Chelsea Basler
There are a handful of operas by American composers that are quintessentially American, from subject to music to the details of exposition. One of these operas is Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, which opens at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville on April 6. The story is Biblical in origin, taken from the Book of Daniel, but the story is set in the mountains of rural Tennessee. The score is filled with snatches of Appalachian tunes and Protestant hymns, and the drama explores the boundaries between religious and community life.
The title and core story of Susannah comes from the tale of Susannah and the Elders, in which a number of religious elders spy the young Susannah bathing in a river. Their hearts are set aflame with lust, triggering a sequence of cascading events that make the situation ever worse.
Susannah premiered in 1955 at Florida State University, with a rising star soprano named Phyllis Curtin in the title role. A year later, she reprised the role in New York, and two years after that the opera was performed – still with Curtin as its star – at the 1958 World’s Fair, as the featured representation of American music and culture.
Nashville Opera’s upcoming production of Susannah stars soprano Chelsea Basler, who trained for the role under the supervision of the late Phyllis Curtin. Basil Considine spoke with Basler last week about the challenges and rewards of preparing this striking and beautiful music drama.
BC: You are playing Lucy Brown in Threepenny Opera at Boston Lyric this weekend, and then playing the title role in Susannah on April 6-8. What has the rehearsal process been like for these two shows? Is there any break in-between?
Chelsea Basler: It has been a bit of a shuffle to play both roles at the same time. Essentially, I opened Threepenny Opera with BLO last Friday and had my second show last Sunday.
Monday morning at 5 AM, I hopped on a flight to Nashville and did my first singthrough/music rehearsal at 2 PM. I have been in staging rehearsals since and I get on another plane back to Boston to finish the show this weekend. On Monday, I will be taking the same flight back with my son and mother to continue work on Susannah. This is a bit of a crazy schedule, but I don't mind it. I just have to be very organized and write everything down. I also find myself reviewing more often than usual.
BC: You're playing Lucy Brown in Threepenny Opera this weekend, and then playing the title role in Susannah on April 6-8. What has the rehearsal process been like for these two shows? Is there any break in-between?
Chelsea Basler: My first encounter with this opera was at Boston University, where I had the great privilege to work with the late Phyllis Curtin and Carlisle Floyd. I really fell in love with this work and Susannah's journey.
This is my third time getting to play Susannah, and I hope to get to portray her many more times. Returning to this role is always an adventure. The role takes a lot out of me emotionally, but I count myself lucky to be able to tell her story.
Every time I get to dive into this beautiful piece, I find that new nuances reveal themselves to me. I really enjoy this process.
Tell me about how you see Susannah the character and her arc – what guides your interpretation?
Chelsea Basler: Susannah is very innocent in the beginning. Her mother has passed away, and she lives with her brother secluded from the town. She doesn't know much of the outside world, other than what she sees in magazines. That is why it is so unbearable when the town members start to shun and talk about her. She doesn't understand this level of cruelness.
It isn't until her encounter with the Preacher that she is no longer a child. She is forced into being a woman before her time, and now that she can see the real world, all of the poetry and color has disappeared. All that is left for her is a cold, grey reality. Once her brother kills the preacher, she snaps; everything has now been taken from her, and she is truly alone. There is no longer any joy.
Although the storyline is not the happiest, there's a lot of beautiful music in Carlisle Floyd's score. What's a favorite piece of music from the opera?
Chelsea Basler: I think my favorite part in the music is the folk tune "The Trees on the Mountain." I love its tonal simplicity, while the words have so much meaning. This is a moment in the opera where time just stops for a minute, and you can wrap yourself in the beauty of Floyd's music.
What is your performance day warm-up routine like?
Chelsea Basler: I usually do a very light warm up in the morning just to see how the cords are working and then a longer one once I'm at the theater. Other than that and making sure to hydrate, it's a usual day.
Auditioning is, for better or worse, a major part of many singers' schedule. Off-hand, how many auditions do you sing per year?
Chelsea Basler: I sing anywhere from 10 to 25 auditions a year. It just depends on the season and if I am free to go to NYC.
You're a native of San Diego and your website has a prominent photo of you in front of the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. Does your schedule let you get back to San Diego very often?
Chelsea Basler: I get back to San Diego twice a year. I wish it were more. My whole family still lives there, and it is very beautiful.
The photo you are referring to is done by my talented friend and photographer Michelle Mattox. She has done all of the promotional photos on my website.
You can be heard on a whole series of light opera/operetta recordings from Albany Records. Is there a story there?
Chelsea Basler: I sang with Ohio Light Opera for three seasons, and they did a series of recordings while I was there. Doing light opera and operetta is always a lot of fun, and I look back at those recordings fondly.
What's up next after Susannah?
Chelsea Basler: After Susannah, I am singing Bach's Cantata No. 51 and Mahler 4 with Glens Falls Symphony, and in 2019, I will be singing Moira with Boston Lyric Opera in Handmaid's Tale.
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Susannah plays April 6-8 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Polk Theater in Nashville, TN.
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Basil Considine, PhD