For a talented few, stage fright never posed much of an obstacle.
And Angel Blue, master’s student and vocalist in this Sunday’s West Los Angeles Symphony performance, is one of them.
After 15 years of vocal training and a flawless track record in the talent portion of the local beauty-pageant circuit, she certainly has reason to be confident.
So, too, does the acclaimed Jens Lindemann, UCLA trumpet professor and fellow soloist at Sunday’s free event at Royce Hall.
The soloists will each perform pieces carefully chosen to show off their musical fortes.
For Lindemann, that means a piece by Frank Proto inspired by the classic opera “Carmen” and a traditional baroque trumpet concerto by William Herschel, among others.
“Lindemann is going to be showing us his (versatility),” said Leah Bergman, president of the West Los Angeles Symphony and coproducer of programming for Sunday’s aptly titled “Beauty and the Brass.”
Bergman also handpicked this year’s soloists and conductor in accordance with the symphony’s tradition: Its annual Royce Hall performance showcases different artists each year. However the performer’s ties to UCLA make year’s show distinctive.
“We bring soloists from all over,” Bergman said. “This year, I already knew that I wanted to get Lindemann (before) I found out that he was local. … I didn’t know that either (Lindemann or Blue) had a connection to UCLA.”
But in such a large university situated in the nation’s entertainment mecca, it’s no surprise that chance led the symphony to campus talent. Both soloists hold musical prominence: Lindemann consistently receives critical praise, and Blue, still in the dawn of her career at 24, currently participates in the LA Opera’s Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program, designed to cultivate the talents of emerging artists.
For Blue, “Beauty and the Brass” is an opportunity to showcase both her raw talent and the education she receives from the program. These elements will converge as the gifted soprano sings on Sunday, especially in La Bohème’s “Quando Me’n Vo’,” a song about beauty with which the pageant-veteran songstress can relate. The aria is sung in Italian, not a problem for Blue.
“I understand every single word,” said Blue, who studies language as part of her opera education. “It’s important to know the words, or it’s almost like you’re singing a lie. You have to do the research so that you can get across to the audience the emotion that you’re supposed to convey.”
She will also sing a piece from Antonin Dvorák’s “Rusalka” in Czech. In “Song to the Moon,” she will sing about a woman’s passionate plea that the moon greet her lover.
“It has a very romantic feel to it,” she said.
Before the audience enjoys “Song to the Moon,” however, it will be treated to a duet between the evening’s soloists: a perfect opportunity for voice and trumpet to highlight each other’s strengths. The aria, “Let The Bright Seraphim,” from George Friderick Handel’s “Samson,” has been carefully adapted to better exhibit the talents of the evening’s performers. Blue labeled it nothing short of “glorious.”
Throughout the evening, though, audience members will enjoy yet another glorious presence ““ that of the celebrated Spanish guitarist Sir Angel Romero, who will conduct the orchestra.
“Our guest conductor was knighted by the government of Spain as Sir Angel Romero for his tremendous musical accomplishment. … He is from probably one of the most famous classical guitar families of all time,” Bergman said.
So with a world-famous guitarist at the podium and an acclaimed trumpeter, a gifted young opera singer and the West Los Angeles Symphony all sharing the same stage, the evening boasts an impressive bill. All of the event’s artists ““ young, old, experienced or still learning ““ have conquered any fear of the stage. Now, only the music matters.