Our "Meet our Artist" Series continues with mezzo-soprano Hilary Ginther, who will perform the role of Rosina in her FGO debut this November.
Mezzo-soprano Hilary Ginther is a new member of FGO's prestigious Young Artist Program. Most recently, she made her solo debut with the Philadelphia
Orchestra as a mezzo soloist in Bernstein’s Mass
under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Other recent roles include Sesto in
Handel’s Giulio Cesare with CCM
Opera, Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und
Gretel with Opera in the Heights, Jo in Adamo’s Little Women and the Stewardess in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with Opera Fayetteville, numerous
Mozart roles including Cherubino in Le
nozze di Figaro with Virginia Opera, Sesto in La clemenza di Tito with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble, and Zerlina
in Don Giovanni with the Natchez
Festival of Music; and as Bobachino in the world premiere of John Musto’s The Inspector with Wolf Trap Opera.
This
season at FGO she sings Rosina in Rossini’s The
Barber of Seville and Vlasta in Weinberg’s The Passenger, while study-covering Liese in Passenger.
To see Hilary Ginther perform the role of Rosina in Florida Grand Opera's exciting, re-imagined production of Rossini's The Barber of Seville from
November 14–December 5, 2015, simply call FGO's Box Office at
800.741.1010 Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm, or order securely online at
FGO.org.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR TICKETS
PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS: - To read our interview with David Pershall, who plays the role of Figaro on Nov 14, 17, 21, please click here.
- To read our interview with Brian James Myer, who plays the role of Figaro on Nov 15, 20, Dec 3, 5, please click here.
- To read our interview with Megan Marino, who plays the role of Rosina on Nov 14, 17, 21, please click here.
- To read our interview with Andrew Owens, who plays the role of Count Almaviva, please click here.
Florida Grand Opera: Welcome to Florida Grand Opera! Can you please tell us a little about yourself?
Hilary Ginther: Thank you, I’m so happy to be here! I am Hilary Ginther, and I am singing Rosina in The Barber of Seville. I’m coming from my "home base," New York City, where I live with my husband, Ben. We are actually newlyweds and returned from our honeymoon just two days before I arrived at FGO! Ben is one of the best, most experienced bartenders in Manhattan... so, obviously I’m lucky.
I am originally from Bristol, VA/TN where I grew up riding horses with my sister, camping, water skiing, wakeboarding, and singing in local children’s choirs. I was, and still am, a "musical tomboy."
I received my formal music training from the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
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| FGO's 2015-16 Young Artists Photo: Lorne Grandison |
FGO: Congratulations on your recent marriage! If your husband were to create a signature “Hilary Ginther” cocktail, what would the recipe be?
HG: If Ben created a cocktail named after me, the base spirit would definitely be tequila. It’s my favorite spirit, and we met working at a tequila bar in NYC. It would probably be some version of a margarita (he makes the BEST), or something involving tequila with a champagne topper. Mmmmm... now I’m thirsty!
FGO: You're making us thirsty, too! Sounds delicious. Taking a step back: When did you decide that you wanted to pursue opera as a full-time career?
HG: I’ve wanted to be an opera singer since I began voice lessons at the age of 12. My voice has always lent itself to classical music rather than pop or musical theater, so opera sort of chose me, too.
I am proud to be an opera singer, and I’ll tell you why: It is an incredibly difficult task to perform an opera successfully. We have years of vocal technique to support our unamplified voices, while exercising our musical and linguistic skills, and are then able to convincingly portray characters in (usually) a foreign language.
In this field, I feel lucky to meet so many incredibly talented creative types, as well as get to know and travel different parts of the world. Usually you begin a process in a room full of (mostly) strangers, and you immediately start to create something together. Our job is to be instantly comfortable with strangers and be vulnerable to our audience. The adrenaline and anxiety can be thrilling and addicting!
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| Photo: Vancouver Opera |
FGO: Fantastic; we couldn't agree more! We bet you're doing a lot of bonding with your felling Barber cast members.
Speaking of which, in your own words, how this production of The Barber of Seville differs from a more “traditional” production?
HG: This is my first production of The Barber of Seville, so I can’t speak from an experience of being in the show, but from more traditional productions I’ve seen, ours differs greatly! I am having a lot of fun with this production.
Rosina is a famous movie star who is in the process of filming a version of the famous Carmen. My Rosina and Carmen dreams are both being fulfilled at once. What more could a girl want?
This concept works for The Barber of Seville in many ways, one of which being that Figaro is the resident wig and makeup artist on the set of the movie, who helps disguise Count Almaviva by using costumes from the production’s costume rack. Bartolo owns the studio and Rosina owes much of her fame to him, so he has trapped her by owning her success.
Just add love and scheming and you have an opera... brilliant!
FGO: Sounds brilliant! As you mentioned, in this production you'll be portraying a more vivacious version of the more traditional characterization of Rosina. And, the opera itself is much more comedic than other productions.
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| Photo: Vancouver Opera |
HG: I love comedy. I want people to laugh and to feel happy while experiencing live theater. As an actress, comedy is what I’m most comfortable with, and a spicy character like Rosina is always fun to portray.
Other parts of the opera that are my personal favorites are the duet with Figaro, “Dunque io son,” in which I believe over one million notes are sung while trying on lingerie and having a pillow fight, and the other being Rosina’s lesson aria, “Contro un cor.” This aria is not only incredibly fun to sing, but Dennis Garnhum’s direction of the scene is hilarious, and my instinctive colleagues make it a pleasure to perform.
As a mezzo, I don’t often play the leading lady, so I’m soaking up every minute of this role.
The music is challenging and rewarding, our cast is unbelievably talented, and the production takes place on a 40s movie set... It’s fun!
FGO: What is the most challenging part about performing this role?
HG: I would say the biggest challenge with this role has been the difficult singing combined with a very busy stage. The production is so fun, but with that comes challenges, such as several onstage costume changes, hair cuts, a lot of props, and a scooter.
This is my first Rossini AND first bel canto opera, so I’ve taken the technical aspect of this role very seriously. I love a challenge, and Rosina is the perfect challenge for me at this point in my career. This kind of coloratura singing is not something that came naturally to me, and it is the result of practice and determination that I’m proud to put on stage.
FGO: We cannot wait to experience the result of all of this practice! So, even though this is your first time in this role, "Una voce poco fa" is a "go-to" aria for many mezzo-sopranos. What is your personal relationship with this aria?
HG: I first began working on Rosina’s aria “Una voce poco fa” when I was in graduate school, and have been working on this role for many years. I am thrilled to make my role/production/company debut as one of the most beloved characters in opera.
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| Hilary as Cherubino, Mississippi Opera |
FGO: Looking towards the future, what is your dream role?
I have two dream roles at this point, and both are trouser roles. Romeo in Bellini’s I Capuleti ed i Montecchi and Octavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. I really love performing trouser roles, and these two are some of the best!
FGO: Why should people come to see this production of The Barber of Seville?
HG: The Barber of Seville is already one of the most entertaining operas in the repertoire. It’s funny, silly, there are numerous people in disguise, not to mention it contains some of the most famous music that even a stranger to opera would recognize. Rossini’s music is best known for the vocal fireworks, coloratura, and his famous crescendo, which is demonstrated many times in the opera. The tempi of the music is very exciting as well, Maestro Tebar is really keeping us on our toes, and it makes for a palpable sense of electricity in the hall. This production is sure to be one of the most entertaining I’ve been a part of, there are many comedians in this cast!
FGO: Final question, just for fun: f you were hired as a director and presented with the task to update another operatic favorite, how would you update the production?
HG: I don’t this could work for an entire production, but I’ve always wanted to see the Three Ladies in The Magic Flute as the three headed guard from [Monty Python's] The Holy Grail, moving in one body, constantly bickering! There is also a special place in my heart for Le nozze di Figaro, and while I love traditional productions, it would definitely be fun to update to some sort of rich, snobby, dysfunctional, Orange County mansion family… with fabulous wardrobes, of course.
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| Photo: Cincinnatti Opera |
Thank you, Hilary, for taking time out of your busy rehearsal schedule to speak with us. Best of luck in your FGO debut performance!
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