The Artist of the Week Canadian-Armenian bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian, who will be performing the role of Lo Zio Bonzo in Madama Butterfly with the Opéra National de Paris, running September 14 through October 25 (info and tickets here).
Vartan has had an exceptionally busy last few seasons with performances including Nick Shadow inThe Rake’s Progress at the Verbier Festival, Basilio in The Barber of Seville at the Des Moines Metro Opera, his Wagnerian role debut as Fasolt in Das Rheingold with the Edmonton Opera and his Opéra national de Paris debut as Dottore Grenvil in La Traviata, Basilio in The Barber of Seville and Frère Laurent in Roméo and Juliet, and Capitán in Florencia en el Amazonas with Opera San Jose. Also succesful on the competition ciricut, Vartan was a finalist of the 2022 Belvedere Competition and a National Semi-Finalist of the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Joining Opéra National de Paris’ Troupe Lyrique for the 2024/25 season, his upcoming engagements include Lord Gualtiero Valton in I Puritani , Député Flamand in Don Carlos, Keeper of the Madhouse in The Rake’s Progress, and Pinellino in Gianni Schicchi.
This week, Vartan chats about the importance of finding a teacher who you trust, his favourite city to work in, and who has been inspiring him. Read on to find out more.
If you weren’t a singer/instrumentalist/conductor, you’d be _________?
Either a mechanical engineer or a custom home builder. I love working with my hands and building things.
Where did you go to school?
My academic training was at the Curtis Institute of Music, I have a BMus and MMus in opera. I’ve also held several apprenticeships and residencies throughout my training including: the Verbier Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company and the Opera San Jose. If you go back far enough, my musical journey really started at the Taylor Academy (formerly YAPA), where Robert Loewen was likely the only teacher that had enough patience to deal with Vartan the teenager (thanks Bob!).
What’s a big investment for an opera artist, but totally worth it?
Find a teacher you can always check in with whom you trust. Since my Curtis days, for me that’s been Armen Boyajian (who taught Samuel Ramey, Gerald Finley, Eric Owens, Paul Plishka… to name a few). He’s 93, but still sharp as a whistle! I often send him recordings via email to get his feedback, especially when I’m overseas. When timing permits, I still make trips out to upstate Jersey to work with him. During my residency with Opera San Jose, I also began studying with Cesar Ulloa who has been a great resource in helping me round out my sound.
Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
Paris is magical! I was here earlier in 2024 for La traviata and this season, I’m not only returning to Opéra Bastille but I’m also performing in The Rake’s Progress at the Palais Garnier, and I’m still not over that.
Top 3 favourite composers?
Mozart, Schubert, Verdi… and sneaking in a fourth, Rachmaninoff.
What is happiness for you?
Happiness is a hoax. Joy is what we should seek.
Who has been inspiring you lately?
Lilli Lehmann through her book How to Sing, Hans Hotter through his memoirs, and Gregory of Narek who was a 10th century poet and monk. Lehmann is nutrition for the voice, Hotter is inspiration for the singing and traveling artist, and Gregory is for the heart and soul.
Which opera role do you want to be singing right now?
Last summer, I had a blast performing Nick Shadow from The Rake’s Progress at the Verbier Festival and am just itching to perform it again soon. Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) and Leporello (Don Giovanni) aren’t far behind on that list.
Which role do you wish you could sing, but is not in your voice type?
Definitely the title role from Tales of Hoffmann (I wish I could sing Kleinzach’s aria!!), otherwise I would settle for just about any bravura tenor role out there!
What are you afraid of?
Mediocrity.
What is one surprising thing that you have learned in becoming an opera singer?
The career of opera is not a sprint but an ultra marathon. It’s important to pace steps, do your homework, find your champions and be very thoughtful about building the right momentum around your career. The greats didn’t become great overnight, it’s a process that requires fanaticism, resilience and a tiny sprinkle of ego to get you through the self-doubt that at times clouts all of our minds.
What’s the downside of being an opera artist?
Being away from family.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
A Middle Eastern dish my mom from Beirut makes called Mujaddara, with a kilo of crispy onions.
What was your childhood dream job?
To be ordained a priest in the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Are you happiest in the country or in the city?
Definitely in the country. A dream of mine is to one day own a small farm somewhere in the middle of nowhere, where friends and family gather to escape the grind.
Which album did you listen to last?
An Evening at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Solti, Tebaldi, Bastianini, Simionato and Tucker. (I listen to this album at least once a week.)
What book are you reading at the moment?
Memoirs of Hans Hotter with contributions from Zubin Mehta and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
Which opera role do you want to be singing in 10 years?
Don Giovanni, Assur (Semiramide) and ALL of the Mephistopheles roles.
Were there any directors in the past that have really inspired you?
Absolutely. I worked with Sir David McVicar on a production of Rusalka and later Macbeth while at the Canadian Opera Company, and I still draw inspiration from him in regards to how I learn, study and embody a role. I’m incredibly grateful.
What’s the most important lesson you learned from childhood?
All you need is that one person to believe in you. The rest is up to you.
The music industry is tough, and filled with rejection. How do you cope? Does it get easier?
As Michael Jordan said, “Setbacks are just setups for comebacks.” Go get it.
LEARN MORE ABOUT VARTAN GABRIELIAN
VISIT HIS WEBSITE
© Cory Weaver
© David Allen
© Vartan Gabrielian
Walking in Paris
Madama Butterfly
Paris Opera
September 14 – October 25
CONDUCTOR: Speranza Scappucci
CHORUS MASTER: Alessandro Di Stefano
STAGE/SET/LIGHT DESIGN: Robert Wilson
CO-STAGE DIRECTOR: Giuseppe Frigeni
DIRECTOR COLLABORATION: Marina Frigeni
COSTUME DESIGN: Frida Parmeggiani
LIGHTING DESIGN COLLABORATION: Heinrich Brunke/A.J. Weissbard
STAGE/SET/LIGHT DESIGN: Robert Wilson
CHOREOGRAPHY: Suzushi Hanayagi
DRAMATURGY: Holm Keller
CIO-CIO-SAN: Eleonora Buratto/Elena Stikhina
SUZUKI: Aude Extrémo
B.F. PINKERTON: Stefan Pop
SHARPLESS: Christopher Maltman
GORO: Carlo Bosi
IL PRINCIPE YAMADORI: Andres Cascante
LO ZIO BONZO: Vartan Gabrielian
KATE PINKERTON: Sofia Anisimova
YAKUSIDE: Young-Woo Kim
IL COMMISSARIO IMPERIALE: Bernard Arrieta
L’UFFICIALE DEL REGISTRO: Hyunsik Zee
LA MADRE DI CIO-CIO-SAN: Marianne Chandelier
LA ZIA: Liliana Faraon
LA CUGINA: Stéphanie Loris
Poor Madame Butterfly! The 15-year-old geisha, who has renounced her family and Japanese traditions for the love of an American naval officer, finds herself abandoned in favour of a Western wife. Giacomo Puccini used this classic theme of a woman seduced and abandoned to create an opera with lush orchestration and burning lyricism.
Premiered in 1904 at La Scala Milan, his score, full of oriental colours, vividly conveys the contrast between Lieutenant Pinkerton’s brutality and the vulnerability of Butterfly, who is as fragile as a butterfly’s wings.
For Robert Wilson, this Japanese tragedy proves the ideal environment in which to display his signature formalism. Far from the traditional fans and cherry branches, the director uses stylised acting and a stripped-down space to allow the melodic lines to blossom in all their purity.
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