The Interlochen Arts Camp season is in full swing here in northern Michigan – students are settling into routines and diving into challenging repertoire.
We recently heard performances from two high school vocalists experiencing Interlochen for the first time, Casey Schopflocher and soprano Rory Gibney-Krashen.
Schopflocher, a countertenor from New York City, performed “Ombra mai fu” from George Frederic Handel’s opera “Xerxes” with pianist Xiaoping Wang.
“I really love the intimacy of the piece,” Schopflocher said. “I love how the main character, Xerxes, is just singing to a tree. He's marching to conquer a country, and he sees this tree and it reminds him of all these these peaceful, beautiful things. I love that sense of calmness that he has.”
Schopflocher, who enjoys learning about astronomy in his free time, said he’s especially enjoyed rehearsing opera scenes with his fellow vocalists this summer.
“Performing with them has been such a pleasure,” he said.
Gibney-Krashen brought music by Emmerich Kálmán to the studio.
The soprano from Highland Park, New Jersey sang "Love is a Golden Dream" from Kálmán’s operetta “Countess Maritza” with pianist Meredith Stemen.
Gibney-Krashen said the piece has been a welcome challenge.
“It's definitely a step up from what I've been working on,” she said. “It's just so beautiful. I love all the accidentals.”
When she’s not singing, Gibney-Krashen said she likes to spend time with her pet birds, Owen and Sherry.
“I got birds when I was four years old … They're on the older side, but they're still they still have the same energy and the same lung capacity as they've always had,” she said.
Kelley DiPasquale engineered this edition of Studio A.
Kacie Brown is IPR's digital content manager.
