Opera is Back

Lisa and Scott Altman have founded the New Jersey Opera Theater to bring master classes and concerts to Princeton again.

By: Susan Van Dongen

Staff photos by Mark Czajkowski

From left, Lisa Altman, Anton Belov, Ron Donenfeld, Michelle Sexton and Scott Altman prepare for New Jersey Opera Theater’s Don Giovanni.

   The tradition of a summertime opera festival in Princeton seemed like it would be taking its final bow when Opera Festival of New Jersey folded last fall.
   Happily, the arias will once again be in the air, thanks to Plainsboro’s Scott and Lisa Altman, co-founders of the nonprofit New Jersey Opera Theater, which will run a blend of operas, master classes and vocal concerts July 26 through Aug. 22 on the Princeton University campus.
   "People believe in what we’re doing," says Mr. Altman, the artistic director of NJOT. A professional voice teacher and opera singer familiar to Princeton audiences through his many performances with Opera Festival of New Jersey, Mr. Altman says NJOT is a labor of love for the couple.
   Executive Director Lisa Altman has been in both the performance and management sides of the music business. "We’ve been getting calls from all over the country, interested in what we’re doing."
   NJOT’s ambitious summer festival features almost a month’s worth of music, ranging from 20th century opera to American musical theater. In addition, NJOT is pleased to announce a week of master classes with some of the biggest talents in the opera world.

Lisa and Scott Altman have founded the New Jersey Opera Theater to bring master classes and concerts to Princeton again.

   "There’s nothing of this nature in our region," Mr. Altman says. "We’re offering such substantial performance opportunities. Our emerging artists are working with the highest level international opera staff and personalities that exist today. For example, James Morris, who is probably the leading bass-baritone (in opera) is giving a master class, along with his wife, Susan Quittmeyer."
   Mr. Altman is referring to the Summer Vocal Institute Master Class Series at Princeton University’s Woolworth Music Building, which kicks off with a master class led by New York City Opera’s dramaturg Cori Ellison July 27, and closes with director Marc Verzatt, formerly of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Aug. 4. In between, there will be master classes with Metropolitan Opera Conductor Charles Beckwith July 28, Mr. Morris and Ms. Quittmeyer July 29, Met soprano Sharon Sweet July 30, the Met’s former Artistic Administrator Charles Riecker Aug. 2 and N.Y.C. Opera Conductor Steven Mosteller Aug. 3.
   "Lisa and I have made wonderful relationships throughout our years in the music business," Mr. Altman says. "We just presented this magical idea (of NJOT) and people were excited to be a part of it."
   Operatic performances run Aug. 16-Aug. 22 and will be held at the Hamilton Murray Theater on the Princeton University campus. Under the direction of noteworthy professionals such as Met Conductor Daniel Beckwith and director Andrew Chown of the New York City Opera, NJOT presents Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring, and an evening of French opera with Maurice Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortileges and Ba-Ta-Clan by Jacques Offenbach. The latter two operas are sung in French with the Offenbach dialogue in a world premiere English version written especially for NJOT by Jonathan Shiff.
   The festival’s Summer Concert Series, also at the Hamilton Murray Theater Aug. 8-19, offers lighter, more varied performances ranging from German lieder and French chanson to fully staged musical theater.
   The operas and concerts feature rising vocal talents, some of whom have sharpened their skills in NJOT’s apprenticeship program, the year-round Singer’s Circle.
   "We launched our organization through education," Mr. Altman says. "With budgets being cut throughout the state, arts programs go first. So we were determined to step in and do something about it. We started our apprentice arts program last year. We had singers audition from throughout the country — a total of 100 participants last year — and we think there will be double that number this year. These are the stars of tomorrow."
   Baritone Matthew Markham, a North Carolina native who went to graduate school at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, took part in the Singer’s Circle last year and will participate again this year. Now a Lawrenceville resident, Mr. Markham will perform in several of the operas. He has nothing but praise for NJOT, especially the apprenticeship program — a bridge between graduate school and the professional world of opera .
   "That’s what singers my age do," he says. "Once they finish graduate school, they audition for roles, study privately and try to get involved with apprenticeships. NJOT has just started this, so it’s been convenient for me because I also study in New York with Mark Oswald, a baritone with the Met."
   Mr. Markham says the best thing about NJOT’s apprenticeship program is the way the singers are treated — not like students, but as professionals.
   "Taking that label of ‘student’ away has really liberated me," he says. "It gives you a network of colleagues and young singers who are all supportive. We get critical feedback from each other. Also, the Singer’s Circle gives performing opportunities to try out your arias for auditions. There’s more emphasis on performance, whereas in school, you’re focused on so much class work. Plus, the master classes are coached by people from the Met and New York City Opera. These are top notch people who are looking at us as the next generation of opera singers."
   The Altmans, who relocated to Central New Jersey from New York about five years ago, stress the importance of education through NJOT.
   "Education programs are the major part of our organization," Mr. Altman says. "In fact, we’re a company that believes education is just as important as performance — even more so."
   Mr. Altman, 35, is a professional opera singer who also runs a vocal studio in New York. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, he’s a veteran of the OFNJ and was featured in seven performances between 1999 and 2003, notably as Timur in Turandot. After three years with the New York City Opera, Mr. Altman decided he wanted to focus more on becoming an artistic director, alongside his teaching career.
   "I performed all over the world and made a lot of friends," he says. "This is another passion of mine that I wanted to see happen."
   One of NJOT’s main missions is partnering with a variety of other arts organizations, including Grounds for Sculpture, the Zimmerli Museum and the Jersey City Museum. Educational outreach is also a goal.
   "We’ve been presenting children’s programming throughout the state," Mr. Altman says.
   In recognition of NJOT’s educational and artistic goals, the group recently received a prestigious Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation grant.
   "It’s terrific news," Mr. Altman says. "It’s our first Dodge grant, granted upon our first application attempt, after being in existence for less than two years. We have also received a wonderful grant from the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, in fact (we got the news) within the same four-week period."
   Yamaha Pianos has signed on to be the "official piano" of NJOT. To his knowledge, Mr. Altman says there are only two other opera companies to make the same claim — the Metropolitan Opera and the Opera Company of Philadelphia.
   "They’re donating a concert grand for all the summer performances," Mr. Altman says.
   NJOT has also attracted local donations and corporate sponsors, including Jacob’s Music of Lawrenceville, Wild Oats Natural Foods Market, Home Depot, Kinko’s and Calico Corners fabrics.
   "We’re heading toward mainstage production, but we’re taking one step at a time, making sure we’re on a fiscally sound footing," Mr. Altman says. "We’re eager to (evolve) from this program into a company that can sustain itself with general operating expenses. Lisa and I have been donating our time now for two years, probably as much as 75 hours a week. It’s a way of proving our dedication to this community. We do it out of love for the art form, for the community and for the emerging artists. We’re young, we have a lot of energy and we’re here to stay."
New Jersey Opera Theater’s Summer Vocal Institute master classes at the Woolworth Center, Princeton University, July 27-Aug.4, 7-10 p.m. Limited availability tickets cost $15. For information, call (609) 919-1767. Operatic performances will be held at the Hamilton Murray Theater, Princeton University, and include Don Giovanni, Aug. 16, 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 20, 8 p.m.; Albert Herring, Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 21, 8 p.m.; L’enfant et les Sortileges and Ba-Ta-Clan, Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 22, 2 p.m. English subtitles will be projected on a screen above the stage. For tickets, call (609) 258-7062. Summer Concert Series at the Hamilton Murray Theater, Princeton University, features Arias and Ensembles, Aug. 8, 7 p.m. and Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m.; Art Song and Lieder, Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m.; An Evening of Musical Theater, Aug. 11 and Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call (609) 258-7062. Opera tickets cost: $25 or $20 students and seniors; ‘Opera Trio’ tickets cost $60 or $50, students & seniors. Tickets for individual concert performances cost: $20, $15, students and seniors. For information about New Jersey Opera Theater, call (609) 919-1767. On the Web: www.njot.org