Baritone Earle Patriarco
On Connections: I was awarded the Marilyn Horne full scholarship for two years. I remember when I was in the Adler Fellowship program at the San Francisco Opera, Marilyn Horne came to do a concert. I went up to her and said “Hello Ms. Horne, you don’t know me from Joe, but I want to thank you for being indirectly responsible for putting me through college.” Her eyes got big and she said, “Really?” She was very gracious. Since then we’ve become friends, and she helped me early on by allowing me to be a part of her foundation promoting the art of the song recital at different venues.
On Instruction: My voice teacher was and still is Margaret Schaper. When I was doing my bachelor’s degree at Biola University, she used to come and do masterclasses. She was also my voice teacher’s (the late Dr. Hal Blair) teacher at the time. I was very impressed with her ease of communication and nurturing way, and I didn’t have to learn a new technique, so my transition was smooth. Also she was never into this guru teacher stuff; it was always about the voice, the student and singing, not about her. She’s a special lady.
On Performance Opportunities: I had plenty of performance opportunities; besides the opera workshop, in which we worked on acting with Franz Bourlage, and recitals, there were the actual operas, which were fully staged with orchestra. We did Llormindo by Cavalli, Die Zauberflote, in which I did Papageno, and then The Tender Land by Copeland. We also did scenes, and many times I was asked to sing new pieces for composition majors on their recitals. There were also song literature classes with Madam Koldofsky and Alan Smith, which were terrific. There were professional gigs around town, church jobs and vocal competitions. There was ample time and opportunity to perform.
On Career Preparation: The school helped prepare me for my career in three important ways: first, it gave me an excellent voice teacher; second, it helped to refine my musicianship; and third, it helped me establish contacts with professional hiring organizations.
Soprano Jessica Rivera
On Opera Productions: I thought the productions were very good in that we were able to work with an orchestra and interface with a conductor. They brought L.A. Opera people in to do wigs and make-up, as well as professional costumers and a set designer. The quality would rival any of the top conservatories in the country.
On Connections: They also have a wonderful instrumental department, and I made a lot of connections with instrumentalists who asked me to sing on their recitals. One of them was invited to do the Artist International Recital Series at Weill Hall, and she invited me to be on her recital. I made my New York City recital debut singing “The Hermit Song” by Barber with her. She’s been invited back to do the alumni recital, and she asked me to join her.
Baritone Rodney Gilfry
On Overall Quality of Education: I would give the program that was available to me an eight out of 10, but that was nearly 20 years ago. I know for a fact that the program has been improved and expanded immensely since then. Our own 17-year-old daughter wants to be an opera singer (God help her!), and she’s looking for a good music school. We are having her apply to USC, and it’s not due to any love for my Alma Mater. Our desire to have her apply at USC is based purely on the quality of their undergraduate program. What more can I say?
