LA Opera and Russell Thomas present “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 production of just one night on Thursday.

“It's basically a discussion and relationship between a mother and her son, her own trauma and how that affected me,” Thomas said of the autobiographical nature of the short story. play, a heartbreaking reflection of his own beginnings after his mother's rape. . “So it’s more about how these experiences affect a family and what comes from that.”

The two-person song cycle features mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel. The libretto is by poet Imani Tolliver and the music is by Emmy Award-winning composer Joel Thompson, under the direction of conductor Lina González-Granados.

“Fire and Blue Sky” comes at the end of Thomas’ residency at LA Opera, which began in 2021. Since his debut with the company in 2015, he has sung Pollione in “Norma,” Cavaradossi in “Tosca,” the roles- titles in “The Clemency of Titus”, “Oedipus the King” and “Otello”, as well as Radamès in “Aida”. He hosted and organized the company's After Hours recital series and was at the forefront of programs for singers at historically black colleges and universities as well as public high schools in Los Angeles.

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

This conversation has been lightly edited for length.

Was it cathartic working on “Fire and Blue Sky”?

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

Were there any emotional or technical obstacles you had to overcome for this piece?

It is composed in tessitura [a vocal range] it's not the most comfortable for my voice. There were some changes during the rehearsal process. We will see how this all fits together with the orchestra. After singing Caláf, which is a fairly hard range, it is very demanding. Also, a lot of modern composers write very beautiful vocal music, but there's something about the choice of vowels on certain pitches that Puccini and those guys understood, I think, that can have an impact without costing too much. dear to the singer.

Joel wrote this with me in mind, and while I love singing high notes, having four or five in a row doesn't really work for me. There are a lot of B-naturals, and I change some of them. There are almost more B-flats and B-flats in these five songs than there are in Caláf in “Turandot.”

How can opera overcome elitism?

When it comes to vocal music, Asians have been kept aside, suppressed. Historically, black people have been kept apart. Yes, there is a certain measure of elitism. Unfortunately, in America in particular, all funding comes from private donations, and these usually come from very wealthy people. And these very wealthy people tend to be white men and women of a certain age. So there is a classicism side.

When you try to appeal to a donor to give $10 million, that donor says I want these five people on this show. You're going to try to give him these five people. Everyone is so hungry for resources that they try to appease them as much as possible.

Is the media too tied to tradition?

Personally, I like traditions, but balance is essential. At the Met, you're going to see “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” [and] that’s the biggest selling audience they have. You go to any Kathleen Battle concert, it's 95% sold out. It doesn't have to be a living composer. They have to be stories that people want to see on stage and can relate to. If you do it right, they will come and see it. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all solution for every market.

You did a lot of mentoring through the programs you established during your residency. How important were mentors to you?

Once I got to college, I met some fabulous people who were really good to me. They gave me resources and information and took me to see operas. I've had a few musical mentors over the years. They coached me for free when I couldn't afford to pay people to help me prepare my music. And I always felt like it was my responsibility, not just me but any artist who benefited from that kind of love and community, to pay it forward.

With a few colleagues, I created a non-profit organization under the Black Leadership Arts Collective. Being an opera singer or any other type of singer is very expensive. Some teachers charge up to $200 an hour. To hire a pianist to work with you on your repertoire, it's $75 an hour. If you are a young person just out of college, [the expense] is almost impossible.

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

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