THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702010098
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: 87 lines
NO QUESTION, Robynne Redmon's star is still climbing.
Last fall, the Chesapeake-born mezzo made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, singing Maddalena in ``Rigoletto.'' Thursday, she'll take her bows with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
It won't be her debut at the storied house; Redmon, a graduate of Deep Creek High, calls it a ``promotion.'' A few years back, she was a member of the company's apprentice program. This time, she takes on the major role of Adalgisa in ``Norma.''
Local audiences might remember her when Virginia Opera staged the Bellini opera in its 1993-94 season. In March 1993, she made her hometown professional debut with the Virginia Symphony in Verdi's Requiem.
Redmon isn't kidding when she calls the Lryic Opera's ``Norma'' a ``brand new production.'' The last time the company produced it, Maria Callas starred.
``For me, it's a chance to be seen as a more major player in a major house,'' she said. ``The only difference (with singing in Norfolk) is maybe psychological, if you're prone to that. There's more at stake, so to speak.
``I love singing at home, but psychologically speaking, if you bomb in Virginia, it's probably not going to affect your career too terribly. In Chicago, there are more repercussions. People from all over the world will be here.''
Some just to see her. Redmon, 37, made a round of auditions in Europe before arriving in the Windy City after Christmas. When ``Norma'' closes March 8, she'll spend a few days at her home on the Intracoastal Waterway, then return to the Met for ``Madama Butterfly.''
Nice work for sure, but one of Redmon's favorite roles of late was far outside the standard repertoire - a ``manic-depressive cocaine addict'' in a St. Louis production of Conrad Susa's ``Black River.''
``Twentieth century music is more challenging in a very different way,'' she said. ``The characters are more fully realized, especially for a mezzo. The mezzo is usually the friend, the old lady or the maid. The modern stuff is real juicy, real meaty. (In `Black River') I walk on stage, pour kerosene on myself and light myself on fire.''
Redmon will provide fireworks of a different kind at this spring's Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival. She'll sing Brahms as part of the chamber music series.
Hear, hear
Looking for a joyful noise? Look no further than Christ and St. Luke's Church. Renovation of its massive pipe organ has been completed, and the church is celebrating with a recital today at 4 p.m.
The instrument cost just under $71,000 when it was purchased in 1962; a new one would run nearly $1.25 million today. Repairing and expanding the organ - it now has 79 ranks of pipes, 10 more than the original - cost a third of that. The organ was dismantled last June and shipped to a factory near Montreal. In October, a team from Quebec arrived in Norfolk to begin reassembling it.
Organist/choirmaster Allen Shaffer, a professor of music at Norfolk State, will perform works by Bach, Franck, Gigout, Dandrieu and Messiaen. Tickets are free; they can be picked up at the Bee Hive, the church's gift shop. The church is at Stockley Gardens and Olney Road.
With the Olympics shifting to Sydney in - what? - three years, Oz is all the rage. Wonder if Foster's has a word for ``premature.''
Anyway, the Norfolk Chamber Consort goes Down Under on Monday with a program of contemporary music from Australia. It includes special arrangements of three works by Percy Aldridge Grainger; arranger/composer Vincent Plush also will conduct the premiere of his own ``Florilegium III.'' Other composers represented are Carl Vine, Margaret Sutherland and Martin Wesley-Smith.
Performing will be clarinetist (and Consort co-director) F. Gerard Errante, violinist Vahn Armstrong, violist Beverly Baker, cellist Janet Kriner, flutist Debra Cross, pianists Charles Woodward and Ruth Easterling Winters, percussionist Tim Bishop and mezzo Fay Baker.
A reception follows the 8 p.m. performance at ODU's Chandler Recital Hall. $10; $5 students and seniors. Call 440-1803 or 622-4542.
Jewish music doesn't begin and end with cantors and klezmer bands. Some of the top musicians out there are incorporating rock, pop, jazz and folk.
Like Sam Glaser, who sings at Norfolk's Temple Beth El Saturday at 7 p.m. as part of Jewish Music Month. Here's what some folks have said about him:
``Never have I heard the eternal concepts of Judaism sound so contemporary and uplifting.'' ``A beautiful combination of eloquent modern music from today's world united with ancient spiritual messages that touch the soul.''
Glaser, executive director of the Jewish Music Commission, has published three collections of lyrics and poetry and has written for film and television.
Tickets are $5. Order at 625-7821. Temple Beth El is at 422 Shirley Ave. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
[Deep Creek High graduate Robynne Redmon]
[Vincent Plush...]