Noah Stewart
Noah Stewart will set the world alight in 2012 as he releases his debut album as well as continuing his theatre work.
I caught up with the first modern opera star to talk about the new record, performances coming up over the next year and his excitement about performing in the UK.
- You are about to release your debut album so what can we expect from the record?
Expect a real mix. I was exposed to a wide variety of music and styles early on as a kid growing up in New York. This record covers not only popular crossover songs, but also opera arias and spirituals.
I wanted to show no matter the genre, emotion is emotion and great music is great music, no matter how you slice it.
- The album sees you sing well-known arias such as Ave Maria and Recondita Armonia as well as Deep River and Silent Night so how did you choose when you wanted to cover for the album? And will we be seeing a new interpretation of some of these well-known songs?
These songs are songs that make me who I am today. I not only have a strong connection to them, but I also enjoy performing them to audiences around the world.
Many of these songs have been given a twist, while retaining the integrity of the music and lyric.
- The album sees you work with producers and arranger such as Steven Baker and Christian Seitz so how did you find working with them? And what do they bring to the album?
Working with Christian and Steven was a great experience for me, because I enjoy new collaborations with other musicians.
Both Christian and Steven really challenged and pushed to find the right colorings and shadings for each song.
I not only learned a lot about new songs, songwriters and interpretation, but also about who I am as an artist.
- You are being tipped as the next big thing so how are you finding all of the attention that is coming your way?
I’m excited sure, but I keep my attention focused on my music and each new role I have coming up.
- Tenors such as Russell Watson kicked off their careers in classical music but also have a pop element to their careers so how much is going down a pop path something that would interest you in the future?
I never try to predict the future. I simply sing the music I most enjoy and connect to.
- You grew up in New York so what kind of music did you grow up listening to? And how did you get into singing and opera?
My family is from New Orleans, Louisiana so the music that I remember listening to as a child was Rhythm and Blues, Jazz and soul from mom’s collection and pop artist’s like Prince, Madonna, George Michael and Michael Jackson from my sisters’
- You won a scholarship to Julliard so how would you describe your time there when you look back on it now?
Juilliard was a very intense place for me. My high school experience was pretty much like 'Glee' the show on T.V. Lot of music and fun in a supported and nurturing environment.
My years in conservatory were just as the name describes. I am a tenor and most tenor’s voices develop later in life like many visual artists and painters develop as they grow.
Because all the engines were not primed, I wasn’t given many opportunities, so I had to make my own.
- You describe your mother as a great inspiration so what was her reaction when you told her that you wanted to be an opera singer?
My mother is a huge inspiration to me. She is a single parent and raised my sister and me. My mother has worked for over forty-four years and has sacrificed much for our well-being.
Since the very beginning, she fought to insure me a great education in spite of our circumstances and taught us the importance of hard work, knowledge and faith.
- You have had a very successful time on the stage so how did you find stepping into the studio to record your first album and really striking out on your own without a company of actors around you?
This is my first record and this was my third time in a studio. Being an opera singer, most all of my performances are live with an Orchestra ranging from thirty five to eighty pieces.
In opera we don’t use microphones and need to project to as many as four thousand people sometimes. Recording is the studio was very challenging to me because it is a much more intimate performance.
For me, it is equally if not more intense because the audience cannot see you. It’s my job to story tell. The audience should sit back and allow to be carried away by the lyric and melody.
- 2012 is going to be a busy year with performances in the UK in Judith Weir's Achterbahn and Madame Butterfly so what can we expect from those performances?
You can expect the great energy of live theatre with great music. Anything and everything can happen.
People always ask me why opera and I always say because it combines drama singing, dancing, lights, great sets and language on stage.
The feeling is simply electric when I can feel the energy from the audience and vice versa. There’s simply nothing like it.
- How excited are you at performing in front of a British crowd in Covent Garden?
I’m really excited to be debuting at Covent Garden this spring. I have watched many famous performances on video and remember those velvet curtains closing at the beginning and end of each act.
It will be a dream come true to grace the stage where so many of my hero’s and shero’s have performed. Performing for a new audience is always fun for me. It’s like a first date!
- And away from any theatre shows are there any plans for you to tour just yourself?
Yes, there are talks of tour dates to follow. Stay tuned!!
- Your fan base is growing all over the world but is there anything in particular that you would like to say to your fans in the UK?
Yes, Thank you so much for embracing me an artist and also as a person. I am enjoying my time in the UK immensely.
- Finally what’s next for you over the next twelve months?
2012 is a year of many debuts for me both operatic and concert wise. In two weeks, I will be making my role debut of Romeo in Knoxville Opera’s production of Romeo & Juliet.
My debut album will be released on February 27th leading up to my Covent Garden debut as Hassan in Judith Weir’s Miss Fortune followed by yet another role debut of Nadir in The Pearl Fishers with Michigan Opera theatre and then Radames in Francesca Zambello’s new production of Verdi’s Aida this summer at the Glimmerglass Festival in New York.
Plans for my role portrayal as Don Jose, Carmen’s lover, is also planned for next fall in the United States as well as concerts throughout the UK and beyond. Stay tuned!
Noah Stewart's album Noah will be released 27th February.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw