Portland State Magazine Winter 2010

Maestro of the stage Tito Capobianco, internationally renowned stage director, returns for the fifth time to direct opera students. WRITTEN BY JEFF KUECHLE IN ALL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS , rhereisnomoredifficulrprofession than opera singer. Those who aspire co their hour upon the stage at the Mer, La Scala, Covent Garden, or even at cop regional opera companies from Porrland co Philadelphia, must combine the acting chops of Olivier with crystal-shivering vocal fireworks unmatched in any ocher corner of the musical world. They must be able co summon these talents night after night, in front of a live audience, usually performing in a language nor their own. And everybody's a critic. Tiro Capobianco understands. "People are simply unaware of the sophistication, of the vocal technique involved," says Capobianco, who chis spring returns for the fifth rime as a visiting professor at Porrland Scare, thanks co rhe generosity oflocaJ arcs philanthropist Jeannine B. Cowles. "Opera singers have co be able co sing, move, and acc. The pressure is incense, because it's a live performance," he says. "And because an opera singer's entire body is their instrument, anything can affect it-the weather, what they ear, lack of rest, their sex life." Capobianco pauses reverenrly. "The human voice is the most beautiful sound created by God," he says. "To use it properly requires intense study and coral concentration." Capobianco should know. From 1953 until his retirement from the professional stage in 2000, Capobianco, now 78, was one of the world's most esteemed opera stage directors. From Europe co the United Scares, Australia co South America, he has staged more than 300 productions scarring the most incandescent scars in the operatic firmament: Placido Domingo, Montserrat Caballe, Joan Sutherland, and the lace Beverly Sills and Luciano Pavarotti. 8 PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE WINTER 2010