Mezzo-soprano Basia Revi (Barbara Rzezwicka-Gajdek) holds a master of music degree with distinction from the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland and a master of arts degree in voice from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. In Poland, she sang the roles of Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Olga in Eugene Onegin, and the mezzo solo in Missa Criolla by A. Ramirez in televised performances. In November 2007 she made her New York City Opera debut as a spirit in a production of Cendrillon. As a Young Artist at Dicapo Opera, Revi performed the title role of La Cenerentola. A finalist of the Marcella Kochanska Sembrich Vocal Competition and Classical Singer Competition, Revi has also been the recipient of the Gary Giardina and the Spalutto-Bonczak awards.
What were some influential experiences in your youth that led you to a career in music?
While in kindergarten in Poland my music teacher noticed that I sang a lullaby song she taught us an octave higher than other children. She gave me a solo in a Town Hall performance at the age of six and told my parents to enroll me in a music school. In my teens my voice teacher traveled a lot throughout Europe and told me many picturesque stories about opera productions in foreign countries. She was the first professional who told me that I have a special voice and motivated me by saying, “When you will sing at such and such theater you need to do this and that . . .”
How do you balance career and family?
For many years my family has been my priority. I have been raising my daughter and always adjusted my life to her needs. Since she is more independent now, I am able to shift my priority to singing.
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 year all of my income was from singing and teaching vocal music, which is great. The “making” will continue with more contracts and international experience.
What is your favorite part about being an opera singer?
The way of life—being with other people, and learning about possibilities, and overcoming limitations. The voice is the extension of the human soul. Staying connected with others, laughing, joking, and feeling connected with the performers and the audience is the ultimate experience.
What made you decide to pursue singing as a career?
I went to a performance of Carmen in Krakow at the age of seven and saw myself on stage singing and working in a beautiful theater.
Who are some of your role models, mentors, or influential people in your life? Do you have a “support team”?
I am extremely lucky to have very dedicated and supportive teachers and mentors: Neil Semer and Chloe Owen.
What are your upcoming engagements?
Concerts in Sardinia and St. Petersburg, and opera productions in Poland and Lithuania.
Have you participated in any summer programs or Young Artist Programs that you found helpful? Harmful?
My biggest breakthrough came during and after OperaWorks 2006—a program that focuses on the whole person, not only the singer, through creativity, improvisation, career planning, and the unbelievable energy of Ann Baltz.
How do you manage the business side of your career?
I am my own businessperson and manager so far but would like to eventually get a conscientious manager.
Have you ever struggled with stage fright? How do you handle it?
Overcoming fear is my biggest mission. Admitting that it is always there and then embracing it with courage and love helps me take one step at the time.
What is your greatest fear as a singer?
Forgetting the words and the music, which is usually unfounded.
Soprano Jennifer Winn has performed with Boheme Opera New Jersey, Opera North, Opera Memphis, Syracuse Opera, Operafest! of New Hampshire, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Ashlawn-Highland Summer Music Festival. A two-time regional finalist with the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Winn had the additional honor of receiving the “Stage Presence Award” in 2000. Other recent performances include the second soprano in the Bach B Minor Mass with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra, Mrs. Hayes in Floyd’s Susannah with Boheme Opera NJ, excerpts from La bohème (Mimi) and Rigoletto (Gilda) for the Boheme Opera NJ Orchestra’s opera gala, and the soprano soloist in both the Mozart Requiem and the Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio with the Middletown City Chorale in New York. Most recently, she premiered the title role in Peter Westergaard’s new opera Alice in Wonderland with the Center for Contemporary Opera at Symphony Space in Manhattan.
What were some influential experiences in your youth that led you to a career in music?
When I was in seventh grade my school took me out of choir. They told me that they thought I was disinterested. (I was a bit shy at that point.) In order for me to get put back into choir I had to audition for the teacher, Ms. Izzo. She not only put me back in the general choir, but also in the select group, where she gave me my first solo. All of this happened at a very turbulent time for me, and I was encouraged and told that I was talented. This is a much longer story, but suffice it to say that a little encouragement went a long way.
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?
The picture in my first “Times” review made me feel pretty special. Really though, I will feel that I’ve “made it” when my singing is financially self-sustaining.
What has been your greatest success?
My recent premiere of the title role in Alice in Wonderland earned me a second New York Times review. This was by far the most challenging piece of music I’ve ever had to learn.
If you have a degree, how much do you feel your university experience helped you?
I was extremely lucky to have had a full tuition waver and a performing assistantship when I was at the University of Memphis. They gave me a fair amount of stage time as well, which was invaluable. Honestly, I’ve probably learned more about technique and the business of singing since I moved to the New York area, but my master’s did help me to become a well-rounded musician. That said, I would hate to have the student loans that many singers acquire. I don’t know how people afford to pay them back.
Do you have management? If so, how did you get it? Have you found it beneficial?
I have been with Wade Artist Management for several years now. A friend recommended me and I signed on after a private audition. It is most definitely beneficial to have someone working on your behalf, though I still lend my fair share to the equation outside of the opportunities that my manager affords me. I do think, however, that singers should not be in a rush to obtain management. Do research and find the person(s) that will work the most to your benefit, and bring something to the table yourself.
What is your greatest fear as a singer?
That I will not get the opportunity to sing regularly.
Do you find a lot of opportunities where you live to sing or do you travel a lot? Do you feel you need to live in New York City to make the most of your career?
I lived in New York City for about seven months. I still live in the general vicinity [New Jersey]. If anything, living in the city was a hindrance for me, as I was working a strenuous day job to pay for my rent and expenses. I’m far more able to get to auditions and such now that I don’t live there, since my cost of living is considerably less. That said, I can’t imagine being more than a drivable distance from the city. People that fly back and forth are amazing to me. I don’t know how they afford it.
