Meet the Guest Artist: Q&A with Mezzo-Soprano Anastasiia Sidorova (Voice '22)
Anastasiia Sidorova (Voice ’22), from St. Petersburg, Russia, stars as Polinesso in Curtis Opera Theatre’s production of George Frideric Handel’s Ariodante. The Curtis alumna graduated in 2022 and had studied in the opera program with Patricia McCaffrey, adjunct faculty. All students at Curtis receive merit-based, full-tuition scholarships, and Ms. Sidorova was the Curtis Institute of Music Friends Board Annual Fellow.
What have you found to be the most challenging or interesting aspect(s) of learning the role of Polinesso, and what do you enjoy the most about performing trouser roles?
The most interesting part was finding the right approach and vocal colors to portray Polinesso, who is villainous yet a human being. Being malicious on stage is not very hard; the hard part is telling the story of “how” and “why” they got to this point of manipulating and hurting everyone around them to get their way. I believe every villain has insecurities and unresolved trauma that result in, most of the time, destroying other people, and in that sense, Polinesso is quite a relevant character.
The most challenging yet rewarding aspect has been finding freedom of sound that allows musical gestures to take over rather than being worried about producing perfect “notes.” I love singing Handel; when you sing coloratura the right way, it feels very healing for the voice, but agility doesn’t come naturally to me; it took a lot of work of “letting go” of unnecessary tension to allow my voice to move fast.
What I enjoy about trouser roles is what I love about being an opera singer/actor in general: we get to experience the lives of so many people. When I work on trouser roles, I love to dig into my masculine side, and I try to do ordinary things even outside of the rehearsal room from a more masculine standpoint. Being a young man for a couple of months is a lot of fun.
Now that you have graduated from Curtis when you look back on your time here at the school, what have been some of your most memorable moments?
Learning from my classmates and taking risks together in seminars and on stage have been very special at Curtis. I remember how exciting it was watching your peers making so much progress in one performance seminar. In general, I had a lot of memorable experiences at Curtis, but the one I think about the most was Curtis on Tour with Mikael Eliasen and Miloš Repický.
What’s next for you, and what roles do you hope to perform in the years to come?
Right after the last performance of Ariodante, I am going to Germany for some auditions in Dresden, Berlin, and Leipzig. After that, I look forward to performing with the Russian Chamber Art Society in the fall and the 19th Water Island Music Festival in St. Thomas in the winter and returning to my amazing voice students at Crestwood Music Education Center in New York.
One day I hope to perform Isabella in Gioachino Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri and Dalila in Camille Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila.
Visit Anastasiia Sidorova’s official website HERE.
CURTIS OPERA THEATRE: ARIODANTE
Music: George Frideric Handel
Libretto: unknown, anonymously adapted from Antonio Salvi’s Ginevra principessa di Scozia, based upon Ariosto’s Orlando furioso.
Featuring members of Tempesta di Mare, orchestra
Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 5, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 7, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad Street
Click HERE for more information.
Single tickets: $19–55, sold by the Kimmel Cultural Campus Box Office at KimmelCulturalCampus.org, or (215) 893-1999.
The Curtis Opera Theatre is generously supported by the Ernestine Bacon Cairns Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.
Photos of Anastasiia Sidorovaby courtesy of artist’s official website.