New Resident Artist Speaks of Upcoming Season Opener – and Himself
Saturday, October 5, 2024, marks the season opener of Pittsburgh Opera, with Puccini’s ever-popular, always exciting Tosca. Baritone Erik Nordstrom, who will sing the pivotal role of Angelotti in the production, took the time recently to give an exclusive interview regarding the production and his career to date to Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications for Pittsburgh Opera. We’re pleased that the company has shared the interview with us, exclusively, as below :
Erik Nordstrom (Photo courtesy Mr. Nordstrom)
Chris Cox: Erik Nordstrom, welcome to Pittsburgh! Can you start by telling us all where you are from?
Erik Nordstrom: I’m from St. Paul, Minnesota. People sometimes call it the city that always sleeps, or the other twin city, but I’m very proud to be from there. I had it great growing up there.
CC: What made you want to become an opera singer? Tell us about that journey and process.
EN: Well, in middle school I picked up acoustic guitar, just teaching it to myself from YouTube lessons, with the goal of accompanying myself singing Bob Dylan songs, and Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley songs. I had an affinity for the singer-songwriter style. I wanted to go to a performing arts high school after middle school, and there was a public performing arts high school in St. Paul called the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts. The guitar track was full, so they temporarily moved me to the vocal section of the school. I ended up loving that and stayed there, and never went to the guitar track.
CC: Within the vocal track, how did opera come up as a specialty for you?
EN: The guy who ran the vocal program was an opera singer for the first half of his career. I think he geared it towards opera because of that.
Mr. Nordstrom at the 2024 Rising Stars Event – David Bachman Photography for Pittsburgh Opera
CC: How did you end up in Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist program?
EN: I went to school for a really long time for singing. When I was about 20, 21, I started auditioning for summer and yearlong young artist programs. I auditioned for Pittsburgh twice, and this last time ended up getting the job.
CC: We’re delighted to have you. You will be making your Pittsburgh Opera stage debut at the Benedum Center, in Tosca, on October 5th. Can you tell us a little bit about the character that you’re portraying?
EN: My character, Angelotti, is based off a real person named Liborio Angelucci, who was born in 18th century Rome, and grew up to be a sympathizer with the French Revolution. He was imprisoned for that political standpoint by the Papal State of Rome, and imprisoned in an old castle called Castel Sant’Angelo, which is where some of the opera takes place.
CC: What does he do in the show?
EN: He opens the show. He stumbles on, having just escaped from said prison, Castel Sant’Angelo. He’s out of breath, he’s being pursued by the government police, and hides in his family chapel, the Attavanti Chapel, where his sister has left some woman’s clothes for him as a disguise, so he can remain in hiding until the danger has passed. Angelotti is one of the focal points of the plot, because Scarpia and his folks are trying to torture Cavaradossi into telling everyone where I am.
CC: Are Cavaradossi and Angelotti friends, did they already know each other?
EN: Right, they’re old friends, and Cavaradossi is also a French Revolution sympathizer and activist, so they’re a united front on that. That’s why it’s fortunate that, in the first couple of scenes of the opera, my character runs into Cavaradossi, and Cavaradossi helps him escape to his villa.
CC: How are rehearsals going?
EN: Really smoothly. It’s a lot of fun working with Tara [Faircloth, Stage Director] and the stage management team, and Maestro Walker. I’m excited to keep discovering more. The biggest challenge so far has been keeping this really dogged, tired physicality consistent throughout all my appearances. It’s easy to let up. That’s been the challenge, is to really keep the physicality believable and intense, because he’s been running for his life.
CC: What are you most looking forward to about opening night?
EN: I’ve never sung in a house as large as the Benedum, and for such a large audience. I’m excited just for that experience, and to really just send it, just be this character in such a historic house. It’s a huge honor. I’m excited.
CC: How do you feel about the music?
EN: It’s classic, gorgeous Puccini, very lyrical, conversational, and exciting. It gets on this track, and it just keeps going. There’s a lot of forward motion, always forward motion. And then in the arias, like ‘Vissi d’arte’ or ‘E lucevan le stelle,’ everything seems to stop and slow down, and time stretches in this slow-motion way that is unique to opera. Puccini does such a great job with that. You forget time at certain moments.
CC: What are some of the things you think the audience has to look forward to about this production?
EN: Definitely that sensation I just mentioned, that strange push and pull of time, the measurement of time, and just the really world-class singing of John Burton and Ana Maria Martinez. It’s going to be just an experience that you can’t get very often, just to hear those sounds together.
CC: Thanks so much Erik, we’re looking forward to opening night.
We’re all looking forward to opening night. For complete production, cast information – and TICKETS – visit Pittsburgh Opera
Special thanks to Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications for Pittsburgh Opera.
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