Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Alfano
Hi Christine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up in south Florida, I was always performing and creating in some capacity. My friends and I would make short films, write and produce songs, and attempt to mount original plays in our backyards. I would spend a good chunk of my summer vacations with my family on Long Island, and we would often go into the city to see various Broadway musicals and plays. That’s where the idea of a performing career really sparked my interest and my imagination. I joined the drama club in high school, and was immediately addicted to the feeling of performing on stage. After my very first production, Guys and Dolls, I knew that theatre, in some capacity, would be my chosen path in life.
Around my junior year, I had a suprising voice change occur that left me sounding… operatic. I knew little to nothing about opera, or classical singing in general. Our music director was a chorister with Palm Beach Opera, so I began taking voice lessons from her with the support of my parents. One thing led to another, and I found myself auditioning for Palm Beach Opera’s Studio program, which is essentially an apprenticeship for talented high schoolers interested in pursuing a voice performance degree in college. I was accepted, and I spent my senior year training with the company. With their guidance, I dove headfirst into the world of opera.
I was accepted into FSU’s College of Music for Voice Performance, one of the top programs in the country, knowing very little about music compared to my colleagues. My voice professor at the time, Grammy-award winning baritone Daniel Belcher, was one of my biggest advocates early on. He explained that, having a larger voice, I wouldn’t develop as quickly as the lighter voices around me– that it would mostly likely take until my late 20s for my voice to really settle into itself. At the end of my freshman year, I had to complete my first ever jury (essentially an exam where you must sing for the entire voice faculty, which then determines if you can progress forward in the major). Half of the faculty recommended that I needed an extra semester of voice lessons to develop further, and half recommended that I leave the major altogether– that I wasn’t viable as a performer.
This was devastating to my freshly 19-year-old self; the only reason I continued on the path was because of Professor Belcher’s words of encouragment (and a good deal of “I’ll prove them wrong” energy). I switched out of voice performance to general music, and picked up a double major in Italian to become fluent in one of the “Big Three” languages of opera. I began learning all that I could about the technical and administrative side of producting opera, determined to be involved in the art form in some capacity.
Following undergrad, I moved to Jacksonville to take a gap year as I prepared for graduate school auditions. I met a local conductor and collaborative pianist, Brandon Michael Smith, and we mused over how surprising it was that there was no opera company here. He had just moved back to Jacksonville (his hometown) after living and working in New York for several years, and was used to being surrounded by an abundance of culture and artistic opportunities– something he was missing upon returning home. We made a pact to start our own chamber opera company here after I returned from getting my masters degree.
I attended University of Tennessee for my Master of Music in Voice Performance, where I was also a member of the Knoxville Opera Studio. I had the opportunity to perform and intern with Marble City Opera, a chamber opera company doing exciting, site-specific productions throughout town. Through my work with them, I was able to learn a lot about what it takes to run a small opera company, and, of course, the associated challenges. I also began working as an assistant director (and later, a director) for the Vienna Summer Music Festival, which gave me further insight into what it takes to produce opera. I continued to take professional assitant directing gigs, thinking that my niche in the opera world would be as a director.
Following graduation, I moved back to Jacksonville. Brandon and I formally started Bold City Opera, and I began building my own voice studio. BCO’s first production, Puccini’s Suor Angelica, was wildly successful. Since then, we have produced outreach concerts throughout the community, mounted free masterclasses geared toward educating local singers at every level, and partnered with several schools to bring opportunities to high school students interested in pursuing a voice performance degree in college (just as Palm Beach Opera did for me). We just opened our second season with an immersive production of Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle, which received rave reviews.
As a performer, this year has been a year full of major wins and dreams coming to fruition. As Professor Belcher promised ten years ago, things are finally happening for me now at the age of 28. I began working with my current teacher, internationally renowned soprano Jennifer Rowley, nearly two years ago; it was through her that I was able to recommit to a performing career over a directing career. I’ll be spending January through March as an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera, and was invited to sing and audition for a major opera house in Germany later this month. I have a busy calendar of performances for the next 6 months, and I couldn’t be happier. My voice studio has grown considerably over the past two years, and my students are all thriving themselves.
As to what the future holds, the sky is the limit. I’ll continue keeping my head down and doing “the work,” which has gotten me to some pretty amazing places thus far.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road! The past 10 years have thrown nearly every possible obstacle at me to dissuade me from pursuing opera. I talked about some of this in my previous answer (i.e., FSU removing me from the performance track).
There were key people along the way that deeply believed in me and my professional viability; these were the people that kept the flames lit within me to withstand what felt like an onslaught of rejection. These tough times gifted me with an unbreakable tenacity that has served me well and kept me disciplined in my practice. Now that I’m reaping the benefits of that tenacity, I hope it inspires others to keeping going through adversity.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an operatic soprano– specificaly, a young Verdian soprano. This is a rarer voice type, and, in my biased opinion, one of the most thrilling to listen to. It’s a huge sound that rings and slices through an orchestra like a knife. Puccini and Verdi are my favorite composers, and I find the most success singing their music. One of my undergraduate degrees is in Italian, and I feel that I bring that wealth of knowledge to the table when tackling these roles. Through my history of work on the production side of opera, I think that I bring a greater sensitivity and empathy to the production process than most singers.
I’m most proud of the fact that I continued forward on my path despite the naysayers; the most recent success of that tenacity being the offer and acceptance of a coveted contract as an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera (which is known internationally for its specialization in the music of Verdi) this coming Winter season. I am getting auditions and contracts with companies that I’ve only dreamt about over the past ten years, and it’s all because of hard work and persistence. Through opera, I’ve been able to travel the world while singing, and meet the most incredible people along the way.
While I am home and not travelling for gigs or auditions, I’m extremely proud to be able to give this knowledge back to my own voice students through my voice studio. I’m also proud to help create cutting-edge opera to share with our community through Bold City Opera.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love the diversity we have here! There are people from all over the county bringing fresh ideas and perspectives to our community. There are so many distinctive neighborhoods, each with their own charms and offerings. I particularly love living in Riverside/Avondale, which feels like a hub for fellow creative minds. I would say the size of Jacksonville is its biggest blessing and its biggest curse. It can be hard uniting as a single community when, geographically, we are all spread out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.christinealfanosoprano.com
- Instagram: @alfanosoprano
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Christine-Alfano-100064290234996/?_rdr
