By: Casha Caponegro
MONROE Marisa Galvany, a mezzo-soprano with The New York Grand Opera and resident of Monroe for the last three years, considers great opera to be an exhilarating and uplifting experience to witness.
"There’s nothing like the thrill of the sound of the human voice in person, not enhanced by a microphone," said Ms. Galvany. "When a soprano hits a high note, it is just like Derek Jeter hitting a home run. That’s what it is all about."
Unfortunately, Ms. Galvany’s voice will have to be miked when she performs the role of Amneris in Verdi’s opera, "Aida," on June 27 on the Summer Stage in Central Park with the New York Grand Opera.
The opera tells the epic tale of a captured Nubian princess, Aida, who becomes handmaiden to the spoiled daughter of a pharaoh, Amneris, and falls in love with Radames, Amneris’ betrothed.
The free performance will kick off the Grand Opera’s Central Park season and is the culmination of an unprecedented eight-year festival by the company in which it performed all 28 of Verdi’s operas in chronological order.
Playing the mezzo-soprano role of Amneris has been an unusual experience for Ms. Galvany.
"I sang soprano for most of my career and I’ve sang Aida (the title role) quite a few times," she said. "It’s a little weird sometimes. Memory kicks in and I’ll think to myself, ‘I sang that line before.’ "
Ms. Galvany said, however, that the role she is currently playing is more suited to her liking.
"I am much more at home in this role now," said Ms. Galvany. "She makes things happen in the show and doesn’t depend on other characters. Verdi even considered naming the play Amneris after her. She doesn’t sing as much as Aida, but it is a tremendously powerful role."
Ms. Galvany has previously portrayed other strong, mezzo-soprano roles. Her favorite characters include the operatic version of the scorned heroine, Medea, and Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s rendition of the Shakespeare play, a part which she portrayed in 1996 with the Grand Opera and has since considered to be her signature role.
"These are people that make things happen," she said. "They don’t stand around and vapidly sing."
A native of Paterson, Ms. Galvany started singing when she attended Paterson High School.
"I do not believe in giving children singing lessons. Their vocal chords are too young," she said. "I started late in high school and was always given the ‘canary’ roles and choir solos."
It was around that time that Ms. Galvany began her lifelong love affair with opera.
"Opera is the most complete form of entertainment," she said. "It combines a visual and audio experience with costumes, an orchestra and drama as well."
Ms. Galvany said she has been a professional opera singer "for quite some time now" and made her professional debut in the role of Queen Elizabeth I in Donizetti’s opera, "Maria Stuarda," at the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center.
"It was a fictionalized account of a meeting between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Stuart," said Ms. Galvany. "It showed quite an exciting duel between them."
Throughout her life, Ms. Galvany said she was greatly inspired by the late diva, Maria Callas.
"She was the epitome of a theatrical person," she said. "Her voice certainly was not the most beautiful, but boy did you know what was going on when she was on stage."
It is this theatric quality which Ms. Galvany believes is necessary in order to perform great opera.
"Opera should be not just singing but drama as well," she said. "Pretty singing without anything going on can be boring after a while. I’m not afraid to make an ugly sound if the role and emotion calls for it."
Ms. Galvany is married and has one grown daughter who enjoys choral singing.
"I live a pretty normal life offstage," she said.
"Aida" will run for only one performance, at 7:30 p.m. June 27, on the Summer Stage at Central Park. In the event of bad weather, a rain date has been set for July 2.