HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - When Ron Roberts was taking voice lessons at Huntsville's Ars Nova School of the Arts a number of years ago, he would get to his lesson early to listen to the singer ahead of him. Susanna Phillips was only in high school at the time, but Roberts knew he was hearing something special.
"I have followed her career closely and have just have been amazed, as everyone else in Huntsville, and thrilled to watch her," Roberts said about Phillips, who has gone on to star on the stage of New York City's Metropolitan Opera, most recently this past December as Donna Anna in "Don Giovanni." She also recently made her Carnegie Hall debut and had her first European tour and is considered by many to be one of opera's rising stars.
Phillips will return to her hometown on Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. for a Huntsville Chamber Music Guild concert at Trinity United Methodist Church. It's one of two concerts the guild will host in January featuring opera music. Opera Birmingham will also perform highlights from its production of "Madame Butterfly" at Trinity on Jan. 18, also at 7:30 p.m.
Soprano Inna Los will portray Cio-Cio San in an Opera Birmingham production of "Madame Butterfly." She is one of five soloists who will perform highlights from the production on Jan. 18 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville. .
Five singers from the cast of "Madame Butterfly," will present some of the major arias and other well-known pieces from Giacomo Puccini's famous opera. Opera Birmingham will present the entire opera in two performances at Samford' University's Wright Center on Jan. 25 and Jan. 27.
"It's a great story set to great music," said Roberts, who has performed in numerous operas and musicals in Huntsville and is a member of the HCMG board. The guild has made a conscious effort over the past decade or so to promote vocal music in addition to bringing in world-class musicians, Roberts said, and Huntsville is a sophisticated and appreciative audience for the performances.
In her concert, Phillips will perform music dating from the 18th century to the 20th and will be accompanied by Myra Huang on piano. Huang has served on the music staffs of the Washington National Opera and New York City Opera and works each year with Placido Domingo's "Operalia" competition in countries around the world, among other accomplishments.
In addition to several other works, Phillips will perform music by Olivier Messiaen that she recorded on her CD, "Paysages." The "Poemes Pour Mi" is a work that is rarely recorded and includes "mind-blowing pieces, Roberts said. "I think we're going to hear definitive interpretations" of the music, which he calls "very spiritual."
Besides having a spectacular voice, Phillips is also a first-class performer, said Roberts, who calls himself "a big Susanna fan."
"She has this wonderful ability to communicate with an audience," he said. That's something he picked up even as he listened on the other side of the door when she was in high school. "She has this great stage presence, great musicality and a supportive family. It has all sort of jelled and come together for her. It's fun to watch her fly."
Tickets to both the Opera Birmingham and Susanna Phillips concerts are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors over age 65, and $15 for students. For more information, visit hcmg.us or call 256-489-7415.