5.31.2001 00:05
Spacagna opts to travel less, teach more
After a career that has taken her to all parts of the globe, soprano Maria Spacagna is sticking closer to home these days, teaching in her home in Warwick and pitching in to get the fledgling Ocean State Lyric Opera off the ground.
"I just didn't want to pack my suitcase any more," said Spacagna.
And that's a good thing, because that means Spacagna, who has sung at La Scala and the Met, will be in town in this weekend to join the Rhode Island Civic Chorale for a night of Italian opera favorites.
The concert, which also features the fine tenor Ray Bauwens, takes place tomorrow night at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. Bauwens recently received raves in the Boston press for his appearance in Verdi's
A Masked Ball
at the Boston Academy of Music.
It is only recently that Spacagna began singing in her native state. For years she was based in New York and toured the world.
She was the first American to sing her signature role of Madama Butterfly at Milan's famed La Scala. But after settling in the Cowesset section of Warwick, she's been appearing more and more on local stages.
This fall she sings the lead in Ocean State Lyric's rendition of
Madama Butterfly.
But you can hear an excerpt from
Butterfly
,
along with highlights from other Puccini classics, tomorrow at Rhodes. The Chorale will be heard in opera choruses, along with a 45-piece orchestra lead by the group's longtime conductor Ed Markward.
The format is similar to an opera gala the Chorale staged at Rhodes several years ago, and one at the Fleet Galleria before that. Tables will be set up near the stage for cabaret-style seating, with chairs available behind the tables.
Both previous events were hits with the public, said Markward. But to have Spacagna as a headliner is a coup.
"We're fortunate to have her," said Markward.
Off to Buenos Aires
Actually, Spacagna is not a complete homebody these days. She's just back from singing
Butterfly
with the Zurich Opera, and right after tomorrow's concert she flies to Buenos Aires to perform.
Otherwise, she's doing lots of teaching, spending a day a week with students in Boston getting to New York a couple of times a month to work with aspiring singers.
"It's very rewarding in a different way than performing," Spacagna said of teaching. "I've done so much, had a family, a long-term marriage, a career that has kept me before the public.
"Now," she said of her students, "It's their turn to go on to something rewarding."
Spacagna said she also wants to do what she can to bring quality opera to the state.
"All I want to do is see opera performed here at the highest level, and make sure we draw the right people."
Tomorrow's gala, hosted by Channel 12 anchor Karen Adams, comes with a dinner package for $100 that includes champagne, hors d'oevures and Italian dishes. Dinner begins at 6 p.m., and the concert takes place at 8:15 p.m. Tickets for just the concert are $25. Call 273-1311.
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