LA Opera and Russell Thomas premiere 'Fire and Blue Sky'

Following his acclaimed performance as Caláf in Los Angeles Opera's “Turandot,” tenor Russell Thomas takes on his most personal role to date in the world premiere of “Fire and Blue Sky,” a one-night-only production Thursday. .

“It's basically an argument and a relationship between a mother and her son and her own trauma and how it affected me,” Thomas said of the autobiographical nature of the new piece, a heartbreaking reflection of her own beginnings after her mother's rape. . “So it's more about how these experiences affect a family and what happens from it.”

The two-person song cycle co-stars mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel. The book is by poet Imani Tolliver and the music is by Emmy Award-winning composer Joel Thompson, under the baton of director Lina González-Granados.

“Fire and Blue Sky” comes near the end of Thomas’ residency at the Los Angeles Opera, which began in 2021. Since her debut with the company in 2015, she has sung Pollione in “Norma,” Cavaradossi in “Tosca.” , the main roles in “The Clemency of Titus”, “Oedipus Rex” and “Otello”, as well as Radames in “Aida”. He has hosted and curated the company's After Hours recital series and has been at the forefront of programs for singers from historically black colleges and universities, as well as public high schools in Los Angeles.

Thomas grew up in Miami singing in church, but never considered making a living doing it until a high school teacher suggested he try it. While in college, he sang in the Miami Opera chorus and entered training programs with the Seattle Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Saint Louis Opera Theater and Sarasota Opera. In 2002 he auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera's Young Artists Program, which earned him invitations from opera houses around the world.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length.

Has working on “Fire and Blue Sky” been cathartic?

Just talking publicly about this story has been cathartic. As a person who grew up in this situation, it is very healing. I think all of our life experiences affect us on stage. I always tell people that when I was a closeted young gay man, I wasn't free on stage. And as soon as I came out, I felt like I was more open vocally, musically, and dramatically.

Are there any emotional or technical obstacles you had to overcome for the piece?

It is composed in a tessitura. [a vocal range] That's not the most comfortable for my voice. There have been some edits in the rehearsal process. We'll see how everything fits with the orchestra. After singing Caláf, which is a fairly hard tessitura, it is very demanding. Also, a lot of modern composers write very beautiful vocal music, but there's something about the choice of vowels in certain keys that I think Puccini and those guys have discovered can have an impact without costing the singer as much.

Joel wrote this with me in mind, and while I like to sing high notes, having four or five in a row doesn't work for me. There are many B-naturals and I am changing some of them. There is almost more B flat and natural in these five songs than in Caláf in “Turandot”.

How can opera overcome elitism?

When it comes to vocal music, Asians have been excluded, repressed. Historically, black people have been excluded. Yes, there is a measure of elitism. Unfortunately, specifically in the United States, all funding comes from private donations, and they usually come from very rich people. And those very rich people tend to be white men and women of a certain age. So, there is an aspect of classicism to it.

When you try to ask a donor to donate $10 million, that donor says, I want these five people in this program. You're going to try to give those five people. Everyone is so resource hungry that they try to appease those people as much as possible.

Is the medium too tied to tradition?

Personally I love traditions, but balance is everything. At the Met, you're going to see “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” [and] It's the best-selling audience they have. If you go to see any concert with Kathleen Battle, it's 95% sold out. It's not that he has to be a living composer. They have to be stories that people want to see on stage and that they can identify with. If you pitch it right, they'll come see it. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all solution for all markets.

He has done a lot of mentoring through programs he established during his residency. How important were mentors to you?

Once I got to college, I met some great people who were really good to me. They gave me resources and information and took me to see operas. I had a couple of musical mentors over the years. They trained me for free when I couldn't pay people to help me prepare my music. And I've always thought it was my responsibility, not just myself but any artist who has benefited from that kind of love and community, to give back.

I started a non-profit organization with a couple of my colleagues under the Black Leadership Arts Collective. Being an opera singer or any type of vocalist is very expensive. Some teachers charge up to $200 an hour. Hiring a pianist to work with you on your repertoire costs $75 an hour. If you are a young person who has just finished college, [the expense] It's almost impossible.

How has being the father of a young son changed you as an artist?

So, my priorities as a parent have completely changed. Although I still love to sing, I love art and I love opera, this is not the end. My relationship with my son is the end of everything. And every decision I make is based on what would be best for that relationship, for us.