Eight local artists use iconic arias to share something about their personal pandemic experiences.
October 2021-May 2022
Directed by Catie O'Donnell
Installment #1 - October 2021
Adam Qutaishat
"Vesti la giubba" from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci
"As the world closed down industries across the world had one choice: move online. Theatre and Music were no different. And while some thrived in a world of getting as many takes as they needed and having scripts in front of them, others were forced to attempt to develop new skills on the fly while living in a world of crisis after crisis. And we did. We made videos or Zoom productions; Spending hours making work inferior to that we could have done in only a few minutes of in person time. And we were forced to watch ourselves fail. Over and over and over again. We got to agonize over every tiny mistake that we could identify, but didn't have the tools or materials to fix. We fought through WiFi signals, ring lights, editing software, and the rest of it as an industry (and ourselves) tried desperately to ignore the toll it was taking on our already fragile mental health. And it has continued. With many companies now doing a self tape screening, prior to a prepared audition tape before any hope for being seen in person. So, we continue to smile, slate, and soldier on. The clowns."
Installment #2 - November 2021
Allison Hull
"Va! laisse couler mes larmes" from Massenet's Werther
"This particular video was conceived and recorded approximately two months after our still ever-lurking COVID-19 pandemic began. The wonderful Dr. Melanie Cain concocted an online contest to help feed our creativity and satisfy the most basic need of singers; to keep singing. The endeavor proved one of the silliest and most enjoyable of the last many months. I’m thrilled it gets a second life!
We were all feeling lost, cut off, strung out, lonely, and frankly, quite frightened. In this aria Charlotte’s heartbreaking sadness has been repurposed as a comic but earnest reflection of our collective anxiety and its less than healthy manifestations.”
Installment #3 - December 2021
Nicole McCarty
"Porgi amor" from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro
"When thinking about this video and how the pandemic has impacted me, the first thing that came to mind was masks and how difficult it is to sing with them on. It sometimes feels like all of the progress I've made as a singer goes out the window, and all of my focus is on making sure that I'm still able to get enough air. Even so, I can't really complain because I've still been afforded performance opportunities, and I've managed to stay healthy (knock on wood).
This time has been a struggle for many, and I wanted to show what it can be like when preparing for a performance with a mask. When you're in the moment, it's frustrating, but when you have a chance to think about it, you're able to find some parts of the experience humorous."
Installment #4 - January 2022
Alexandra Kassouf
"Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" from Puccini's La Bohème
"For nearly the last 2 years, we’ve been communicating with each other virtually. We’ve attempted to stay connected to our communities through social media and virtual gatherings. And I’m thankful for the technology available, but it’s also been exhausting. Connecting with new people during the pandemic has been even more challenging. Meeting people virtually begins with a description of yourself and a motionless picture.
When we have time to edit ourselves, the self-doubt cycle shows up. What do I want people to know about me? Is it safe to be honest and vulnerable? What if I’m honest and nobody sees me? Will anyone understand my sense of humor without inflection and facial expressions? Then add on top of that the feeling that I’m not being honest about what I like to do with my time because the pandemic has limited my activities. Am I an imposter? Do I actually like to be outside? Can I even remember being outside??? How do I talk about myself when everything I know has changed? If you figure it out, let me know."
Installment #5 - February 2022
Nathan Wesselowski
"Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore
"Una furtiva lagrima” from L’elisir d’amore is the aria I most sing and is one of my favorites. I chose this aria for the mere fact that it is what kept my chops up during the pandemic. As many artists do in the Milwaukee area, I have a side hustle driving for Uber between gigs. This rendition of “Una furtiva lagrima” closely mirrors what would happen from time to time while driving people to their destinations and at that point, any audience was a valued audience.
Spreading the love of singing brought joy to those who requested. I did not just offer it up to anyone, but if a conversation led to it, I rarely refused. (Do not worry, no one was injured and we were stationary for the filming of this aria) I can’t wait to hit the stage again."
Installment #6 - March 2022
Cecilia Davis
"Piangerò la sorte mia" from Handel's Giulio Cesare
My pandemic experience is not unique. Like scores of households everywhere, the March 2020 shut-down transformed our home into a shared working and learning space where my kids, husband and I fumbled through virtual school and remote work. When it all began, I got right to work on Pinterest-worthy, daily household schedules that included such illusions as daily family walks, nutritious snacks, meditation time, educational movies, and perfectly balanced parental teamwork. But as stay-at-home life dragged on, my best-laid plans for household harmony and productivity quickly devolved into daily chaos, and general family discord. A typical weekday usually unraveled as early as my first cup of coffee, when a child refused to participate in his first virtual classroom meet of the day. Or when another child’s Chromebook wouldn’t power up. Or when brotherly conflict disrupted my meeting. Or one of a zillion other possible things that got in the way. It didn’t take long for me to go from “we can do this!” to “God help me if this lasts much longer” and “get me out of here” and so on and so forth. Plus, maneuvering it as a parent of spirited, neurodivergent boys that require extra academic, emotional and beahvioral interventions added to the overwhelm.
So to illustrate the sloppiness of it all, I chose to muddle through Cleopatra’s aria, “Piangero la sorte mia”, from Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare. In this aria, an imprisoned Cleopatra believes her beloved Caesar is dead, weeping hopelessly for her fate and imminent death. In the middle of the aria, she explodes in a rage, passionately describing how she vows to seek revenge. My family’s performance of this aria contextualizes it as one of my many zoom meetings gone awry.
Though my response to the pandemic wasn’t quite as melodramatic as Cleopatra’s scene, I could certainly identify with her hopelessness and desperation (oh - and her imprisonment, too) as shut-down dragged on and my best-laid plans for household harmony and productivity unraveled. Heck - like Cleopatra’s mid-aria explosion, I certainly had my fair share of pandemic temper tantrums (one even resulting in the denting of my husband’s car—but that’s an aria for another day.)
In the end, I learned that letting go of expectations, accepting the chaos, reveling in little victories, and granting myself and my family grace were much better survival tactics. It’s a lot easier said than done. I still fail miserably at it most of the time. But two years into this pandemic, I think I’m getting a little better at it now. 😉
Lots of love and thanks to my sons Owen and Milo, and my husband Jon for lending their talents to this project.
Installment #7 - April 2022
Austin Bare
"Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" from Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns
"As I started the work for this project I had a tough time initially thinking about what exactly to sing until I found this piece. I realized that even though these past few years have been full of isolation and confusion, I had grown exponentially closer with my partner and our support for each other had deepened. She often grounded me in reality when my thoughts wandered to darker scenarios, showed me to appreciate the strides I had made to reach this point as an artist and brought new meaning to my life.
Ultimately, this project turned into a way to openly acknowledge her immense impact on my life even through times of hardship. In the words of this piece, “Xai, you are my heart’s delight."
Installment #8 - May 2022
Colleen Brooks
"Non…vous n’avez jamais" from Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots
My COVID pandemic experience was ... awful, beautiful, terrifying, and magical. I had made the decision to cut back from full time to part time work just prior to the onset of the pandemic as I realized that I wanted to spend more time with my family, and wow did the universe grant that wish in spades! ha! It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but for every moment that Larry and I were missing our friends, cleaning up yet another potty training disaster, or screaming at the top of our lungs for the kids to stop yelling at each other (that makes sense, right?) there was always an equal,
matching moment of crying in a parking lot exchanging Xmas gifts with family because I had actually forgotten how much I had missed them, building forts and hiking through snowy forests, and having exciting scavenger hunts for suffixes during evening story time. ha!
The scene you are about to view includes the sentiments expressed above and specifically focuses on the unshakable desire for adult interaction that results when one is constantly surrounded by a storm of kid craziness. Through sheer will power, I often blindly committed myself to telling Larry a story, when I knew that it was, in fact, impossible that he would actually be able to follow it. Likewise, the loving kindness that Larry exerted in pretending that he had actually listened and followed the story was equally heroic.
My most sincere thanks to pianist Kayoko Miyazawa, production assistant Moira Shaughnessy, MOT's very own Catie, Danny, and Jill Anna, and my courageous family who let me rope them into this project in exchange for Skittles and a trip to Bounce MKE. Vocal ornamentation was lovingly stolen from the incredible Marilyn Horne.
Congratulations on surviving whatever the COVID pandemic forced you to face, and we hope you enjoy!