2023-09-17 08:05:21
R. Achael Wilson was mortified. The Spring Valley High School choir had just finished a song in a competition in 2007, and she was criticized for overpowering her fellow singers.
“The judge said, ‘A singer sings so loud,’” Wilson said. “I started to grind my teeth. But then, instead of saying I should calm down and sing quieter, this judge turned to the whole group and said, “You should all sing louder.” »
“It was a moment: I found my voice,” says Wilson, now a 33-year-old independent mezzo-soprano who sells out opera houses across Europe. She will spend this fall and early 2024 playing the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Sweden and singing the title role in Carmen in Swiss. Then, in August, she will return to the United States for her American opera debut in Don Giovanni with the Santa Fe Opera.
The big upcoming roles follow the Julliard graduate’s successful stint as an ensemble member of Germany’s Stuttgart State Opera from 2019-23, when her audiences were treated to her soaring voice in productions as Carmen, The Rhinegold, Les Noces de Figaro and that of Vivaldi Judith triumphant, in which she played the main character. Before moving to Stuttgart, Wilson spent six years in Munich, during which she notably played Kai in Snow Queen and Hansel in Hansel et Gretel. She also won the prestigious Bavarian Art Prize for her performance in Obéron for the Bavarian State Opera.
Along the way, Wilson has graced the world’s biggest stages, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. She has also made several recordings, including Snow Queenwhich won the Gramophone Prize for Best Contemporary Recording of 2022.
Transatlantic tribute: Wilson performs Gershwin and Weill at the Bavarian State Opera. (Wilfried Hösl, Bavarian State Opera)
WIlson has become a bona fide opera star, but when I contact her on the phone, she’s singing with Led Zeppelin in a Munich apartment, catching her rock’n’roll breath amid a typically busy and fractured singing schedule . . One of her recent shows had her coming and going several times a day for rehearsals. “You rehearsed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., then you took a break. Then you came back and either performed or rehearsed from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Another little pitfall of his European routine: “Everything closes at 8 p.m. I had so many hungry nights because I didn’t get out of rehearsal in time to get something from the store. »
It’s a far cry from 24-hour Las Vegas, where Wilson grew up in a family full of artists and musicians. She was that kid from the elementary school choir who would rush home for private singing lessons. “My parents (Carolyn and Mike Johnson) met while working at the school. Las Vegas Review Journal as designers. They were fun, artistic people who loved music and supported me in pursuing my dreams, but without pressure. It was all my choice.
BBy the time Wilson graduated from Spring Valley High, she knew music was her future — but she had no idea what genre. She found the answer during her undergraduate years at Chapman University in Orange, California. The resident artist and voice teacher was Carol Neblett, an acclaimed American opera soprano who sang around the world with stars such as Placido Domingo. “I didn’t know I was so passionate regarding classical music until this wonderful teacher really took me under her wing and showed me everything,” Wilson says. “I was a bit of a black sheep when it came to classical music. People study it all their lives. I was so new to this.
Wilson applied to 15 graduate schools, including the Julliard School, which she said was her chance. “I was sick the day of my audition at Julliard. I left there thinking, “There’s no way, but at least I tried.” »
And then the call came: “I was in California, on my way to class at Chapman. My phone rang and I heard, “It’s Julliard School.” We just want to call you personally. You are one of seven admitted this year. I had to stop.
Wilson was late for choir practice that day at Chapman. “The conductor said, ‘Rachael, why are you late?’ It’s forbidden.’ I might barely say, “I’m late because I just got to Julliard.” I said it, and suddenly 200 people and the conductor applauded me. He also apologized to me for being late.
Wilson in Frozen in Munich, 2020. (Wilfred Hosl, Bavarian State Opera)
At Julliard, Wilson experienced culture shock. “Vegas and California are so cool. New York is intense,” she says. “There are a lot of different cultures rubbing once morest each other.” But the school itself was welcoming. “Julliard is not as it is portrayed in the movies, but rather as a place of cutthroat competition. I am still good friends with the seven of us who were admitted that year. We clung to each other while we were there. You need each other as you go through this crazy adventure together. There was no room to be competitive or cruel.
After Julliard, Wilson auditioned for work in Munich or Turin, Italy. The agreement called for an opera house in each location to choose an American singer to work there for a year. She ended up in Munich. “I was able to perform a lot and have access to great coaches and teachers. It was a kind of internship. I was always protected. It was too good to be true.
Wilson came to Germany “without speaking a bit of German – and soon I was singing in German.” But his time in Europe came with other challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. “Oddly enough, I was one of the few people who worked through most of COVID,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of online projects, as well as recordings. The rules continued to change with our live shows. We went from almost no audience to a show in front of 20 people in a large opera house, then to fuller houses now. It was very strange: you suddenly realize how much of your life is your work.
It was a moment of reflection for the singer. “I was walking around and making bread like everyone else. I also learned to use my time differently and stop accepting every offer that comes my way. I want to do the things I really love. I look for the positive side in this way now.
Research will continue to take her across continents and oceans, armed with the only instrument she needs. “A voice takes a long time to develop and it never stops developing,” she says. “Being a singer is a lifelong profession that requires endless technical, mental and physical focus and work throughout your career. »
WIlson tries to return to Las Vegas as much as possible to see family and friends. The trips usually include a visit to her favorite restaurant which, she admits, is Blueberry Hill. “This does not exist in Europe. I want my watered down, endless refillable American coffee and a giant plate of bacon and eggs at one in the morning. And I want to watch people. It’s also a very American thing – and I love it. Wilson hopes her future work will include singing in her hometown. “I have some big projects I’d like to start in Vegas. I can imagine having a little house there.
But if that dream comes true, don’t expect to hear strains of opera music coming from Wilson’s open patio door. “In my free time, I’m on a Springsteen binge,” she says. “I have Bruce in rehearsal. I love Leonard Cohen, Chavela Vargas, David Byrne and Led Zeppelin. Oddly, I don’t listen to a lot of opera at home. It feels like work and it’s such an intense experience. I prefer dancing to Chemical Brothers. ◆
2023-09-17 10:13:00
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