Page 67 - Classical Singer magazine 2019 Fall University Issue

Curtis Opera Theatre and Opera Philadelphia’s production of Riders to the Sea, 2019
photo by William Brown Photography
Owens’ co-director will be Danielle Orlando. “Danielle Orlando has been, for many years, a critical partner with Mikael Eliasen in providing world-class pedagogy to these students,” says Opera Philadelphia General Director David B. Devan, “and we know that this care will continue under her leadership.” A collaborative pianist who has been on the sta of many of the world’s great opera companies, Orlando previously exed her administrative muscles as artistic administrator and head of musical sta for Opera Philadelphia. She currently serves as master coach on the faculty of another Philadelphia institution with a proud history, the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA). Orlando’s career has been as impressive as it has been diverse—but the common thread has been working with singers at the highest levels, under the greatest pressure. And that pressure starts at Curtis during the extremely competitive audition process.
Even Owens didn’t get in on his rst try. “I went away and worked on some things and came back to try again,” Owens says in a recent phone interview. These days he knows what it’s like on the other side of the table.
“We went through around 400 submissions and we whittled that down to about 115 people we invited to audition,” he says, “and there were something like 60 nalists, and we had to choose
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