Meet the Alumni

MEET THE ALUMNI Something to Say—and Sing MATTHEW ROSE (OPERA ’03) JOURNEYS BETWEEN CONTINUITY AND REINVENTION BY MATTHEW BARKER “Playing, singing, is not merely a matter of demonstrating expertise, of eliciting through superior showmanship and virtuosity the admiration, even adulation, of an audience. Make no mistake about it, the industry wants you to think that that’s the case. The recording industry, the managers, the business people—they’re out there looking for the flash in the pan at which they can throw $20 million in merchandising and try to sell a lot of CDs. But the real question is, if you get to be one of those people, what are you going to say? Do you have something to say?” – Robert Levin The 2009 Curtis commencement speech the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, by pianist and scholar Robert Levin, which among others, with renowned conductors has circulated the globe via the Internet, such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Colin has left numerous musicians reexamining Davis, and Charles Dutoit. their place—and the place of classical This past autumn offered several major music—in the twenty-first century. Invariably appearances for Mr. Rose, with a string some musicians will disappoint, when of performances of both The Seasons and measured against Dr. Levin’s challenge. The Creation with John Eliot Gardiner at But through a recent series of e-conversations Carnegie Hall and in Vienna’s Musik-verien, I could plainly see what both critics and along with arguably the most widely audiences have noted in recent years: that publicized musical event of the year: the Curtis alumnus Matthew Rose (Opera ’03) inaugural concerts of Gustavo Dudamel indeed has much to say. at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Rose Due to his hectic schedule, Mr. Rose is impressed by the fundamental approach and I spoke “through the ether” as he puts “the Dude” (as the orchestra has dubbed its it, from Norway and from his home in new music director) uses when working with Sussex, England. Even through cyberspace musicians. “Gustavo Dudamel is a force it was clear this was a musician with a sense of nature, and with his magnetism and joy of purpose. Says Mr. Rose, “I think that for life and music, he brings a very positive Matthew Rose PHOTO: CLIVE BARDA in this day and age when there are so many feeling to everything around him … Other different ways of being a performer, one conductors are not as positive and can has to be open to many different ways of get the best out of people by cajoling and performing, so that means being able to bullying them into playing well. I prefer the access a huge array of skills. I am not more positive approach myself and know saying that one has to be a complete expert that I can do my best when I am feeling in each field, but one has to have a certain good about myself and what I am bringing amount of knowledge and understanding to the performance, not that I don’t mind of the style and techniques of each. Hope- being corrected or led down a certain way fully then you can use the expertise and of thinking.” trust of the conductors and musicians The latter idea should still be fresh in his around you to do a good job.” memory, seeing as it has only been six years This straightforward approach since Mr. Rose was a student of Marlena appears to be paying off in spades for Kleinman Malas and Mikael Eliasen, a the thirty-one-year old bass-baritone. period he still cherishes. “We were very The Grammy Award–winning singer has lucky in the opera department in that we compiled an impressive résumé that ranges were always treated as though we were from Baroque to contemporary. His operatic professional singers … Curtis is very much engagements include La Scala, the Glynde- a school of ‘learning by doing,’ and I am bourne Festival, the Opera Company of so grateful that I was allowed to ‘do’ so Philadelphia, Houston Grand Opera, and much when I was there. I went from Curtis OVERTONES SPRING 2010 23 MEET THE ALUMNI Matthew Rose as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten PHOTO: TAYLOR HOOPER to the Royal Opera House as a young artist to perform these great works then they and very much felt that I was ready to do will die and just be manuscripts sitting in my job when I got there.” libraries around the world. We have to Perhaps more at the heart of Mr. Rose’s fight for our place and try as individuals success is his ineffably infectious charm to persuade people of the validity of what and personality, as witnessed first-hand by we do as performers and the greatness of Curtis opera student Kevin Ray, a chorus the works we perform… member to Mr. Rose’s Leporello this past “It is not going to be easy,” he continues, summer in Santa Fe Opera’s production “but we must keep music alive. Do we do of Don Giovanni. Mr. Ray recalls being this by continuing as we are or do we have WHAT’S ON MATTHEW impressed with Mr. Rose’s vocal prowess, to keep reinventing ourselves and the way ROSE’S iPOD? but it was the alumnus’s charisma that we perform? I think these are questions demanded admiration. “He’s like a stage we should all ask ourselves. And let us Matthew Rose professes to love a wide animal,” Mr. Ray said. “He can do what- hope that the audiences come along on variety of music, but what is currently at ever he wants and has complete control the journey with us.” the top of his playlist? over his character. He has the audience “I am a bit obsessed with The Seasons Matthew Rose’s upcoming engagements include in the palm of his hand.” by Haydn, which I have been performing return appearances at Covent Garden and Glynde- This infectious positivity, combined lots … cannot get enough of that. I’m bourne, as well as his Metropolitan Opera debut with fearsome vigilance and dedication, also loving the new Simon Rattle cycle in November 2011. has allowed this young man from Sussex to of the Brahms symphonies with the Berlin make his mark in a world where a classical For more information visit www.askonasholt.co.uk/ Philharmonic, and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singer is in the minority. “We obviously do artists/singers/bass/matthew-rose. singing Handel arias. I have to say that what we do because we believe that our the iPod comes in handy when wanting Matthew Barker is a freelance writer and production music has a place in modern society,” says to familiarize yourself with music that manager for the Curtis Institute of Music. Mr. Rose. “We all know the way our music you will be performing in the future. It can massively affect the human spirit, and is the greatest invention for the classical we must realize that if we do not continue musician since the metronome!” 24 OVERTONES SPRING 2010.

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