hing thi% contemporar# m'%ic- An) it*% m'%ical lang'age into allof %ociet#, not A'%t thi% elite who 'n)er%tan) it, "'t %o it "ecome% %omething people reall# re%onate with, m'ch a% the# )i) in the 1;th cent'r#- 6'%ic %ort of fell "ehin) at one point, an) . thin/ we nee) to get "ac/ on trac/. li/e to thin/ that .*m al%o "eing a mo)el for women con)'ctor% to )o thi%, an) .*1e ha) %ome 1er# %trong women gra)'ate %t')ent% who are ma/ing their wa#- .*1e alwa#% lo1e) thi% opera "# Po'lenc, an) .*m thrille) that we are )oing it- . thin/ the i%%'e of gen)er i% reall# intere%ting, e%peciall# that it wa%, . thin/, 1;0< when Apollinaire wrote the pla# :it wa% written in 1;0E "'t not )e"'te) 'ntil more than a )eca)e laterC- @1en then the# were )ealing with the%e i%%'e%- B't .*m pro') that .*m )oing it an) .*m a woman on the po)i'm, "eca'%e . thin/ when Po'lenc wrote it he ne1er imagine) a woman at the po)i'mSpea/ing of being a pioneer spirit- what /ind of freedom do %o& have with don.t have at a ma0or ho&se) . ha1e a /in) of pioneer %pirit an) that*% wh# . li/e thi% contemporar# m'%icOne of the thing% . reall# lo1e a"o't Opera Parall le i% that we reall# wor/ a% a team- 3e %it aro'n) the ta"le an) we )i%c'%% the concept- The co%t'mer will re%earch an) thin/ a"o't it, an) e1en the %tage manager- There i% a /in) of holi%tic colla"oration- 3hen . go an) con)'ct a% a g'e%t con)'ctor, the )irector will a%/ what . thin/, "'t it i% not a% colla"orati1e- .n o'r meeting for Anya 1 , o'r pro)'ction in >'ne, we are going to ha1e the orche%tra on%tage incorporate) in the %et "eca'%e we reall# feel that the orche%tra i% an e8pre%%ioni%tic commentar# on the %tor# an) i% a part of the %tor# an) %ho'l) "e there- 3e were tal/ing a"o't the 1ario'% in%tr'ment%, an) the %et )e%igner %tarte) to change the %et%, an) all of thi% co'l) ne1er happen when . go an) g'e%t con)'ct9T Nel%on :co0arti%tic )irector of O25 2anceC i% o'r choreograph# for Po'lencF3eill, an) %he*) ne1er come to o'r meeting "efore- After fi1e min'te%, %he wa% feeling comforta"le eno'gh to %tart )igging in an) gi1ing her i)ea%, an) it wa% %o in%piring to %ee that the OP team co'l) "ring in %omeone new an) ma/e them comforta"le to %hare their i)ea%, e1en o't%i)e of their areaIs there s&ch a thing as a *contemporar% specialist+ the wa% there is a $agnerian specialist) Is there a special 1&alit% a singer has when the% can reall% embrace this repertoire) ' that %o&

.t )epen)%- .f we*re )oing &o''ec% or if we*re )oing Philip ?la%%, it will reB'ire a 1er# )ifferent 1oice- B't in term% of min)0%et, . thin/ %inger% who are intere%te) in )oing 21%t0cent'r# m'%ic ha1e to "e 1er# goo) m'%ician% an) ha1e to learn thi% witho't a recor)ing %ometime%, which i% not %o ea%#- The# ha1e to ha1e that min)0%et of not "eing %care) of it- D .t*% a lot a"o't attit')e.t*% 1er# )a'nting when #o' loo/ at a contemporar# %core- B't often once #o' %tart loo/ing at it, it*% not a% "a) a% it loo/%- B't . wo'l) %a# in general, in man# of the opera%: a cleaner 1oice in the center of the pitch"he 2arine.s 2emorial 3theater in San 4rancisco5 has aro&nd 667 seats and Yerba B&ena 8enter aro&nd 969. Are %o& dedicated to /eeping the compan% small in terms of the si:e of the orchestra and ven&e) There*% a rea%on . ha1e man# other Ao"%- Thi% i% not m# li1ing G thi% i% m# pa%%ionOne of o'r thing% i%, we want to /eep the intimac# of opera a% part of o'r goal- The e8perience i% %o )ifferent when #o'*re %itting in a %pace when the %inger i% allowe) to not alwa#% ha1e to %ing f'll# "eca'%e the# ha1e to fill a h'ge %pace- .t "ring% a whole )ifferent )imen%ion to operatic %inging, to let the %inger% at time% %ing gentl# an) "e hear)- An) al%o there i% a new mo1ement in opera, in general, where opera i% )irecte) in a m'ch more theatrical wa#, an) %inger% are e8pecte) to "e actor% ta/ing on the role G not A'%t the %inging role, "'t the acting role- 3e rarel# %ee a pla# in a E,0000%eat hall- D 3e*re 1er# committe) to fin)ing %pace% that wor/ for the /in) of m'%ic we want to )o, which i% intimate- The pro"lem i% that tic/et re1en'e "ecome% 1er# )iffic'ltYo& are proof that a compan% can be fo&nded d&ring a financiall% diffic&lt time. $hat do %o& thin/ is the biggest reason for %o&r compan%.s s&ccess) .n 200< we )i)n*t e1en ha1e a "oar) #et- 3e were A'%t a nonprofitH we ha) three people that were wor/ing, an) it wa% reall# A'%t me writing grant% :propo%al%C- An) m# goal wa% to mo'nt an opera that wo'l) %how the /in) of wor/ we want to )o, "eca'%e . tho'ght, (o! can yo) ha*e a +oard !hen "hey don," e*en %no! !ha" "hey,re ge""ing in"o- 4o . wor/e) at lea%t three #ear% "# m#%elf, rai%ing the I250,000 that nee)e) to "e rai%e), %o that wa% a 1er# "ig commitment- D 3e wor/e) %lowl# "'il)ing :o'rC "oar) that co'l) reall# "e the "ac/"one of the organi(ation- A lot of companie% right awa# p't a lot of mone# in their infra%tr'ct're in term% of %taff, an) we )i)n*t, which wa% har)- .t ma)e the "oar) wor/ reall# har) an) that*% wh# the#*re %o %pecial, "eca'%e we "a%icall# ha) no %taff- 3e A'%t )i) it all "# the genero%it# of ma/ing opera happen-

An) now we*1e hire) o'r fir%t e8ec'ti1e )irector- 6o%t companie% wo'l) ha1e a%%i%tant% an) a pai) arti%tic )irector, an) . wa% not pai), an) the# p't all thi% mone# into that an) then the mone# i% not going into their pro)'ction%- The pro)'ction% are not what the# %ho'l) "e "eca'%e there*% not eno'gh mone# to go aro'n), %o we )eci)e) we wo'l) p't all o'r mone# into o'r pro)'ction% an) reall# i)entif# who we were- An) from that, we co'l) reach o't to other fo'n)ation% that wo'l) %a#, =eah, #o'r pro)'ct i% e8cellent, we*ll gi1e #o' mone#-! At one point it "ecome% critical to ha1e a "alance "etween tho%e two, an) that*% what we*re )oing now- B't we*re far from there- 3e %till p't a lot more mone# in the pro)'ction% than we )o on the %taff, an) we reall# are 'n)er%taffe)- There*% a rea%on . ha1e man# other Ao"%- Thi% i% not m# li1ing G thi% i% m# pa%%ionLisa Houston, is a soprano and !ri"er !ho di*ides her "ime +e"!een .erlin and .er%eley/ Mos" recen"ly, she per0ormed &agner,s &esendonc% Lieder !i"h "he 1ensing"on Symphony/ 2"her recen" engagemen"s ha*e +een !i"h "he Leip'ig 1ammeroper in !hich she s"arred as legendary &agnerian di*a, As"rid Varnay in "he comic play !i"h m)sic, See $o) in &allhalla and in "he "i"le role o0 "he premiere o0 "he original prod)c"ion The Las" 3i*a on .road!ay/ She !ri"es 0re4)en"ly 0or Classical Singer Maga'ine and her !ri"ings 0or singers can +e 0o)nd a" her o!n !e+si"e, !!!/singerspiri"/com/