A little news regarding the opera “Cosi Fan Tutte”…
The mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, from top, with her personal trainer, Jeremy Levinn; with her teacher, Edith Bers, and the pianist Alan Hamilton; and rehearsing “Così Fan Tutte” with, from left, Pavol Breslik, Miah Persson and Danielle de Niese and, near left, Nathan Gunn.
Isabel Leonard, a mezzo-soprano, who sings Opera, will be one of the women performing in the cast of “Cosi Fan Tutte”. Surprisingly enough, however, she has just given birth to her son Teo a mere 6 months ago. Six months may seem like a long time, however, in the world of Opera singing, six months isn’t all that long in terms of training to prepare for the role. Leonard has been re-sculpting her postpartum abs to be physically fit enough to allow her to sing and reach her notes on point. There is a lot of prep work required in singing Opera. It doesn’t only require the physical fitness of one’s vocal chords, but the ab muscles as well, which are used to drive the sound outward.
Isabel will be playing the role of Dorabella, along with the rest of the cast who will include Miah Persson, Danielle de Niese, Pavol Breslik, Nathan Gunn and William Shimmell. These days, Isabella says, people expect the singers not only to be outstanding vocally but to resemble movie stars (unlike the opera of an older era). Therefore, it is a win-win, says Ms. Bers, her vocal coach since her days at Juilliard.
Isabel Leonard has been performing since 2007 when she made her debut at the Met as Stéphano in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juiliette.” Anne Midgette, of the New York Times describes her as one who “sang with the assurance of one who feels completely at home on the stage wielding an easy mezzo that went up from an amber-colored lower register to an impressive, sopranolike top.”
We are clearly in for an outstanding performance as the proof here shows.
In the article you can also find audio clips of Ms. Leonard singing in Cosi Fan Tutte if you are too curious to wait til the live performance Dec 2nd.
More and more there is a move toward young singers when the roles call for youth. This might seem obvious, but there was a time when a 60 year old singer would still be singing roles where the character is a teenager. (I have never claimed that the opera world was straightforward.) It is interesting to learn about the backstory of these talented singers.