Michael Yashinsky with his collection of
opera records, including the only profes-
sional recording of The Happy Prince, far
right, a rather rare LP Yashinsky sent
away for from England
11101.... • CPIS GC00./0, VIAIIINIPKOSMV mum
FJA and Harvard grad Michael Yashinsky directs
MOT Children's Chorus in The Happy Prince.
I
Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer
I
t could be that Michael Yashinsky's
grandparents set the stage for their
grandson's ultimate career interest.
Rubin and Elizabeth Elkin Weiss, who
earned their living working in Detroit
theaters as well as on radio and early tele-
vision, became acquainted through a pro-
duction of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of
Being Earnest.
In the play long ago staged by the
Actors' Company at the Michigan
Showmen's Association Auditorium, he
was the director, and she was a cast mem-
ber.
Yashinsky listens to recollections of
those times as he takes on responsibili-
ties somewhat similar to those of his late
grandfather. He is directing another Oscar
Wilde story, The Happy Prince, a fairy tale
set to music by Malcolm Williamson and
being presented by the Michigan Opera
Theatre.
The musical production, showcasing
the voices of the MOT Children's Chorus
(MOTCC), establishes the setting as
Detroit instead of some unspecified city in
the original fantasy narration.
It will be performed at 2:30 p.m. Sunday,
April 28, at the Detroit Opera House. The
dress rehearsal, mostly for groups but with
remaining tickets sold on the same day,
begins at 11 a.m. Friday, April 26.
"The Happy Prince is about a statue
overlooking a city:' explains Yashinsky,
24, of Farmington Hills. "The statue is of
a prince who had lived a life of pleasure
secluded from the poverty and misery of
his town.
"The statue, placed where the despera-
tion can be seen, [becomes lifelike] and
finally begins to feel for the people.
"The statue prince sacrifices himself
Jewish participants in the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus (ages
10-16) include, left to right: Emily Finkelstein (Royal Oak, understudy Rich Girl);
Miles Eichenhorn (West Bloomfield, Mayor, understudy Prince); Gabrielle Feber
(Huntington Woods, Chorus of Children); Sarah Cohen (Franklin, Chorus of Citizens);
Anna Chisholm (Troy, Chorus of Children); Isabelle Ross (Ann Arbor, Chorus of
Children, second cast Seamstress' Son).
with the help of a swallow on the way
south for the winter. The swallow is
encouraged to remove parts of the statue
made of sapphires and gold so they can be
used on behalf of the children:'
Seventy area youngsters sing in the pro-
duction.
"The opera tells a tale of tragedy with
redemption at the end:' Yashinsky says.
"Audiences leave with a feeling of hope,
especially with the young chorus coming
on stage at the end.
"This fairy tale opera is appropriate to
be performed by children because they
have wonder in their faces that is impor-
tant to opera and voices that are very mov-
ing to hear.
"They call it a children's opera because
children sing it, but it's really for everyone.
We're doing a lot stylistically and with
the set that will appeal to both children
and adults. We are trying to delight the
children while having serious aspects for
adults to ponder:'
Jewish kids in MOTCC's Preparatory
Chorus (ages 8-11) include, left to right:
Edward Eichenhorn (West Bloomfield,
Chorus of Angels); Kevyn Roessler
(Bloomfield Hills, Chorus of Angels);
and Rebecca Feber (Huntington Woods;
Chorus of Angels).
Because the original story describes a
city facing difficult economic times, albeit
with an undercurrent of hope, Yashinsky
thought it would be powerful to set the
opera in Detroit, which holds the same
dramatic blend.
"How wonderful to have children of this
area play the dreamers in the opera:' the
director says. "It just makes sense
Included in the cast are Antonio
Cipriano as the prince, Aurora Haziri
(April 28) and Isabel Rocha (April 26) as
the swallow and Miles Eichenhorn as the
mayor.
Yashinsky, son of Debra and Gary
Yashinsky, has been active in Congregation
B'nai Moshe and is pleased that Jewish
youngsters share his interest by partici-
pation in the production. They include
MOTCC members Eichenhorn, Anna
Chisholm, Sarah Cohen, Gabrielle Feber,
Emily Finkelstein and Isabelle Ross, as
well as young Preparatory Chorus mem-
bers Edward Eichenhorn, Rebecca Feber
and Kevyn Roessler.
"Anna organized a trip for the chorus to
attend and sing at an Empty Bowls event
at her shul, Congregation Shir Tikvah,"
Yashinsky says. "It is part of a range of
chorister-led outreach events that the
group has been doing, modeled after the
lessons of giving and loving-kindness set
forth in The Happy Prince:'
An audience experience at MOT
launched Yashinsky's interest in opera.
During his junior year at the Frankel Jewish
Academy, his mother gave him tickets to
see an MOT production of Porgy and Bess.
"That show turned me on to the beauty
of opera:' Yashinsky says. "It's remained
one of my favorites, and I took a course on
it at Harvard. Since that time, I collected
records, libretti and scores, reading all that
I could:'
After Yashinsky began university studies
in modern European history and litera-
ture, he became involved with extracur-
ricular opera activities. He did directing,
singing and acting through the Lowell
Opera House, the oldest opera company in
New England,
"At Harvard, where there is no the-
ater department, everyone participated
after their classes, and they had different
backgrounds:' Yashinsky explains. "We
rehearsed in a subterranean space of a
squash court built below one of the resi-
dential buildings. We had entirely student-
run productions.
"We were ready to experience a differ-
ent kind of life from what we experienced
in our classes. Being students by day and
opera characters in the evening became
very inspiring:'
After directing a production of Tosca
with a cast that included professionals,
Yashinsky pursued experiences with pro-
fessional companies.
During his freshman year in college,
Yashinsky was accepted for a commu-
nications internship at MOT. The next
summer, an opera internship took him to
Vienna.
Opera on page 81
April 25 • 2013
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