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Arts & En rtainment

Mezzo-Sopranos

At the beginnings of her operatic career,
Monica Sciaky continues to grow at
Michigan Opera Theatre.

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Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News

M

onica Sciaky brought musical
balance to her family. Daughter
of the late Pennsylvania rock DJ
Ed Sciaky, she chose a classical career.
The mezzo-soprano, who is Jewish,
earned her bachelor's degree in vocal
performance and music education at
Northwestern University in Illinois and
her master's degree in vocal performance
at the University of Michigan. She will sing
in the chorus of The Magic Flute presented
April 9-17 by the Michigan Opera Theatre.
"I've performed in The Magic Flute
before and found it wonderful and fun to
sing," says Sciaky, 25 and single, who also
is preparing to play Rosina in The Barber
of Seville for Toledo Opera.
"If there's any production that should
get people to the opera, it's The Magic
Flute, which is classic, light, funny, gor-
geous, touchy and accessible. This produc-
tion is in English so it's great for kids to
see!'
The Mozart opera, opening MOT's 40th
spring season, tells the story of a hand-
some prince, an endangered damsel and a
wicked queen. Prince Tamino (alternating
tenors David Miller and Norman Shankle)
and his humorous sidekick Papageno
(baritone Michael Mayes) go on a musical
quest to save the beautiful Pamina (alter-
nating sopranos Katherine Whyte and Ava
Pine).
Rigoletto, scheduled May 14-22, is the
final opera of the season.
"I was in the chorus of a full produc-
tion of The Magic Flute as an undergrad
at Northwestern:' says Sciaky, whose early
choir experiences included singing at syn-
agogues."This past summer, as a young
artist at Opera New Jersey, I did a scene
from The Magic Flute."
Sciaky, who gives private singing lessons
in Ann Arbor, studied violin before voice.
"A friend of my parents, a professional
violinist, was my babysitter for a while','
Sciaky recalls. "She would practice when
she was babysitting me, and I became
obsessed with the violin. I begged my par-

Monica Sciaky as Pitti-Sing in MOT's fall
production of The Mikado

ents to let me play, and she agreed to be
my teacher. Before I was 4, I was reading
music."
A singing role in a fourth-grade play
moved Sciaky's focus away from violin.
She became a member of a semi-profes-
sional children's chorus and got classical
training as part of the experience.
At 13, serious private voice lessons
began, and she was cast in regional musi-
cal theater productions.
"Half way through high school, I decid-
ed I wanted to be an opera singer:' she
says. "I kept studying voice, did summer
workshops and joined all-state choirs:'
Sciaky's first show with MOT was last
spring, when she appeared in Tosca. As
an apprentice last fall, she had a princi-
pal role, Pitti-Sing, in The Mikado. The
mezzo-soprano also was in the chorus of
La Boheme.
"I'd like to be a working singer for many
years:' says Sciaky, whose family and
friends receive all kinds of knitted gifts
she enjoys making as a hobby. "I'd also like
to continue private voice teaching!'
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The Magic Flute runs April 9-17 at the Detroit Opera House. Performances are at
7:30 p.m. April 9, 13, 15 and 16 and 2:30 p.m. April 17. $29-$121. For tickets, and
more information on the spring season, call (313) 237-SING or go to
www.MichiganOpera.org .

48

April 7 2011

An operatic veteran with many career
triumphs, Irina Mishura will treat fans
to a free concert.

rina Mishura, who built a 25-year
international opera career with the
help of friends made in Michigan,
wants to celebrate and say thanks by
performing a free concert.
Mishura, accompanied by pianist
Kevin Bylsma, will sing arias, musi-
cal theater pieces, Russian selections
and Yiddish songs 7 p.m. Thursday,
April 14, at the St. Regis R.C. Church in
Bloomfield Hills.
"These are the pieces that mean a
lot to me:' says Mishura, who immi-
grated from Russia to Michigan
and since has appeared with the
Metropolitan Opera in New York,
Royal Opera House-Covent Garden in
London and La Scala in Milan.
"When I'm singing these pieces, I'm
almost crying from the excitement
and the memories. One aria I sang
when I was making my debut on the
opera stage in Moldavia."
Mishura, whose late mother was
Jewish, is particularly appreciative of
the support and encouragement she has
had from the Jewish community.
First living in Oak Park, she was
allowed to practice using the piano at
the nearby Jewish Community Center.
Now, she rehearses at a Steinway in her
Bloomfield Hills home.
"My first job was at Adat Shalom
Synagogue, where I was asked to be part
of the chorus:' she recalls. "I started
speaking English, and people started
helping me."
Although reluctant to begin naming
the individuals who assisted her intro-
ductions into the professional sphere
— there were so many — she includes
Cantor Harold Orbach of Temple Israel
among those recommending her for the
Michigan Opera Theatre.
Born in Krasnodar, Mishura complet-
ed her musical studies at the Gnesinikh
Music Institute, where she earned a
doctorate in vocal arts. Her earliest
performances were with the Moldavian
State Opera, where she rose to prima
mezzo-soprano.
Since settling in America, she has

Irina Mishura

extended her repertoire and taken the
title role in Carmen, Amneris in Aida,
Dalila in Samson et Dalila and Azucena
in II Trovatore. She has worked with Jose
Carreras and Placido Domingo.
"I have done opera performances in
Tel Aviv and was selected for a live radio
performance in Jerusalem to celebrate
an Israeli anniversary:' says Mishura,
whose most recent performances have
been in Italy and Spain.
The mezzo-soprano, calling herself
"too coquettish" to reveal her age, is
married to Jack Morris, who manages
her career. The singer's daughter, Rachel
Lekhtman, is an executive sales man-
ager in New York.
"I've been home very rarely in the
past 15 years," says Mishura, whose
quiet time is spent reading in Russian.
"I have a lot of engagements to honor,
but I want to slow down a little. I want
to enjoy life as a woman, wife and proud
mother.
"I came to this country like every
immigrant thinking something has to
happen. Somehow, I got lucky with so
many people supporting me. I live the
American dream, and I think it's time to
give back!' 1 I

Irina Mishura will perform 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the St. Regis R.C. Church,
3695 Lincoln, in Bloomfield Township. Free admission. An afterglow with hors
d'oeuvres and refreshments to benefit the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan
asks a $20 donation: ken.krach@stregis.org or verdiopera@comcast.net .