Q & A: Nicole Cabell On Singing Her First Staged Bess & Work At Regional Companies

By Francisco Salazar

Since winning the Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2005, Nicole Cabell has performed at all the major houses around the world and has also scored major success in numerous roles.

After an acclaimed Micaëla in “Carmen” at the Atlanta Opera this past season and a summer filled with concerts in Russia, Germany, and Japan, Cabell returns to the English National Opera for a new production of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

The soprano spoke with OperaWire about the upcoming production and singing her first staged production as Bess.

OperaWire: Why are you excited to perform “Porgy and Bess” this upcoming season?

Nicole Cabell: It’s the first time I will be singing a stage version. I have sung semi-staged versions as both Bess and Clara. I’ve recorded as Clara and done a lot of “Porgy and Bess” suites where I sang reduced versions in concerts. I also did a semi-staged production in Sydney in 2016. So, I know most the role so it’s not going to be a very different experience. It’s pretty much in my voice from that production.

OW: What are the biggest challenges of the work?

NC: It used to be casting but now that it had been done so much in the last decade, there are a lot of people you can call on to do it. I think sometimes it’s hard to find chorus members and cast to do it understanding Gershwin’s requests and now there is a lot of people who have already sung it in any given city that you can call upon to fill out your cast.

OW: Why do you think Gershwin’s work is getting such a big renaissance these days?

NC: I think people are finally realizing what an amazing opera it is. It’s an incredibly challenging sing for most people and the production is operatic. You can’t do it very successfully without voices that aren’t operatic unless you’re miking them all the time or taking a lot of cuts and liberties. That’s what Gershwin wanted, operatic voices. I don’t really see how you can really do it well.

OW: What do you think the impact has been?

NC: Opera companies are finally realizing the audiences they are bringing out. There have been a couple of productions where they have had to add performances This kind of a common thing and it shows that people really want to hear it. It’s an audience-pleasing show and it’s one of those opera likes “Bohème” and “Carmen” and I think it’s one of the reasons its being brought more often.

OW: What are some of your favorite moments in the score?

NC: I love the duet with Crown. It’s a primal rhythm and it shouldn’t be quite as seductive but it’s very sensual and very jazzy. You must sing it very supported and it’s just amazing. So, I’m excited to sing that. I think the combination of the music and the desperation with which you must sing, it is really captivating for me as a singer. I hope that the audience really gets that.

OW: What other roles do you have in store for this upcoming season?

NC: I’ll be doing a Mimi in “La Bohème” with the Pittsburgh opera, “La Traviata” with Minnesota Opera and in the summer, I’ll be in Cincinnati for Juliette in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.”

OW: This season you’ll be at Cincinnati and Pittsburgh Opera? You also recently finished a production at Atlanta Opera. What is so gratifying about working at regional houses as opposed to singing at bigger houses?

NC: They’re great. I love companies like Atlanta because they’re family-oriented and have a friendly and comfortable company. These companies also have some great artists and they’re quality is amazing. You also get more freedom to bring your own interpretation to the production as opposed to having the pressure to be like other famous singers. There is more freedom to bringing a more personal interpretation because audiences are coming in with an open mind and are a little less critical. I find that the orchestras in regional companies play softer and I tend to feel that when I sing with regional companies I don’t have to push so much over the orchestra. It’s a personal experience I find it wonderful to sing at these houses.

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