PSU Magazine Fall 2004

from PSU they continued to hone their musical studies in Texas, where tenor Ogan studied singing and conducting at the University of Houston, and mezzo-soprano Niederloh joined the Houston Grand Opera Studio. Nieder– loh sang for the Houston opera, as well as an Francisco'.s Merola program, the Aspen Music Festival , and the Chau– tauqua Opera. This summer Niederloh served a three-month residency with the Wolf Trap Opera in Vienna, Virginia, where she won its $5,000 Foundation Artist of the Year Award. During this time Ogan earned a aaster of music degree in conducting from the University of Houston and sang with Houston Grand Opera. His professional credits also include Chau– tauqua Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera, the Seattle Symphony, and the Oregon Symphony. As Oregon Lyric Opera's general manager and conductor, Ogan has ordered La Traviata scores from English ational Opera in London and is preparing the fully staged production with orchestra. As artistic director, Niederloh eagerly anticipates providing the stage direction for La TraviaLa and a future production of Evita. "Jason and I are busy hiring the singers and orchestral players. The business side involves a whole level of new skills that I'm becoming intimate with," says Niederloh. "It has been a real education to see how everything fits together. " While in Houston, Ogan and Niederloh were impressed with the extensive exposure to opera in the pub– lic schools. Consequently, they plan for OLOA to develop a program for high school students who are interested in a career in the performing arts. Classes will take place at local high schools and at the new Gresham Center for the Ans, a 400-seat theater that is sched– uled for completion in the summer of 2005. OLOA's educational program will be led by the groups director of educa– tion , Amy Russell Cathey. "We will also go into the high schools with a small scenes program to give students a taste of opera and musical theater," says Ogan. "Since a lot of school programs for the ans have shriveled up , many students have never heard a professional singer up close and personal. " One of OLOA's key board members and guest instructors is PSU'.s own Katie Harman, the 2002 Miss America. Trained as an opera singer, Harman has recently earned her first profes– sional operatic experience in the role of Katie for the Gold Coast Opera (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) production of The StudenL Prince. As a guest instructor for the OLOA High School Performance Studio, Harman will lead workshops on stage presence and audition techniques. To raise funds for their programs, Oregon Lyric Opera will hold a gala at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Port– land on October 16 that will feature Harman, Ogan, iederloh , and Nathan De'Shon Myers, a special guest bari– tone from New York City, in a pastiche of tunes from operas and musicals. "For the gala, I'll sing numbers from La Boheme, The Flower Drum Song, Show Boal, Cabaret, lnLo the Woods , and Candide," says Harman. "I just love performing, and l'm looking forward to working with our students." "We're delighted to see Oregon Lyric Opera in the community," says Jim Fullan, public relations manager at Portland Opera. "Their work with young people speaks to the growing popularity of opera in the region. Opera in English will help to grow opera audiences and singers. " A dditional aces on the OLOA team include Ruth Dobson and Christine Meadows. Meadows is a highly regarded teacher and singer who has appeared numerous times with Portland Opera and New York City Opera. Dob– son has anchored vocal studies at PSU and has built PSU'.s Opera Theater into an opera powerhouse. he has enjoyed watching the careers of singers who have starred in PSU opera productions. Niederloh'.s singing career has had several recent highlights. One of her shining moments occurred when she shared the stage with Renee Fleming, the reigning diva of American sopra– nos, in Houston Grand Opera's production of La Traviata. "It's a real joy to work with Renee ," recalls iederloh. "ln each perfor– mance, we sang together in an ensem– ble, and right afterwards she would turn to me and say, 'You have a great voice. ' That was just incredible! " B oth Ogan and Niederloh intend to juggle their singing careers with their responsibilities at Oregon Lyric Opera. ln July Ogan was the tenor soloist in Beethoven'.s Ninth Symphony for the Astoria Music Festival. This summer iederloh sang in productions of Salieri'.s Falstaff and Donizetti's Elixir of Love at the Wolf Trap Festival. Niederloh also has upcoming engage– ments with Houston Grand Opera for Verdi'.s Falstaff and with Portland Opera in its season opening produc– tion of Rossini's The Journey to Reims. ln Journey , she wi 11 create the role of Melibea, a Polish-born marchesa who is pursued by a Spanish admiral and a hot-headed Russian count. Amidst the excitemern of starting an opera company, hiring, teaching, singing, traveling, and making hun– dreds of long-distance phone calls, Ogan and iederloh also have one more production to consider. "We're engaged ," explains Ogan. "It has been an exciting year," agrees iederloh . "We've got a lot to look forward to. " D Qames Bash, a Portland freelance writer, wrote the arLicle "Voce Fortissimo" for the fall 2002 P U Magazine.) FALL 2004 PSU MAGAZINE 17