Karen Hughes is making a name for herself on the opera and concert stage with her recent 2005 international performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Tianjin Symphony. She is a frequent soloist with the Sault Symphony in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, with performances of Messiah, “A Mozart Mosaic,” Carmina Burana and Vocal Magic. Hughes also was a regional semi-finalist in the Metropolitan National Council Auditions and has appeared on the stages of Opera Omaha, Des Moines Metro Opera, DuPage Opera Theatre, Utah Festival Opera, and the Chautauqua Institution.
Her operatic roles include Rosalinde, Micaela, Countess, Fiordiligi, First Lady, Alexandra in the world premiere of O Pioneers, and the title role in Madama Butterfly, among others. A performance for Sun Valley Opera of Love and Death at the Met and on Broadway—with her mentor and teacher, Metropolitan Opera veteran Ariel Bybee, in a cast of four—was a highlight of the 2006 season. Hughes is also an accomplished harpist who has been playing professionally since the age of 16.
What were some influential experiences in your youth that led you to a career in music?
Music was a way of life in my family. My mom was a harpist and my dad was a tenor. Much of my childhood revolved around choir at church (which my mom directed) and going to the Chicago Symphony.
My part-time high school job was doing gigs, playing for weddings and receptions, etc. When it came time for college, I auditioned with the harp and got a scholarship to attend DePauw University [Indiana]. My teachers, Beverly Myrow in Illinois and Harriet Thompson Moore at DePauw, helped shape me as a musician.
It was meeting Ariel Bybee that led me to a career in opera. I was in Ariel’s studio at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, which I attended after graduating from DePauw. She had just retired from a 20-year career at the Met. She is the reason I am an opera singer.
What is your favorite part about being an opera singer?
The intense expression of emotion and the exquisite music. It used to be the painful and sad arias that grabbed me—“Signore, ascolta,” “Donde lieta”—love a good tragedy. But now it’s everything. I love the playfulness and excitement of “The Jewel Song” and the intensity of Fiordiligi’s fight in the name of fidelity in “Come Scoglio.” Those are the arias where I find the most freedom of expression.
I love being these people. I also love being in rehearsal and working with other singers. The ensemble singing in Carmen and “Cosi” is so much fun. The challenge of spitting out all that French and Italian at quick tempos is a rush. I think anything in life that is rewarding comes with a challenge. That is definitely opera.
Who are some of the role models, mentors or influential people in your life?
I have a lot of successful women in my life who are influential. All of my teachers that I mentioned were women. My mom was the first. She started my musical training, but more importantly taught me by example how to be a compassionate and giving person. My godmother is a successful businesswoman. She has always been a strong role model for me. Even my grandmother went to college, in 1938.
How do you handle rejection?
I’d say pretty well or I would have given up a long time ago. There is a lot of rejection in this business. For each job that you get, there are 10 that you don’t. That said, I think it is also important to be realistic about assessing how a performance or audition went. You have to constantly assess how you are going about your business, what is working and what is not. This is a hard business. You have to keep your head above water and keep putting your best foot forward.
What has happened in your career that made you feel like you’ve “made it”? Or, what needs to happen in your career for you to feel that you’ve finally “made it”?
Not only am I an opera singer, I am a harpist, and I work a lot. Music pays my bills. On this level, I feel I have “made it.” However, to feel like I have really made it as an opera singer, I will need to have representation. When that happens, and I am consistently working in the field, then I will have made it as an opera singer.
Tamara Regensburger is an accomplished spinto soprano. She was first recognized in 1999 by placing 2nd in the Jenny Lind Competition for Sopranos. In 2000 and 2001 she was selected as a semi-finalist in the New England regional Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, and was a winner in the Schubert Opera Showcase Competition in New Haven, Conn.
Favorite roles have included Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Octavia (The Coronation of Poppea), and St. Therese in the Boston premiere of Four Saints in Three Acts (Virgil Thompson). Regensburger is also an avid recitalist and oratorio singer, appearing last fall with the Ohio State University Orchestra, where she sang Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder.
In May 2006, Regensburger made her professional symphonic debut with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra as the featured soloist in the Poulenc Gloria under Peter Stafford Wilson. Regensburger received her bachelor’s in vocal performance from Bowling Green State University and her master’s in opera performance from the Boston Conservatory. She resides in Columbus, Ohio.
What were some influential experiences in your youth that led you to a career in music?
At 13 years old, I began studying private voice. At first it wasn’t classical music, it was pop songs and musical theatre. I still have a few of those lesson recordings and am mortified! Though my family was not musically inclined, I was fortunate to have a very supportive family that encouraged my singing. My single mom scraped money together to continue my lessons, and bought me a used, old upright piano. I realize now the sacrifices she had to make to enable me to sing, and I consider that also a large, influential catalyst in my career.
Who are some of your role models, mentors, or influential people in your life?
Eileen Farrell and Leontyne Price. They overcame so many of this industry’s obstacles, and didn’t let anyone tell them they couldn’t do it. Ms. Farrell was down to earth and didn’t accept the elitism that many in opera touted. She sang blues, variety shows, and married a New York City cop. I would have loved to meet her in person. If you haven’t read her book, Can’t Help Singing, I highly recommend it. Ms. Price performed during a volatile and racist era, and she bravely embraced her talent. With an immense dignity and grace, she inspired generations of singers.
How do you handle rejection?
This is the hardest part of this career, because there is a temptation to put all the blame on yourself for unsuccessful auditions and competitions. There are two initial reactions for me in rejection: the emotional and the practical.
The emotional is the visceral reaction that they just “didn’t like you” or that you “just weren’t good enough” despite your best attempts. I listen so intently to imperfections that often I lose sight of the performance as a whole. For this reason I find it helpful to have a second set of unbiased ears with me, usually my husband.
The second reaction I have is a more mindful acceptance that not all things are within our control. The audition system in general is imperfect. The judges may or may not have the background to really assess good from better. They may have biases against your look, your hair color, your vocal timbre. The room conditions perhaps are not ideal, the acoustics poor, or the pianist unsupportive. These are all things that may affect the outcome of an audition. However, they are completely beyond my control.
I try to walk away from each audition having learned something more about myself and about other people.
How do you balance career and family?
I am very blessed to have an extremely supportive husband who escorts me to as many auditions as he can. We joke that he is my own little entourage. He has mastered the “singer caretaker” job, which allows me to focus on my objective while he navigates traffic, locates restrooms, and [handles] all other logistical frustrations. For me, family comes first, and opera second, but I am fortunate enough to have a family that doesn’t need me to choose.
What has happened in your career that made you feel like you’ve “made it”? Or, what needs to happen in your career for you to feel that you’ve finally “made it”?
This answer has changed over the years. For me, it used to be (when I was 18 years old and idealistic) I’d make it when I got to sing at the Met. Later, it was when I landed a lead role on a mid-size company stage that launched my singing career, allowing me to be known for a few specialized roles.
Today I have stopped trying to “find success.” I go and sing, and if I touch someone, or feel deeply connected to the work, and walk away knowing I moved the audience and honored God by sharing the gifts he gave me, then I have succeeded.
As a teacher I am rewarded in much more tangible ways, I see my students’ growth, and I hear their gifts develop. Earning a living sharing my love of singing with others, that tells me I’ve made it. What more could you want?
