Soprano Mary Wilson has made a name for herself in oratorio repertoire. She shares her experiences in this interview. Wilson is also a masterclass presenter at the CS Music Convention.
Soprano Mary Wilson has received critical acclaim for a voice that is “lyrical and triumphant, a dazzling array of legato melodies and ornate coloratura” (San Francisco Chronicle). Opera News heralded her first solo recording, Mary Wilson Sings Handel, stating “Wilson’s luminous voice contains so much charisma” and dubbing her recording one of their “Best of the Year.”
Wilson has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, among many others, and at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. She has frequently worked with conductors such as Jeffrey Thomas, Nicholas McGegan, Martin Pearlman, Martin Haselböck, Robert Moody, Carl St. Clair, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, John Sinclair, Anton Armstrong, and Leonard Slatkin.
An exciting interpreter of baroque repertoire—“with a crystal clear and agile soprano voice perfectly suited to Handel’s music” (Early Music America)—Wilson has repeatedly appeared with American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque, Musica Angelica, Boston Baroque, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Grand Rapids Bach Festival, Bach Society of St. Louis, Chatham Baroque, Musica Sacra Festival de Quito Ecuador, Baltimore Handel Choir, Florida Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Colorado Bach Festival, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, and the Carmel Bach Festival.
Wilson holds vocal performance degrees from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is assistant professor of voice at the University of Memphis, teaching applied voice and graduate oratorio literature. She resides in Memphis with her husband, son, and two dogs. I recently caught up with her and asked about her career in oratorio and the wisdom she will soon share at the upcoming CS Music convention in Chicago.
Tell us a little about your musical background and education—and how you got into performing oratorio.
Choir. My father was a choral director, and my mom was a piano teacher. I wanted to go to St. Olaf to sing in the choir. When I started taking voice lessons, it was like going down a rabbit hole—there was so much of the repertoire that I liked and wanted to explore! Choir was a huge part of my background even after college. I was one of those singers who always had a church job. Through these choral experiences, I sang a lot of the major choral works and fell in love with the oratorio repertoire. I started doing solo work in addition to choral singing, and after making those connections, I continued to get more and more work. It all spiraled from there. For me, there is nothing in the world better than singing a solo with a full orchestra and choir behind me. It is a thrilling experience.
Tell us a little more about your formal schooling.
After I graduated from St. Olaf, I began my master’s degree at the New England Conservatory, but I was only about 21 or 22 years old, and everybody there wanted to be an opera singer, which I knew wasn’t for me. So, I moved home to Minneapolis, sang in choirs, met my husband, and eventually moved to St. Louis.
I was working in a law office and thought I was going to end up being a lawyer, but I was singing a solo at the cathedral in downtown St. Louis when a man approached me and said, “You should come get a voice degree with me at Washington University.” It was the tenor John Stewart, who was Director of Aocal Activities there. To make a long story short, he became my teacher and my mentor and he changed my life. I went on to receive a master’s degree at Washington University and began my career as a performer.
One thing that strikes me is that while there does seem to be a certain amount of crossover between opera and art song—many singers with opera careers also give solo recitals at venues like Weill Recital Hall, for example—concert singers on the oratorio circuit seem to be a different set of names. So, I wanted to know your thoughts as to why that is. Are there certain skills or qualities that conductors specifically look for in oratorio singers?
It’s interesting that you bring up the skill set question, because I think art song and oratorio have a lot more in common than art song and opera. In both art song and oratorio, you’re “naked,” without costumes, makeup, sets, or staging. Unlike opera, there is no physical distance—no pit orchestra between you and the audience. For these reasons, both art song and oratorio demand a more immediate and intimate connection between you and the audience.
It’s not so much a different skill set than a different mindset. Sometimes opera singers come into an oratorio situtation thinking, “If I have my book, it’s no big deal,” and the result is that they can be unprepared. That’s a gross overgeneralization and I acknowledge that—in other words, that is not true of most singers. But I have the impression that some people who make their living primarily in opera think less of oratorio singing—which is unfortunate, because to sing oratorio well requires an equal amount of preparation and artistry.
Mary Wilson performs as a soloist in “A Classic Christmas” with Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, 2021
I am glad you mentioned the use of the score, because I think that’s an interesting point: memorization. Why do you think there’s that distinction in tradition? It’s obvious why opera singers must memorize, but why are singers expected to be memorized for song recitals and not oratorio and concert singing?
It is interesting, because most of the singers I sing oratorios with are indeed memorized even though they are holding the score. You see them turning their pages and not even looking down at their book, because that’s the level of preparation you need to be free to tell the story. Just like opera and art song, in oratorio you’re there to communicate something to your audience first and foremost. When you’re buried in the score, you’re at risk of losing that connection.
Mary Wilson performs as a soloist in “Vivaldi Arias” with Mercury Orchestra, 2016
Do you have a favorite oratorio role, or do certain concert works suit your voice better than others?
Handel’s The Messiah is one of my favorite things in the world. I love it. It’s just written so well, and I hear something new every time I sing it. I’m totally in love with Mozart’s C Minor Mass; I used to sing only the first soprano part, but I’ve been doing the second soprano part a lot more lately and I just love both of them—I wish I could sing all of the parts of that piece! The other thing I’m really in love with that surprisingly fits me really well is Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. I am so energized by that piece . . . I want to do it again as soon as I am finished singing it! I’ve also been venturing into a lot of Mahler lately, which is so much fun.
In addition to your extensive performance career, you are also a professor at the University of Memphis. How do you balance your teaching with your performing?
I am a meticulous planner. Most of my students know when I’m going to be away at the beginning of the semester, and everything is preplanned. Makeup lessons are usually scheduled before I even leave town. I am fortunate that the University of Memphis is supportive of my out-of-town performing; they feel that these experiences make me a better teacher. I love to perform and get excited when I can bring that enthusiasm and energy back into the studio. My students and I try to be flexible with each other, and they have been very supportive and accommodating.
What advice do you have for younger singers who are interested in pursuing oratorio singing?
Be local. Start with the church you’re already singing at—or if you’re not at a church, start with your local neighborhood churches. Introduce yourself to every organist and choir director in town, audition for them, and volunteer to be a soloist. If you make a good impression, you will find that you will quickly become valuable to your local music community. And soon that small community becomes larger until one day you wake up and your reputation has become regional or even national.
My voice teacher John Stewart once told me that anyone can get hired—the key to a successful career is to get rehired. That simple and direct advice was a lightbulb moment for me. Your word-of-mouth reputation among conductors is so important. I used to have a teacher that said, “you never know who’s out there listening when you’re performing,” and I have found that to be very true.
But aren’t some places a bit richer than others when it comes to oratorio singing opportunities? When I think of great cities to be a concert singer, I think of New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.
I would add San Francisco and Minneapolis to that list, but I would argue that you don’t have to be living in any of those places to get started. There are churches everywhere, and those are important places to begin building your network and getting your feet wet in a safe and nurturing environment.
You are giving a masterclass and presentation on oratorio repertoire at the upcoming CS Music convention in Chicago, which is exciting. Tell me a little more about what that will involve.
I will be giving both a masterclass and a lecture, and I believe that it is the first time that CS Music will be having a masterclass specifically on oratorio arias. I am excited to work with singers on connecting to the text and expressing themselves dramatically through this wonderful repertoire. We are used to these kinds of masterclasses with opera and art song, and I am thrilled that the time has finally come for oratorio. It is truly my favorite thing in the world.
To learn more about Mary Wilson, visit http://www.marywilsonsoprano.com.
