Alumni Gazette
GRAND OLD OPERA: Lewek, who performed as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with the Nashville Opera in April, will debut
at the Metropolitan Opera in the same role in December. (Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Opera)It鈥檚 been the subject of conversation on Gossip Girl. It鈥檚 accompanied TV ads hawking everything from smartphones to sexual stimulants. And for singers, it鈥檚 known as one of the most difficult arias in all of opera: 鈥淒er H枚lle Rache,鈥� which translates as 鈥淭he Vengeance of Hell,鈥� in the second act of Mozart鈥檚 The Magic Flute.
It marks the moment when the Queen of the Night, wrapped in fury, hands her daughter, Pamina, a knife, making her promise she鈥檒l use it to slaughter the Queen鈥檚 rival, Sarastro.
Requiring extraordinary range and dazzling vocal runs, it鈥檚 a feat of vocal athleticism that Kathryn Blomshield Lewek 鈥�06E, 鈥�08E (MM) is known to perform exceptionally well.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it actually has the highest written notes ever in an aria, but it鈥檚 right up there,鈥� she says from her home studio in Fairfield County, Conn.
Lewek, who鈥檚 sung in a variety of operatic roles, oratorios, and requiems during her still infant career, has sung Queen of the Night all over the world, including on prestigious stages such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at Austria鈥檚 Bregenz Festival. In December, she makes her debut at New York City鈥檚 Metropolitan Opera in that role.
She says the role still gives her butterflies every time she performs it.
鈥淓very night, it makes me nervous. Everybody always says to me, 鈥極h my gosh, Katie, it鈥檚 always just right on, and I don鈥檛 know how you do that, and it鈥檚 great every night.鈥� But I鈥檓 still worrying every night that it鈥檚 not going to come out.鈥�
AIMING HIGH: Lewek鈥檚 ability to sing coloratura soprano is considered unusual in younger singers. (Photo: Courtesy of Kathryn Blomshield Lewek 鈥�06E, 鈥�08E (MM))Like most singers, she鈥檒l often try to vary her performances. But not in this role.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where you have to just let your body take over and you have to do what you know how to do,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 doing another role, I try to make it different and exciting every night in a different way, and with Queen, you just have to sing it exactly how you know how to sing it.鈥�
Queen of the Night is a prime example of coloratura soprano鈥攖he highest soprano voice, embellished with vocal runs and trills. Lewek sang in a lower soprano range for much of her time as a student at Eastman, and called her high notes her 鈥減arty trick notes.鈥� 鈥淚 would only ever sing them when I鈥檇 had a glass of wine,鈥� she says.
In 2009, she had something of an epiphany as a fellow at the vocal program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Calif. Under the tutelage of Marilyn Horne, she was encouraged to sing higher and higher.
鈥淪he just kind of wanted to see how high I could sing,鈥� Lewek recalls.
Eventually, Horne made a suggestion Lewek found surprising. 鈥淪he said, 鈥榊ou know, I think maybe you should work on some coloratura repertoire.鈥� And I said, in my very respectful way that you would only say to someone who was such a huge star, 鈥楢re you crazy?鈥� 鈥�
But she listened to Horne and began studying coloratura soprano with her current vocal coach, soprano Diana Soviaro.
Robert McIver, professor of voice at Eastman and Lewek鈥檚 primary instructor during all six years of her residence, says he鈥檚 not surprised Lewek is singing coloratura soprano. 鈥淪he developed a facility fairly early on in her study to be able to run her voice very quickly and well,鈥� he says. That said, he adds, 鈥淚 think the shock was that at such an early age she would do Queen of the Night.鈥�
Indeed, at 30 years old, Lewek鈥檚 vocal chords are barely fully developed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like the soft spot on a baby鈥檚 head,鈥� Lewek says of the vocal chords of most singers under 30. She remembers McIver鈥檚 words to her: 鈥淗e鈥檇 say, 鈥楾hat sounds great, but remember, you鈥檙e still a baby. You鈥檙e totally going to change in the next 10 years.鈥� 鈥�
鈥淎ll voices mature at different physiological rates, but generally for a soprano, all of their physical equipment doesn鈥檛 arrive until they鈥檙e about 29 years old,鈥� says McIver, noting that in both men and women, in all ranges, vocal development lags behind general physical development. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean they don鈥檛 sing beautifully before that, but the process is certainly made easier when all of the physical aspects of the instrument are in place,鈥� he says, referring to the muscular development of the vocal chords.
鈥淧eople say I have vocal chords of steel,鈥� Lewek says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 right.鈥�
鈥淵ou do get to know your own voice. That鈥檚 a really important aspect of being a singer. To know your limits and also to push yourself at times. You have to push yourself to see what you鈥檙e capable of.鈥�