46 | MAY 16 • 2024 
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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