46 | MAY 16 • 2024
J
N
ARTS&LIFE
OPERA
C
lassic bass singer Alex
Rosen is learning a bit
of the Czech language
as he takes on two roles in the
next production of Detroit
Opera — The Cunning Little
Vixen, Leoš Janáček’s comedy
for audiences of all ages.
The opera is presented in
the composer’s Czech language
accompanied by English super-
titles. Consequently, Czech pro-
nunciation and interpretation
details had to be perfected by
the performers for the presenta-
tions scheduled May 17 and 19
at the Detroit Opera House.
The tale involves a fox who
tries to outsmart her captors,
and it has performers playing
people and animals. Rosen, who
has portrayed a tree in another
opera, takes on the roles of bad-
ger and parson with a first-time
animal portrayal.
“I think this piece is a joy to
sing as a performer and listen to
as the public,
” said Rosen, who
has been on Michigan stages in
the past and is glad to be visit-
ing his brother-in-law living in
the Detroit area.
“The opera is quite complex
for being a piece about ani-
mals, but in the end, it is a deep
human story with music that is
exceedingly beautiful.
“In this key moment in music
history, when music is chang-
ing rapidly and composers
are taking all sorts of amazing
risks, you have a mix of lush
orchestral tonality and complex,
non-tonal gestures which is
pretty interesting for our mod-
ern ears.
”
Rosen, who has appeared
with the University Musical
Society in Ann Arbor and the
Up North Vocal Institute in
Boyne City, grew up in Los
Angeles having a family that
admires and participates in
entertainment.
While his parents collected
and played recorded musical
variations, his great-grand-
father was a violinist, violin
teacher and cantor who came
to America from Latvia. Cousin
Ben Rosen is a composer and
musician. The singer’s sister,
Abey, is a choreographer and
theater creator in London earn-
ing a master’s degree.
Alex Rosen earned academic
music credits with a bachelor’s
degree at Peabody Conservatory
in Baltimore, a master’s degree
at Rice University in Houston
and an Artists Diploma in a
program at Juilliard School in
New York.
“The first real jobs I had were
in synagogues and churches
while I was in school,
” said
Rosen, 31, who explained that
demanding classroom and study
hours left him one day a week
for paid performances. “When I
finished school, I started singing
longer-term gigs, fully staged
operas and that sort of thing.
”
An international debut is tied
to a performance with Les Arts
Florissants under the direction
of William Christie, a music
professional he got to know at
Juilliard. There were tours of
Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s
Acis and Galatea followed by
placements with other famed
operas.
Because of the number of
engagements in France, Rosen
and his wife, a computer devel-
oper, decided to make their
home in that country.
ALL AUDIENCES
WELCOME
“It’s important for people to
Alex Rosen takes on dual roles in
The Cunning Little Vixen.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Opera
An
for
Everyone
Alex Rosen (right) in a Detroit Opera staging rehearsal for Leoš
Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, with cast members David
Cangelosi (left) and Michael Sumuel (center). The opera will be
performed on May 17 and 19 at the Detroit Opera House.
Alex Rosen rehearses
for Detroit Opera’s
upcoming performances
of Leoš Janáček’s The
Cunning Little Vixen to
be performed on May
17 and 19 at the Detroit
Opera House.
PHOTO COURTESY DETROIT OPERA/AUSTIN RICHEY
PHOTO COURTESY DETROIT OPERA/AUSTIN RICHEY