Mitchell Sturgess, tenor
Tenor Mitchell Sturges hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. Currently, he lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he is under the tutelage of Dr. Kristin Dauphinais at the University of Arizona.
But in a manner of speaking, he’s like VISA. Mitch is everywhere you want him to be.
That’s because he’s really plugged into social media (he was one of the early adopters, judging from his huge friend and follower base), which is how I met him, and how I arranged for Mitch to be one of this month’s Talented Tenors.
Some of his past performances include leading roles in Gianni Schicchi, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Amahl and the Night Visitors, collaborating with the University of Utah Opera Theatre, Paradigm Chamber Orchestra, & Salt Lake Symphony.
In the summer of 2007, he sang the role of Gherardo in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi & the Sergeant in Donizetti’s Rita in Pesaro, Italy, at international music festival La Musica Lirica. He has been a featured soloist throughout Salt Lake performing J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, P.D.Q. Bach’s Oedipus Tex, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Dvořák’s Requiem & Händel’s Messiah. In spring 2010, he was a featured soloist with Utopia Early Music, performing music from 17th century England.
No wonder his Twitter username is @mitchthetenor. Being a tenor is his life and his livelihood!
Welcome to Operatoonity, Mitch!
Where did you grow up and how did it affect your life choices?
I grew up in Salt Lake City, and this definitely affected my life choices. When I was in high school, we were known for our music, specifically the choral arts, with approximately 500 students in the choir department.The arts here are supported very well, with lots of different performing organizations performing all 52 weeks of the year. In addition to the professional groups, there are quite a few community performing groups that offer solo performance opportunities to the young and rising talent of Salt Lake, giving the opportunity to perform with an orchestra and/or chorus. Beyond those groups, there are lots of community venues (churches, colleges, etc.) that have concert series that mostly feature local talent. This is one of the greatest things, as finding a venue is usually the hardest part of putting together a performance. Had I not grown up in a place where the arts are not as strongly supported, I could have gone in a completely different career.
Performing in MacBeth
Do you believe that being an opera/classically trained singer is your destiny?
Short answer: Yes. I feel, that wherever my career path takes me, I will always sing. I have a couple different interests in the classical music industry (in no particular order): being a professional singer, being an artistic director of a company or concert series, a faculty member at a college or university, or music director for a church. The nice part about some of these options is that, in some cases, more than one could occur. I think, as of right now, my career is lining up more toward being on faculty somewhere. While being on faculty, I could (and would) still have professional engagements around the world, and this is definitely an option during the summer. Even if I don’t end up at an educational institution, I have a strong love of performing and recitals, and would perform constantly, whatever my position is.
How would you describe your voice?
I would maybe say that it is like (read: heading towards) Rockwell Blake’s sound. I sing mostly Rossini & Mozart, but have a little more heft than the standard leggerio. That said, I have had my voice described as being ‘transparently clean’ and that I sing ‘honestly and with clarity.’
Singing in 'Betly'
What single experience has been the most meaningful in your operatic pursuits thus far?
The most meaningful operatic experience so far was when I went to Italy in 2007, and had the opportunity to sing in a production of Gianni Schicchi & Donizetti’s Betly in a young artist program. It was five weeks of pure bliss. During that time, in addition to our musical training, we were in 20 hours of Italian class each week.
Although not really operatic, the most meaningful experience for me in my classical training was this past summer when I was presented in recital at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. It was an amazing experience, and one I hope to repeat in the coming years.
Favorite composer? Favorite opera? Favorite role? Favorite venue?
Picking a favorite composer is kind of like picking a favorite child. But, if pressed, it would be a tie between Rossini & Mozart. They wrote such beautiful timeless music. My favorite opera would have to be Barber of Seville–the music is so great and the characters are wonderful. My favorite role is usually whatever I’m working on, but Nika Magadoff in The Consul is quite a delight to sing. My favorite operatic venue is the Met, no question. Favorite concert venue is Disney Hall in LA. Favorite recital venue is St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London–the acoustics there simply divine.
What would you like to be doing in five years? Ten years?
In five years, I will be working on my DMA in performance. In ten, I would hope to be working professionally in some capacity in this industry. Ideally, I’d like to have a few years of real performing experience before I theoretically ‘settle down’ in a faculty position.
When did you embrace social media and how has it impacted your career or visibility. Or has it?
I started on Twitter mid-2008 on a whim and didn’t really use it to communicate with others until 2009. I don’t know if I could say that it has impacted my career . . . yet. My visibility has gone up though. What it has really done is put me in contact with people or groups that I would love to work with in the future.
What is something most people don’t know about you, something not on your resume?
I am an avid crocheter. I enjoy making afgans for my friends and family. This was actually something that was incorporated into an opera once…
a photo from his new website
Where can we see you in 2011-12?
In November of this year, I will be performing in The Consul with University of Arizona Opera Theatre. I have two recitals in March of 2012, one in Tucson, at St. Philip’s-in-the-Hills, and one at the Los Angeles City College. This recital is exciting as it is a test run of a recital I plan on taking to London and various parts of the US in the 2012-2013 season. Also, it features music that is a strong passion of mine: American song.
* * *
You can find out more about Mitchell Sturges at his website. Or follow him Twitter @mitchthetenor or become his Facebook friend–where he is approaching godlike status with 2,292 friends (but would just love to have a few hundred more).
