Call them “opera gypsies.”
“We are wandering minstrels,” shrugged singer Amy Shoremount-Obra.
“I did six operas last year.”
The cast of the upcoming Annapolis Opera production of Mozart’s masterpiece “Cosi fan tutte” hails from several corners of the U.S. and beyond.
By the time the six performers arrived to rehearse the staging of the opera, and to work with the orchestra and each other, these modern gypsies had completely memorized their vocal roles.
One, Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez, who is portraying the conniving Despina, was temporarily stranded at the Philadelphia International Airport during a snowstorm. She was en route from her home in Puerto Rico.
During the same storm, Shoremount-Obra had a scary drive south on Interstate 95 from New Jersey.
Kenneth Kellogg, portraying the scheming gambler Don Alfonso who sets the plot in motion, is the father of a 2-month old. He commutes to rehearsals from his home in Washington, D.C.
For two weeks, five of the performers are being housed at the residences of Annapolis Opera patrons. Afterward, they’ll scatter across the country to perform in other operatic productions.
“I just came from a stay in a Philadelphia hotel,” said Poconos native Jarrett Ott, a baritone, who is performing the role of Guglielmo, the lover of Fiordiligi, and a soldier. Ott appeared in an Opera Philadelphia production in February.
“It’s nice to be in a home,” he said of his stay in Annapolis.
At the end of March, Ott is scheduled to appear in an opera in Sante Fe.
“Annapolis Opera has a great reputation,” said Elizabeth Pojanowski, who portrays Dorabella, one of a pair of betrothed sisters who have wandering eyes and easily plucked heartstrings.
“I’ve known a lot of amazing singers who’ve performed here,” said Ott. “They say Annapolis Opera is a great company and a safe environment.”
He recently earned his master’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music and made his professional operatic debut last year.
“Guglielmo is a role I’ll sing over and over,” he said. “It’s a good role to have on a baritone’s repertoire.”
This is Ott’s second performance with the Annapolis Opera, currently celebrating its 42nd season.
In 2010, Ott was a finalist and prize winner in the Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition.
“The character I play, Fernando, Dorabella’s love, is hot headed,” said Jonas Hacker, a Wisconsin native who appeared in Annapolis Opera’s Mostly Mozart concert in December.
“Jarrett’s character is a bit more fickle. He’s kind of your typical male.”
Ott smirked.
“You know. Love the one you’re with. That kind of guy.”
The two men laughed and bumped fists.
Hacker noted “Cosi fan tutte,” which debuted in 1790 and was not produced in the U.S. until it was staged at the Metropolitan Opera in 1922, “was considered very racy. Beethoven later wrote an opera in the early 1800s, “Fidelio,” that is its opposite.”
It was long thought of as too hot to handle for puritanical American audiences. “Cosi fan tutte” was the 18th century equivalent of Rated X. Today, it would have a G rating.
“Cosi fan tutte,” translated loosely as “thus they do all,” is described as a comic tale of love tested by deception and seduction. Its plot infers that women are just as fickle as their male counterparts and equally as willing to move from the caresses of one lover to another.
Conversely, the more serious “Fidelio” is known as the “Triumph of Married Love.”
Shoremount-Obra has performed the role of Fiordiligi, but this is her first time handling the character as a professional singer.
“What attracted me to this role,” she said, “first and foremost was the music. For me, even in the silliest moments of this opera, it has the most incredible musical harmonies and gestures. It’s just a fun opera to do.”
Ott agreed.
“It’s easily accessible,” he said. “For someone who have never been to an opera, this is a great first opera.”
“You have to suspend disbelief a bit,” said Pojanowski. “The behavior of the girls, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, is farcical. If you are looking for a serious plot, this is not the one. And, this is a great cast.”
First in renovated hall
Accompanied by a chorus, the six cast members will be singing together virtually non-stop throughout the performance. It will be the first opera staged in the newly renovated auditorium at Maryland Hall.
“The stage has a new pit for the orchestra,” said Kathy Swekel, the Annapolis Opera’s general manager. “Adding to the patrons’ experience is a clear line of sight and new, comfortable seating.”
The acoustics have been upgraded and enhanced, furthering the audience’s auditory enjoyment.
The opera’s stage director, Braxton Peters, said “Cosi fan Tutti” was selected through a review process by its artistic committee composed of Annapolis Opera board members. Peters and the artistic director and conductor, Maestro Ron Gretz, provide a list of operas they would like to stage.
“We haven’t done a comedy in a while,” said Peters, who has been directing Annapolis Opera productions for nearly 25 years.
” ‘Cosi fan tutte’ hasn’t been here in 14 years,” said Gretz. “It’s one of the most frequently staged operas today.”
“The high point of our season is this grand opera performance,” said Swekel. “Cosi fan tutte” is all about love, lies and the price you pay for both, something everyone can understand.”
‘Music is beautiful’
Gearing up for the opera’s two performances, the cast spends their mornings reviewing the score and stage directions. Each evening, they painstakingly rehearse on stage.
“It’s a big ensemble piece,” Hacker said. “There are solo arias, but usually we sing together. The music is beautiful.”
Shoremount-Obra noted the costumes are stunning, especially those of Hacker and Ott when they return to woo their girlfriends disguised as outlandish, exotic Albanians.
Their afternoons are left unscheduled. That is the cast’s free time to explore Annapolis.
“I love the architecture here,” said Hacker.
“It reminds me of Philadelphia and Boston,” said Shoremount-Obra.
In unison, Hacker and Ott declared their “hangout” is 49 West. “We also love Heroes Pub.”
When Mozart presented the opera in 1790, the final curtain closed on a question mark.
The audience was left in the dark as to the future of the two pairs of lovers — or who wound up with whom.
Peters fixed his gaze on the cast.
“In Mozart’s opinion, they go back to whom they started out with.”
His eyes twinkled.
“I’m not saying. Come and see!”
When you go
What: The Annapolis Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte.”
When: 8 p.m. March 13 and 3 p.m. March 15.
Where: Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis.
Admission: Section A $82 and Section B $67 or $27 for students.
More info and tickets: http://www.annapolisopera.org/tickets/
