By THIRSTY
Patrice Michaels has been
featured on more than 25 albums, including the Decca, Neos, Albany and Amadis
labels, and on 14 releases as an artist for Cedille Records. She has earned praised
as “a formidable interpretative talent” (The New Yorker) who possesses
“a voice that is light, rich and flexible” (Opera News).
One of her most ambitious projects to date combines not only her singing abilities, but also her talents as a composer. RBG in Song, a salute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Cedille Records), draws a loving portrait of the Justice’s legal opinions, letters and lectures, and is a tribute to her role as a wife, mother and feminist icon. Michaels comes at this project from a unique perspective – Ruth Bader Ginsburg is her mother-in-law and that relationship adds a level of authenticity and sincerity to this very special endeavor.
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| Patrice Michaels and Ruth Bader Ginsburg |
Michaels
holds B.A.’s in Music and Theater from Pomona College, an M.F.A. in Voice from
the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a certificate from the Music
Theatre Studio Ensemble at The Banff Centre. She is former Professor of Music
at Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music, and now serves as Director of
Vocal Studies at The University of Chicago.
Stay Thirsty Magazine was honored to visit with Patrice Michaels in her Chicago home for this Conversation about the breadth and scope of her work as a singer and as a composer.
STAY THIRSTY: In
your current production of Notorious RBG in Song you chronicle the life
of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
You are credited with not only being the creator of the show, but also one of
the composers and, of course, the principal performer. What was the genesis of
this production?
PATRICE MICHAELS: My husband James and his sister Jane planned a
special 80th birthday gift of three newly-composed songs for their
mother, Justice Ginsburg. Along with Stacy Garrop and Vivian Fung, I was
engaged to set a text about RBG. In addition to these three new songs, I wanted
to include something by Lori Laitman, a renowned art song and opera composer who
is a friend of the Justice. Lori had written a song in honor of her own
mother-in-law’s 75th birthday, set to a poem by Emily Dickinson that
was absolutely perfect for inclusion. The birthday performance of the four
songs became, in addition to the intended celebratory gift, the genesis of
another project!
STAY THIRSTY: In
the Chicago production of Notorious RBG in Song at the Spertus Institute
in May 2019, your compositions are joined with composition from other American
composers, including Lori Laitman, Lee Hoiby, Stacy Garrop, Vivian Fung and
John Musto. How did you select these composers to be part of this project and
what did they bring to the table during its development? How did you work to
integrate so many ifferent compositional identities into one cohesive
performance?
PATRICE MICHAELS: When we
recorded all the extant pieces about RBG and released them in June 2018, I was
thrilled to hear how the pieces contrasted and complimented each other, both
musically and thematically. I began to think about how narrative could bring
all the compositions together. Because Justice Ginsburg’s story is that of
immigrant families in the 20th century, the parallel to 20th
century art song composers is natural and often profound. Including Lee Hoiby’s
setting of part of the Emma Lazarus poem that is inscribed on the Statue of
Liberty was both obvious and profound. “Answering” that heroic poem and musical
setting with John Musto’s darkly realistic setting of a Langston Hughes poem
dealing with the same issues is a
perfect example of how the show tells the story of RBG’s life, both abstractly and concretely. And the music
is some of the greatest of our song literature, so I’m especially glad to
introduce audiences who may not already be familiar with these marvelous
composers.
STAY THIRSTY: One
of the unique features of your production is that it is a biographical work set
to music along with sections of narration. Since you did not base this
production on a prior published work, biography or play, but in fact did your
own extensive research into the life and times of Justice Ginsburg, have you
not created a new genre that one could call “musical biography”?
PATRICE MICHAELS: I don’t know if making a musical portrait is really
a new genre – that’s a question that would require a bit of research. My
experiences as a singer of new and ancient classical music, as a music director
of American musical theater, and as a composer has coincided with the
opportunity to get to know an extremely inspiring and influential person. I
agree, Notorious RBG in Song is a
musical biography. Maybe you have
coined a new term!
STAY THIRSTY: How
long did it take, from beginning to end, to create this production and record
the CD for Cedille Records? Of all of the elements to bring together for this
show, which were the easiest and which were the hardest? What things did you
leave “on the cutting room floor?”
PATRICE MICHAELS: Once the recording was done and I realized that the
narrative material I had used for live concerts needed to be turned into an
actual script, I set the goals of enhancing that aspect, the visuals, and
creating a chamber ensemble accompaniment (for which I had wonderful assistance
from master arranger Peter Labella and copyist Joe Clark). It was was nearly a
year of tinkering and tryouts until our piano/voice debut at the Skirball
Center in LA. After that January 2019 performance, we gave the chamber ensemble
premiere in Washington the following month. It’s been wonderful to adjust the
script in small ways that help make a point or land a joke. Once the framework
of RBG’s early years is set up, the music is organized not in chronologic
order, but rather by her public and private lives. I was surprised that it
turned out that way initially, but I think, especially since the penultimate
piece is excerpts from her dissenting opinions, it creates a really well-balanced
arc for the 75-minute show.
STAY THIRSTY: For
your performance at the Spertus Institute, you were joined by Pianist Kuang-Hao
Huang, Soprano Michelle Areyzaga, Tenor Matthew Dean and Baritone Evan Bravos.
How did you select these particular artists to collaborate with for this
production? How involved where they in the evolution of this show?
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| Notorious RBG in Song - stage production |
PATRICE MICHAELS: Kuang-Hao has been involved in the project since the
point when I decided to create a song cycle. Dana Brown, the marvelous
coach-pianist, debuted the first songs with me, and I hope he’ll continue to be
involved in the project. Incredible Andrew Harley also plays the show, and was
the first to work with the underscoring.
I’ve
always imagined that the song cycle could be shared, and the second full
performance was actually prepared with nine different singers, each one taking
a movement. The third performance was in Washington with J’nai Bridges and
Susanna Phillips taking four songs each, with The Capital Hearings a cappella ensemble performance the eighth
movement, “Dissenter of de Universe.” Young artists Derrell Acon, bass-baritone
and Olivia Boen, soprano, sang with me at the record release party last June at
the Poetry Foundation. Michelle Areyzaga and Dana have performed portions of
the cycle together on their own. I asked Evan Bravos to be my prototypical
baritone, and Matt Dean is a wonderful addition to the mix with his gorgeous
tenor, great diction and comic timing.
In
short: this has been and will continue to be a wonderful opportunity to
collaborate, to celebrate an incredible community of vocal artists and
collaborative pianists. I’m so grateful to each and every one!
STAY THIRSTY: One
other relevant fact about Notorious RBG in Song is that Ruth Bader
Ginsburg is your mother-in-law. How involved was she in the creation of this
production and how does she feel about all of the public attention she has
received in the past two years with your work, a documentary on her life and a
feature film about her?
PATRICE MICHAELS: My integration into the Ginsburg family happened to
coincide with the “Notorious” tumblr site becoming a phenomenon. My
mother-in-law has taken it all with the equanimity we observe as a hallmark of
her persona. She often quips that she can’t imagine why so many people want a
photo with an old person, and she laughs heartily at the Kate McKinnon parody
on Saturday Night Live. The humor and lightheartedness is quite a
contrast to the very sober and challenging responsibilities born by RBG and her
colleagues. My efforts to create her musical portrait have, not surprisingly,
been a great opportunity for me to learn about my family-by-marriage, and have
brought us close together in a unique and wonderful way. I ask her a lot of questions!
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| Patrice Michaels |
STAY THIRSTY: After
all that you have done in memorializing and honoring the life of Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, what two thoughts do you want people to walk away with after seeing
your show?
PATRICE MICHAELS: I want two things: for the audience members to enjoy
an artistic experience that uplifts and entertains them; and, for each person
to feel reaffirmed that each one of us really can make a difference, as RBG so
magnificently demonstrates. We may not all have the aptitudes and opportunities
to effect law and social justice, but each of us can live by our values,
persevere in the face of extreme challenge, and contribute to the well-being of
those around us.
STAY THIRSTY: In
July 2019, your next work, Refuge, will debut at the Kennedy Center in
Washington, DC, for the Serenade Festival. What are the themes of this work and
how did it come about? How does your interest in strong, dynamic women and
their stories inform your choices for future projects?
PATRICE MICHAELS: Doreen Rao, the internationally renowned choral
conductor, heard Michelle and Dana performing some of THE LONG VIEW song cycle on a recital. She liked my musical style
and ability to set text and put my name forward for a commission for the
Serenade! international choral festival that happens every summer in
Washington. I was very honored and excited to be invited to write the closing
piece for their concert, and since the theme this year is “The Human Journey,”
Sara Teasedale’s wonderful, uplifting poem from 1917 seemed like a natural choice.
I added musical interjections in all the languages of the choirs, and I can’t
wait to meet them, hear their own repertoire, and hear them together in my
piece!
(Header and production photo credit: Larry Sandez; Album cover drawing of RBG credit: Tom Bachtell; Notorious RBG in Song trailer credit: Matthew Gilmore)
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