_{Artist of the Week} 28 Qs for Quinn Kelsey

When was your first singing lesson (and with whom)?
My first FORMAL singing lesson wasn’t until college. My teacher (and adviser) was John W Mount at the University of Hawaii. My mother was classically trained, so I learned a lot growing up by association, whether it was singing in mom’s church choirs or observing her whenever she had a concert or event. I can’t deny that I wanted to be like mom. Sound like her. Make the “noise” the way she did. And it was obvious, even at a young age, that the fact that she was hired around Honolulu to sing for various events meant that others in the music community recognized her for the accomplished musician she was.

Who inspired you to sing?
Mom and Dad. Music and singing was what our family did. It was definitely one of our strengths as a family.

Drink of choice?
Don’t laugh. I love a good cocktail now and then. And Canadian caesars have surely spoiled me. But there’s nothing quite like swimming in the ocean in Hawaii and going to the showers at the beach to rinse off and having that first splash of fresh water. Combined with the salt from the ocean, the fresh water from the shower heads is almost sweet! Nothing like it.

What’s your favourite opera house?
There’s no place like the Met. But Chicago is where I really cut my teeth as an emerging artist. It’s a BARN! But if you can sing there and not feel like you’re swallowed up, you can sing pretty much anywhere. And Lyric Opera of Chicago gave me my first big breaks on a major international stage. So… I’m biased.

Lyric Opera Chicago © Open House Chicago

Heels or flats?
I mean, I’m a sucker for a good pair of cowboy boots. But for all the moving around I do on my feet during rehearsals and shows, heels don’t always provide hours of comfort.

Favourite city you’ve worked in?
Well…I AM planning to make Toronto my unofficial base. I do feel quite at-home here. But if not TO, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco rank up at the top. I guess I’m more of a city boy if it comes to that.

Favourite place?
Until my daughter was born three months ago, I’d say my favourite places would be either behind the wheel of a fast, loud muscle car. Or at a quiet cigar lounge. But being at home with my girl and her mommy is the place to be these days.

If you weren’t a singer, you’d be…
I might have been a mechanic.

Top 3 favourite composers
Verdi. Puccini. Debussy.

Top 3 favourite operas
Rigoletto. Tosca. Aida.

Which opera role do you want to be singing right now?
I’ve debuted Tosca. But it’s a role I believe I can make a calling card the way Rigoletto has become for me. So I’d like to sing it as much as possible so that I can claim it as such!

Which opera role do you want to be singing in 10 years?
In 10 years, I’d like to be able to say that I’ve sung all the major Verdi roles there are. THAT would be something to be able to brag about, to have that accomplishment under my belt.

Who is a singer you admire that is currently working?
Bass-baritone Christian Van Horn. The bromance is real. We were young artists together in Chicago. He’s firmly ensconced himself in the business as one of the premier bass-baritones of today. His schedule is quite full in any regular calendar year. Paris. New York. Chicago. San Francisco. Munich. He’s on the short list when major companies need that solid low voice for shows like Norma, Aida, Bohème, Ernani, Macbeth, Faust, Giovanni, and Figaro. And as the torch is passed, his talents will be needed for roles like Fillippo in Don Carlo and Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra. A fine artist. A total mensch. And a singer you can always count on to be the consummate professional.

Who is a singer you admired from the past?
Ugh… no way to answer this easily. TONS of Verdi baritones who blazed a wide path for me to follow. Cappuccilli. Milnes. Bastianini. Gobbi. Warren. Merrill. But there is a pile of other singers who I highly respect and appreciate for all they’ve contributed to the business and the art form. Leontyne Price. Pavarotti. Domingo. Sutherland. Horn. Corelli. Ramey. Terfel. Lessons in breath control. Dramatic focus. Language. Diction. Beauty of tone.

What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
For my Met debut, I sang Schaunard in La Bohème. We were in Act IV when the four boys have an impromptu dance party. But Schaunard and Colline get into an argument about dance moves and face off in a duel. In the Met’s production, we were using pokers from the wood-burning stove as weapons. And one night, as our “swords” connected early on in the duel, mine snapped right in half. But we had more of the fight to do before abandoning our weapons. So I flashed Colline a quick look, threw the hilt of my “sword” at him, and ran to the balcony of the garret and jumped out! Ahh live theater…

What’s your favourite orchestral instrument?
I was a trumpet player in high school, so…

What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
To me, the orchestra adds an extra element to the drama. The instruments underneath you help build the overall landscape of the story in a way a piano just doesn’t. Shapes. Colours.

What’s something most people don’t know about opera life?
It’s not always flashy and jet-setting and fancy costumes. Travel and work housing can be stressful. Managing finances for taxes, commissions, and expenses is complicated. Rehearsal periods can seem to crawl at times. Being away from family and loved ones gets tedious and lonely. It takes a lot to make the show look shiny and professional.

Which role do you wish you could sing, but is not in your voice type?
Oh c’mon. If I could be a tenor for a day. The roles I’d sing! But… Wagner soprano would be quite thrilling as well! HO JO TO HOOOOO!

Tent or hotel?
Not too much experience camping, so hotel, by default.

What are you afraid of?
Nothing.

Coffee or tea?
Neither. Never really got in to either. But tea will work if I crave a warm & hot drink.

What was the first opera you ever saw?
First opera I was ever in. Aida.

What’s your ancestry?
Hawaiian, Filipino, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, French, German

Are there more musicians in your family?
Both my parents. My sister. We’re all singers. My fiancée is an Italian Canadian mezzo-soprano. My paternal great-grandfather was a violinist and conductor of one of the big radio orchestras in the 40s/50s.

What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
A good cigar or the right music.

What’s your favourite non-classical band and album?
Jimi Hendrix, “The Jimi Hendrix Experience”

Where did you go to school?
I grew up in Honolulu, HI. Graduated high school from the University Laboratory School. Received my Bachelors of Music in Performance from the University of Hawaii – Mānoa. Chautauqua Institute, in the Summer of 2001. Merola Opera Program, in the Summer of 2002. Member of the Opera Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, from 2003-2006.