Review: Palm Beach Opera showcases young singers in 'Up Close' recital

Palm Beach Opera presented its season pre-opener, "Opera Up Close" at the Cornelia T. Bailey Opera Center in West Palm Beach's Northwood neighborhood Saturday.

These behind-the-scenes events are designed to showcase their Young Artist Program and the prestigious, often-returning performers, the Bailey Apprentice Artists. Always an exciting performance to attend, this opera workshop setting boasts opera's up-and-coming talent and gives the audience a chance to see how the rehearsal process prepares young singers for the mainstage.

However, we still miss the season-opener full-scale productions with the young artists that have been mounted in previous seasons. It seems counterintuitive to an operatic training program to reduce opportunities for young artists, putting a workshop performance in place of full roles and stage time for their résumés. Why not do both and give audiences the thrill and experience of seeing the complete progression of training? The audience may not make the necessary connection, because these artists are silently covering principal roles backstage.

General Director James Barbato and the Palm Beach Opera Board took a moment at the beginning of the evening to celebrate the program's success, highlighting its growth and achievements in launching several operatic stars. Among them is the exciting tenor Duke Kim, who has now made mainstage appearances at Palm Beach Opera. The company's Young Artist Program is now one of the most sought-after training programs in the U.S., receiving more than 1,000 applicants annually. 

The first scene presented was "Venti scudi," from Act II of Donizetti's "The Elixir of Love." Ben Strong is a resonant baritone with a polished and commanding stage presence, perfect for the role of Belcore. Strong demonstrated an excellent understanding of comedic timing while maintaining a multi-faceted character. His smooth vocal technique excelled in the demanding bel canto style, easily producing a beautiful tone in the sustained lines and showcasing crisp agility in the moving passages. Tenor Matthew Cerillo, as Nemorino, played well in the comedic scene with strong high notes that brought the scene to a satisfying close.

Saane Halaholo drove the next as the title character, Susannah, from Carlisle Floyd's opera of the same name. Director Paul Curran prefaced this scene wonderfully in his between-the-scene commentary by highlighting how dark and difficult the subject matter is for young singers to communicate on stage. Confronting at least three levels of trauma in this scene as the character Susannah, Halaholo has a beautiful soprano voice with light agility in her top register, effortlessly floating through difficult melodies. Susannah's aria mourns for the happiness of the previous summer and the life she has lost.

While the cup and the pitcher were slightly distracting in this scene, we longed to fully immerse ourselves in Halaholo's sound and process the trauma with the character, allowing the entrance of Blitch to shatter the sorrowful beauty of the aria. Bass-baritone Dylan Gregg was highly effective in the duet, moving seamlessly between evil, leering upper hand to disheveled religious and lecherous resolve. Gregg communicated a Blitch whose pursuit of Susannah felt like a twisted religious responsibility, as though "saving" Susannah justified his conquest.  

Ashlyn Brown portrayed a beautifully stressed and conflicted Charlotte in a scene from Act III of Jules Massenet's "Werther": "Ah, mon courage m'abandonne … Pourquoi me réveiller." Brown demonstrated excellent French diction and had a strong entrance. She commanded the stage with confidence while driving the energy in the scene and setting a high bar for her scene partners to follow.

Brown is a polished actress, fluidly transitioning between emotions and intentions while showing a full arc of character development in a compact and difficult scene. Ajit Persaud as Werther demonstrated impressive vocal prowess, particularly in the high notes, as the duet progressed.

Bernardo Medeiros delivered a brilliant portrayal of Rigoletto, from Verdi's opera of the same name. With a mature, velvety baritone voice, Medeiros effortlessly communicated the range of emotions needed in the scene. Soprano Maggie Kinabrew shone in the role of Gilda, making this the most captivating scene of the evening.

Kinabrew's radiant presence is supported by a beautiful soprano voice with effervescent high notes that are sure to project in the largest houses. Though youthful, her powerful voice, perfectly suited for the role of Gilda, projected with such force and clarity in the intimate performance space that it caused the first few rows to adjust in their seats.

Mario Manzo displayed an exciting baritone voice portraying the role of Figaro in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" while Brown, the indomitable soprano, covered the role of Rosina. Both voices were well-matched in the scene, and Manzo demonstrated a broad range of technical talents with a bold presence on stage and a voice destined for more dramatic roles.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach Opera's 'Up Close' recital puts promising voices on display