Carmen

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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
February 11 - March 25, 2017 | 17
Russian as often. Les Troyens was a different
animal because it’s so massive! I had to take
it section by section. Even when we began
performances, I had to review some things
in my brain before going onstage.
JAMES ODOM
I look for the mistakes I’ve learned. No
matter how many times I do a piece, there
are sections I need to review and fix. You
don’t really learn a piece until at least the
third time you’ve done it. And even after
the tenth, you’ll still find things you’ve
missed before.
CORRINE WALLACE-CRANE, Alto,
Regular Chorus, first season, previously three
seasons each in Supplementary and Core
Supplementary Chorus
Memorizing can usually be done in our
extensive rehearsals with lots of repetition.
For shows with enormous amounts of
music, I make a playlist of the tough
numbers on my iPhone. I listen on the
train, in the car, at the gym, wherever I
can. For a show that’s new to me but not
most others (i.e. Lucia or Flute), I look at
the score in my free time. If needed, I’ll
write words on notecards that I’ll carry
around until I’m solid.
SHARON GARVEY COHEN
This season brings my second Don Quichotte,
my third Eugene Onegin, and my fifth
Carmen. After 20 years I barely had to
open the Quichotte score! With Les Troyens,
for the first time, we were given scores
ahead of time. Many of us studied the score
last summer, and listened to or watched it,
just to get it in our heads.
KEN DONOVAN
When fine-tuning the sound and precision
of the score, you get to know the music
on an almost cellular level and it sticks
with you for many years. Each chorus
master has specific ideas about the sound
or articulation of a chorus; it’s important
to be flexible and adjust accordingly.
Likewise, each conductor has a personal
interpretation of a score and we need to
incorporate that as well, often with very
little music rehearsal. With Les Troyens, we
started from scratch. I spent several days
writing in the translation and highlighting
my part, which made the initial music
rehearsals more manageable.
KIMBERLY McCORD
It’s difficult to prepare outside of rehearsal
because unlike soloists, everything we
do must be done together. Drilling as a
group is vital. However, there have been
a few shows for which I had to work on
memorization outside of Lyric. I try to
sing along to recordings while completing
housework. If I can sing correctly while
distracted, I know it’s there.
What should debuting
conductors, directors, and singers
know about the Lyric Opera
Chorus?
RON WATKINS
We take our work very seriously and are
continually striving to honor the reputation
we have as the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Chorus!
SHARON GARVEY COHEN
We are all pros, we take pride in our
work, and we will do what we can to
accommodate you in music and staging.
We are a chatty and friendly bunch, and
we love a good party.
JAMES ODOM
We’ve got your back. We can and will do
whatever you need or want, just ask us.
ROBIN BRADLEY
We’re a very well-oiled machine, and we
work tirelessly on the precision and beauty
of each piece we sing. I also relish the
opportunity to really contribute to every
scene. My favorite scene in Les Troyens
was the women’s Act Two finale with
Cassandra. We interacted a great deal with
Christine Goerke, requiring an immense
amount of emotional commitment to
genuinely portray what the scene required.
JEFFREY TAYLOR
I appreciate when a conductor takes time
to work with us specifically, in the rehearsal
room, so we learn whether the conductor
wants different tempi, phrasing, dynamics,
or cutoffs than what we practiced. A few
conductors have made us feel like full
partners in the production.
This season’s Les Troyens,
a tremendous challenge for
the chorus, pictured here as
the long-besieged people of
Troy; and Cathleen Dunn
and Sherry Watkins as two
Trojan women backstage.
Sharon Garvey Cohen (left) and
Yvette Smith (right), backstage
during The Magic Flute this season.
Vince Wallace and Kenneth Nichols
(left and right, foreground) of the
Lyric Chorus, with actor Rob Hunt
and dancer Jeffery Hover, backstage
during Carousel (2014-15 season).
TODD ROSENBERG