Denise sits down with Baritone, Steven Herring who has performed the roles of  Don Pizarro in Beethoven’s Fidelio, Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Belcore in Donizetti’sL’Elisir D’amore. Mr. Herring had the distinct pleasure of performing in Jason and Alicia Moran’s WORK SONGS, for the 56th Biennale di Venezia. A recipient of an Olga Forrai Foundation Grant Mr. Herring is also the Director of School and Community Engagement for Bridge Arts Ensemble, an organization of New York based teaching artists which brings high quality music education to over 50,000 public school students in Upstate New York. As a featured soloist, Mr. Herring’s concert repertoire includes performances of Beethoven Choral Fantasy with The Saint Louis Symphony, Fauré Requiem with Orchestra of Saint Lukes, Peter in Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion with Musica Angelica and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Carmina Burana at The John F. Kennedy Center with The CUA Symphony Orchestra, Messiah with The CUA Symphony Orchestra, Mozart Festival with The Juilliard Symphony.

What You Will Hear

• What attracted Steven to opera
• What makes opera grand and classic and what is different about singing other genres
• Work Songs
• Wanting to play Othello and controversy in the opera world about blackface.
• Going to the Juilliard School
• Life after Juilliard

Quotes

“You always have to find a way to tap into the emotion of the piece….the emotions color the sound.”

“If the voice and the emotion serve  the character, may the best artist win that role.”

“I didn't have to go in search of the black experience black my experience is It's the black experience.”

Mentioned

The Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts 

LivingArtsCollaborative.com

Instagram Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Jason and Alicia Hall Moran

Ed Berkely

Ed Zamabara

Marlena Malice

Steven Smith

Micheal Kahn

Marian Seldes