By BETSY ANDREWS
For the Express
Baritone Victor Benedetti has sung the title role of Don Giovanni for New York City Opera, and his performances around the world have garnered praise from The New York Times and Opera News. Benedetti will sing with soprano Paula Rasmussan and tenor George Dyer in Sun Valley Opera's presentation "Star Spangled Voices" on Saturday, July 1.
He spoke by phone with local freelance writer Betsy Andrews from his parent's home in Los Angeles. The voices of his young sons, Giancarlo and Marcello (pronounced the Italian way, the "c" like "ch"), rise behind him and he laughs and moves to another room.
VB: "They'll appreciate the names when they're older. We tried Billy Bob, but it didn't really work with the last name."
BA: "Billy Bob Benedetti. I think it works."
VB: "It does kind of roll off the tongue."
BA: "Do the boys show any interest in following in their parents' footsteps?"
VB: "Not especially. And that's fine. But at least they'll grow up to appreciate it. They'll know about the arts."
BA: "Did you always want to sing opera?"
VB: "No. I grew up in Los Angeles, and I wanted to be an actor! I took voice lessons at the age of twelve. I think that's young, especially for a boy. I've been singing as a professional since I was nineteen, and went into opera from there, kind of in a roundabout way. My parents were very supportive, but they knew nothing about the arts. So it took a lot of trust on their part."
BA: "When did you realize that a career in opera was going to become a reality?"
VB: "I didn't give any thought that it wouldn't work! (Laughs.) Not that I was the greatest singer. But I really didn't want to do anything else. I have friends in 'the real world' who don't know how I can live with the lack of certainty, financially. And certainly it's harder with kids. My first year of operatic, I spent three hundred days on the road. Now, we have to turn stuff down sometimes. But that's okay. I'm going to France next year—both my wife (soprano Juliana Rambaldi) and I are singing in a production of 'Don Giovanni' in Toulouse. Then we'll travel around the country and audition. We're trying to figure out how to bring the whole family."
BA: "What are you working on these days?"
VB: "Both my wife and I have done a lot of traditional opera. When it's done well, it's great and very rewarding. But it's not 'the end.' My wife and I and another singer founded Black Box Opera Theater in Seattle. Seattle is a great theater town. Black Box is unique in the U.S. because we're the only ensemble opera in the country. Other opera companies bring in guest artists. We have fifteen singers. We don't have a chorus, we don't do things that are heavily orchestrated, because we don't have the resources. We use two fairly small venues. If you don't have immediacy in theater, it loses a lot. We're working on things that are more modern. We just did "The Emporer of Atlantis"—written by a man who died in the Holocaust. He died in a concentration camp, but the opera got out."
BA: "How did your invitation to sing with Sun Valley Opera come about?"
VB: "I adjudicated a (Sun Valley Opera) competition for young artists in Seattle. Then I sang in Sun Valley a year and a half ago. The people of Sun Valley are very generous. It makes such a difference. I feel very fortunate (to be included).
BA: "Who were your musical inspirations?"
VB: "Everybody at Northwestern." (Benedetti earned a B.A. and a Masters of Music from Northwestern University.) "The teachers I worked with there, those are the people I look up to most, because they're who I really learned the most from."
BA: "What do you enjoy most about your career?"
VB: "I really enjoy the process of rehearsal. And I enjoy reconnecting with old friends. I've sung with George (Dyer) a bunch of times, and I've sung with Paula (Rasmussen)."
BA: "How often do you practice?"
VB: "(Laughs.) Not often enough. I go through stages. But for young singers out there: you should practice every day!"
Victor Benedetti performs is Floyd's "Of Mice & Men" at Washington's Kennedy Center. Benedetti sings at Sun Valley Opera's "Star Spangled Voice" this weekend.
