{"id":96711,"date":"2019-07-17T15:59:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T13:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/?p=96711"},"modified":"2019-10-17T11:51:22","modified_gmt":"2019-10-17T09:51:22","slug":"intervista-al-soprano-julia-bullock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/intervista-al-soprano-julia-bullock\/","title":{"rendered":"Intervista al soprano Julia Bullock"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">(Italian &amp; English version)<\/span><br \/>\nSecondo <i>The New Yorker<\/i>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.juliabullock.com\/\">Julia Bullock<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>\u00e8 \u201cuna musicista a cui piace stabilire le proprie regole\u201d, ma \u00e8 anche pi\u00f9 di questo: \u00e8 anche una voce influente in termini di consapevolezza sociale e attivismo. Abbiamo gi\u00e0 parlato di lei ad Aprile, ora \u00e8 il momento di sentire il suo punto di vista e di conoscerla meglio.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Lei parla di s\u00e9 come di una cantante classica, che \u00e8 cresciuta ascoltando tutti i generi di musica: jazz, blues, musica psichedelica e infine la musica classica. Tutti questi generi hanno influenzato il suo essere cantante? E se si, come?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Non mi interessa o preoccupa pi\u00f9 pensare alle differenze fra i vari generi musicali, perch\u00e9 ogni genere porta con s\u00e9 diversi stili, approcci e anche filosofie riguardanti come la musica dovrebbe essere composta, rappresentata e condivisa. E quando considero gli artisti all\u2019interno di un genere, ce ne sono alcuni con cui riesco a relazionarmi e che comprendo, altri con cui semplicemente questo non succede.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Perci\u00f2, non credo che il punto, nel mio caso, sia l\u2019influenza dei vari generi musicali, quanto l\u2019influenza che ogni singolo artista ha avuto su di me e perch\u00e9.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Un tratto comune che si pu\u00f2 identificare tra tutti i vari artisti<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>che mi hanno maggiormente influenzata \u00e8 la loro unicit\u00e0 (dal loro modo di scrivere o comporre alla loro vocalit\u00e0). Sono artisti che non cercano di emulare nessuno. Il loro modo di esprimersi sembra non subire interferenze (o almeno subirle molto limitatamente). Tuttavia sanno da dove vengono e sembrano trarre ispirazione da fonti diverse. Indipendentemente da come questi artisti siano stati catalogati in un genere, la loro individualit\u00e0, il coraggio e la determinazione con cui si assumono rischi e la dedizione alla loro arte \u00e8 ci\u00f2 a cui presto pi\u00f9 attenzione e che pi\u00f9 mi influenzano.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-96720\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-315x384.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-315x384.jpg 315w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-164x200.jpg 164w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-8x10.jpg 8w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-432x527.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-396x483.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4-180x220.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-4.jpg 656w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><\/a>Il suo repertorio \u00e8 molto eclettico: da Hernry Purcell a<\/b><b> John Adams, ai canti degli schiavi fino a recitals di vario tipo\u2026 come sceglie i ruoli da cantare?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Quando visiono le proposte che mi si presentano, faccio molta attenzione sia alla musica che dalle persone con cui lavorer\u00f2, perch\u00e9 l\u2019Arte non si fa da soli, \u00e8 uno sforzo condiviso e voglio trovare artisti dediti al propio lavoro. Ad<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"> esempio: quando sono stata contattata per lavorare con John Adams, mi sono preparata ascoltando alcuni dei suoi lavori, lasciandomi ispirare dalla musica, ma fu solo dopo aver chiacchierato a lungo con lui, dei pi\u00f9 svariati argomenti, che ho compreso meglio l\u2019importanza della sua musica e di quello\u00a0 che voleva comunicare. Devo dire che tutti i rapporti che attualmente ho con direttori d\u2019orchestra, compositori e scrittori hanno avuto inizio allo stesso modo. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Per quanto concerne il repertorio che affronto, penso sempre sia alla ricerca musicale che voglio portare avanti, ma anche al piacere che mi suscita la musica. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Per quanto riguarda, invece, la scelta di un ruolo, sono attratta da (e voglio dar vita a) personaggi vivi,\u00a0 consapevoli del loro contesto e che non hanno timore di dire la loro sull\u2019ambiente e le circostanze in cui vivono. Voglio imparare dai personaggi che interpreto e da ci\u00f2 che essi mi inducono a esplorare e rappresentare.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Anne&#039;s Aria (No Word from Tom) - The Rake&#039;s Progress - Igor Stravinsky\" width=\"940\" height=\"529\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dkbnOFCS7Mo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Qual \u00e8 il ruolo che le \u00e8 piaciuto cantare di pi\u00f9 finora? E c\u2019\u00e8 un ruolo che non vede l\u2019ora di cantare?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">La\u00a0 Kitty Oppenheimer in <i>Doctor Atomic <\/i>\u00e8 stato uno dei personaggi pi\u00f9 straordinari a cui ho dato voce \u2013 Kitty \u00e8 una donna complicata, brillante, astuta e impegnativa. John Adams ha infuso quelle caratteristiche nella sua vocalit\u00e0 e il testo di\u00a0 Muriel Rukeyser \u00e8 stata altrettanto eccitante da approfondire. Ho dovuto fare emergere i colori i emotivi della rabbia, della tristezza, della gioia e dell\u2019ottimismo;\u00a0 tutte\u00a0 emozioni\u00a0 intrecciate e mescolate tra loro, per cui andavano organizzate in maniera chiara nell\u2019interpretazione. \u00c8 stato difficile, ma meraviglioso e ha\u00a0 cambiato\u00a0 il modo in cui mi approccio a quello che canto. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Mi piacerebbe interpretare alcuni ruoli di Richard Strauss, ne ha tratteggiati di stupendi e immensamente complessi (Non so se avr\u00f2 l&#8217;opportunit\u00e0 di essere Salome, ma \u00e8 un ruolo che riesco a comprendere e al quale reagisco con estreme intensit\u00e0 e immediatezza.)<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Lei viene considerata una cantante emergente di primo piano, quasi una&#8221; star in ascesa&#8221;: \u00e8 apprezzata da critica e pubblico. Come si vive? Sente della pressione per questo?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Non mi considero una &#8220;star in ascesa&#8221;, perch\u00e9, portando avanti la metafora, alla fine una stella \u00e8 destinata a spegnersi \u2013 \u00e8 il suo ciclo vitale naturale. Cerco di non lasciarmi prendere dalla frenesia che circonda la mia carriera per concentrarmi, invece, sui miei obiettivi e sulle mie aspirazioni, continuando a crescere e a studiare. Cerco di mantenere i piedi per terra concentrandomi sul lavoro \u2013 e questo allegerisce le\u00a0 pressioni esterne.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-96717\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-512x341.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-290x193.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-10x7.jpg 10w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-432x288.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-396x264.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-660x440.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1-330x220.jpg 330w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-1.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a>Lei non sembra la consueta diva della lirica, tutta agghindata ed egocentrica; anzi, il suo impegno politico la fa risaltare e apprezzare dalla gente. Quale pensa sia il ruolo di un artista nella societ\u00e0 di oggi?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Il ruolo di un artista oggi \u00e8 quello di sempre: osservare e ascoltare il mondo circostante molto attentamente, interpretarlo, far proprie tali interpretazioni, per poi trovare un modo per condividerle, sforzandosi di illuminare quegli aspetti che altrimenti sarebbero stati ignorati. Si tratta di ricercare la chiarezza, la trasparenza, prendersi il tempo per coinvolgersi e riconoscersi reciprocamente. Prendo molto sul serio il mio essere una musicista, cos\u00ec come prendo molto seriamente ci\u00f2 che la musica pu\u00f2 darci. Devo anche ammettere che, ogni tanto, <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">amo &#8220;agghindarmi&#8221;! Non voglio certo cadere in stereotipi che potrebbero mettere in ombra la mia capacit\u00e0 di dar vita a quello che canto e interpreto. Il glamour\u00a0 non \u00e8 sempre ci\u00f2 che serve o ci\u00f2 che chiede il teatro.<br \/>\n<b>Lei sta per debuttare in una nuova opera jazz di Terence Blanchard,\u00a0 <\/b><i><strong>Fire Shut Up in My Bones<\/strong><\/i><b>: un altro ruolo nuovo e ceare uno standard di riferimento?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Ho avuto il piacere di aver preso parte a diverse prime assolute e ho molto amato\u00a0 il processo di creazione, soprattutto perch\u00e9 non avevo altro interprete di riferimento aldil\u00e0 di me stessa. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Mi piace davvero avere piena libert\u00e0 creativa di un ruolo, ma parlando di standard credo che ogni cantante che affronti un qualsiasi ruolo dovrebbe avere libert\u00e0 di espressione. Non c\u2019\u00e8 un modo giusto o unico di cantare qualcosa.\u00a0 Per me ha un&#8217;enorme importanza l&#8217;unione tra testo e\u00a0 musica che deve sempre essere\u00a0 coerente e comprensibile.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-96733\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-315x384.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-315x384.jpg 315w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-164x200.jpg 164w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-8x10.jpg 8w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-432x527.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-396x483.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig-180x220.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5850050_orig.jpg 656w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><\/a>Lei non \u00e8 nuova a cantare in opere di John Adams: dopo Kitty Oppenheimer, ha cantato Dame Shirley in <\/b><strong><i>Girls of the Golden West<\/i><\/strong><b>. Sembra sia attratta dai compositori contemporanei: riesce a relazionarsi con i loro lavori pi\u00f9 facilmente? Com\u2019\u00e8 dar vita a questi i ruoli?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Quando si parla di John Adams, non ho il tempo per preoccuparmi di come suono o di come vengo percepita. La vocalit\u00e0 \u00e8 complicata, quasi estrema al pari del testo. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Sembra che ultimamente le composizioni operistiche contemporanee traggano ispirazione direttamente dalla storia recente. L\u2019ispirazione viene tratta da racconti degli eventi narrati in prima persona. Le voci della storia messe in musica vengono sempre pi\u00f9 da fonti diversificate e io AMO dare il mio contributo a questo universo spesso e poco conosciuto.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Gli ultimi anni sono stati pieni di soddisfazioni personali per lei, come ad esempio essere un&#8217;artista residente al Met e al San Francisco Symphony. Cosa la attende nel prossimo futuro? Cosa possiamo aspettarci da Julia Bullock?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">All\u2019inizio, mi bastava essere una cantante che programmava le sue performance con cura e considerazione. Entrare a far parte di queste importanti istituzioni \u00e8 stata una sorpresa inattesa, ma l\u2019ho accolto favorevolmente perche mi permette di continuare a costruire, espandere e approfondire relazioni con le pi\u00f9 diverse personalit\u00e0 artistiche. Cosa mi posso aspettare o dare? &#8230;Penso sempre qualcosa di nuovo o stimolante. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-96718\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-512x346.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-512x346.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-290x196.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-768x519.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-10x7.jpg 10w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-432x292.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-396x267.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-660x446.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2-326x220.jpg 326w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-2.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Come si vede fra dieci anni, sia sul versante professionale che su quello personale?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Spero che la mia rete di amici, famigliari e relazioni in generale continui a crescere. Spero di raggiungere una sempre maggior sicurezza artitistica, ma anche nella vita. Sicuramente vorr\u00f2 trasmettere la mia esperienza a giovani artisti emergenti &#8211; dar loro un&#8217;opportunit\u00e0 di crescita e di espressione come \u00e8 stato fatto nei miei confronti.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Di quale ruolo o esibizione \u00e8 maggiormente orgogliosa finora? \u00c8 felice dei suoi sviluppi professionali e musicali, che sono cos\u00ec diversi da quelli di una normale cantante lirica?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Sono particolarmente orgogliosa di aver recentemente preso parte al\u00a0 <i>A Dream Deferred: Langston Hughes in Song,<\/i> che ha avuto luogo al Met Museum (2018\/19). Un bellissimo incontro tra la musica e la musica e la poesia di Hughes. Un coro femminile ha reso il tutto ancora pi\u00f9 speciale e il pubblico \u00e8 stato partecipe e ricettivo dall\u2019inizio alla fine. Un autentico scambio di energie, menti e cuori per tutti i presenti. Un\u2019esperienza meravigliosa \u2013 dalla genesi creativa fino all&#8217;esecuzione. Per me \u00e8 stata la conferma del mio essere artista. Non perdo di vista i miei interessi, con una certa volont\u00e0 di\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"> correre rischi. Forse ci\u00f2 che sto facendo non \u00e8 molto diverso dai risultati di una cantante lirica &#8220;media&#8221;, per cos\u00ec dire \u2013 ci\u00f2 che l\u2019arte e la carriera fondamentalmente richiedono credo sia lo stesso; \u00e8 il repertorio che pu\u00f2 avere delle sfumature diverse. I<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">n parole povere: sono sempre pi\u00f9 soddisfatta e felice del mia crescita come artistista e\u00a0 musicista.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">According to <i>The New Yorker<\/i>, Julia Bullock is \u201ca musician who delights in making her own rules\u201d, but she is more than that: she is also a prominent voice of social consciousness and activism. We already wrote about her in April, now it is time to hear directly from her and get to know her better.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>You talk about yourself as a classical singer, who grew up listening to all kinds of music: jazz, blues, psychedelic music and eventually classical music. Did all these musical genres influence your artistry? And if yes, how?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">I\u2019m no longer so interested or concerned thinking about the differentiation between genres of music, because within every genre there are several styles, approaches, and even philosophies around how the music should be composed, embodied and shared. And when I consider the performers themselves <i>within<\/i> a genre, there are those to whom I respond and relate, and others to whom I simply don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">So the influence of various genres maybe isn\u2019t so much the question that needs to be answered \u2013 I think it\u2019s really more about how I\u2019ve been influenced by specific performers and why.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">One identifiable commonality between the various performers who have most influenced me is that they each have unique voices (from their songwriting or composing to their vocalism). They aren\u2019t trying to emulate anyone else\u2019s approach. Their expression seems to come from a place of no (or at least very limited) interference. They do, however, know their musical lineage, and seem to draw inspiration from a lot of sources. Regardless of how these performers have been categorized or assigned to a particular genre, their individuality, their bold and unrelenting risk-taking, and commitment to their craft is what I pay most attention to, and what has most influenced me.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-96719\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-277x384.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"277\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-277x384.jpg 277w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-145x200.jpg 145w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-7x10.jpg 7w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-432x598.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-396x548.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3-159x220.jpg 159w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/bullock-3.jpg 578w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px\" \/><\/a>Your repertoire is very eclectic, going from classics like Mozart\u2019s <\/b><strong><i>Le Nozze di Figaro<\/i><\/strong><b> to modern, new compositions like <\/b><strong><i>Doctor Atomic<\/i><\/strong><b> by John Adams, to slave songs and recitals of various kinds\u2026 how do you choose the roles to sing?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">When selecting material, my choices are both about the music itself and the people with whom I will make it because we don\u2019t make art alone, it is a shared endeavor, and I want to be in rooms with people who are conscious and committed to their work.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">For example: when I was asked to audition for John Adams, I listened to three or four of his major works beforehand, and was inspired by the music, but it was only after I had a long chat with him where we discussed \u00a0each other\u2019s work, the music we enjoyed, and issues going on in the world that I felt comfortable and better able to understand the importance of his music, and the messages he was aiming to communicate. And I\u2019d say that all of my ongoing relationships with directors, composers, and writers have begun similarly.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">In terms of my selections of recital repertoire or new works that I commission, sometimes it is based on research that I want to do, and explorations surrounding my identity, and other times it\u2019s just based on my love for and delight in the material itself.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">For role selection: I am drawn to characters (and want to create characters) who are independent thinkers, \u00a0hyper-aware of their surroundings, and unafraid to comment upon the environment and circumstances in which they live. I want to learn from the characters I play, and what they ask me to explore and expose.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Which is the role you\u2019ve liked singing the most so far? And Is there a role you look forward to singing?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The role of Kitty Oppenheimer in <i>Doctor Atomic <\/i>has been one of the most extraordinary characters to give my voice to \u2013 Kitty is complicated, bright, astute and challenging. John wrote those characteristics into her material, and the poetry by Muriel Rukeyser was equally as exciting to delve into deeply. I had to unleash strong, primary emotional colors of anger, sadness, joy and optimism; yet they are all intertwined, intermingled, so everything had to be clearly organized in the delivery. It was a difficult but awesome task and has since impacted how I approach everything else that I sing.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">I would like to sing one or more of the characters in Strauss\u2019 operas because he wrote immensely complex women and laid it out explicitly in the music. (I don\u2019t think anyone would hire me to sing Salome at this point, if ever, but I respond and relate to his writing for her in the most intense and immediate way.)<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gas_aMAsIuU\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>You are considered to be a very interesting emerging singer, almost like a star in the making: you are appreciated by both critics and audiences. How does it feel? Does this put any pressure on you?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">I don\u2019t really like being referred to as a rising star, or taking that metaphor on, because a star will eventually burn out \u2013 that\u2019s its natural life cycle. I try not to be consumed by the hype around my career and just focus on my goals and aspirations as I continue to grow and learn. I try to ground myself in the work ahead of me \u2013 and focusing on the work itself alleviates the external pressure.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>You don\u2019t seem to be the ordinary opera diva, all dolled up, glamorous and self-centered; on the other hand, your political engagement and activism make you stand out and gain people\u2019s appreciation. What do you think is the role of an artist in today\u2019s society?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The role of an artist today is the same as it has always been: look and listen to the world around very closely, interpret it, internalize those interpretations, and find a way to then share it, in an effort to illuminate those things that might have otherwise been ignored. It\u2019s all about finding clarity, transparency, taking the time to engage with each other and recognize each other. I take my job as a musician seriously, and what the medium of music can teach us <i>very <\/i>seriously. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">And for the record: I do like to get dolled up every once in a while! But I don\u2019t want to play into some projection of a classical singer or any other type of performer that would swamp my ability to embody the material and deliver it. The glamorous persona of an opera diva isn\u2019t always the persona that\u2019s needed, or that the repertoire calls for.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-96734\" src=\"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-256x384.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"256\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-256x384.jpg 256w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-134x200.jpg 134w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-7x10.jpg 7w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-432x647.jpg 432w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-396x593.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig-147x220.jpg 147w, https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dsc01215-armory-headshot_1_orig.jpg 534w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><\/a>You are about to debut in a new jazz opera by Terence Blanchard entitled <\/b><strong><i>Fire Shut Up in My Bones<\/i><\/strong><b>: how does it feel to be the first one to sing a certain role and kind of set the standard for it?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">I have originated and premiered several new works and I greatly enjoy the process of doing that, especially since no one\u2019s voice is in my head other than my own.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">I really enjoy having full liberty to create a role, but in terms of setting a standard, I think any singer who takes on any role should be given the freedom to find their own way of expressing the material that will make it radiate and resound. There is no right way or single way to sing <i>anything<\/i>. It just depends on the aesthetic. (And of course, you want to do it safely.) But the standard I want to set, if any at all, is one that prioritizes the importance of the words, the music, and the message of what they\u2019re communicating above all else. The material must be coherent and comprehensible.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>You\u2019re not new to singing roles composed by John Adams: after Kitty Oppenheimer, you sang Dame Shirley in <\/b><strong><i>Girls of the Golden West<\/i><\/strong><b>. It seems you have a certain penchant for contemporary composers: do you relate to their works more easily? What is it like bringing to life the roles John Adams wrote, both vocally and dramatically?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">In terms of John Adams, there\u2019s no time to preoccupy myself with how I sound or am being perceived. The vocalism is too complicated, difficult, and extreme, and the lyrics are too important.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">It seems that more recently the contemporary works being written for opera in particular are coming directly from not-so-distant history. Inspiration is being pulled from firsthand accounts of events. The voices of history being set to music are now coming from more and more diverse source material, and I LOVE contributing my voice to tell those lesser-known stories. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/buhTxGEWnL4\">http:\/\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/buhTxGEWnL4<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>The last few years have been full of professional satisfactions, for example being a resident artist at the Met \u00a0and the San Francisco Symphony. What\u2019s in store for you in the near future? What can we expect from Julia Bullock?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Initially, I was happy just being a vocalist who programmed her own performances with care and consideration. This additional role as a curator has been unexpected, but I welcome it, because it allows me to continue building, expanding and deepening relationships with performers, presenters, and collaborators from various art mediums. What to expect? I think just more of that.<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pacq0kgWuh0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>How do you see yourself in 10 years from now, both professionally and personally?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">I hope my network of friends, family and relationships in general continues to increase. I want to feel more at ease with things as they are brought to my attention, and not hesitate so much, in general. I also want to be available to up-and-coming artists \u2013 give them room to grow and express like I have been given.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><b>Which role or performance are you most proud of so far? Are you happy with your professional and musical development, that is so different from average opera singers?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">The performance I am most proud of in this 2018-19 season is <i>A Dream Deferred: Langston Hughes in Song,<\/i> which took place at the Met Museum. Each solo artist was amazingly generous in their music making, and in their readings of Hughes\u2019 poetry. The chorus of some 60 young women made it all the more special, and the audience was present and receptive from beginning to end. It felt like an exchange of energy and minds and hearts for all who were present. It was just a really wonderful experience \u2013 from the process of preparation through the performance itself. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">My work thus far has been determined by what has been offered, and by my interests and my willingness to take risks. When I view my work through that lens, what I am doing is not so different from the \u201caverage\u201d pursuits of other classical singers \u2013 the core fundamental demands of the craft and career are the same; the repertoire might just be a bit different.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">So, simply put: yes, I am becoming increasingly more satisfied and happy with my development as a musician. <em>Photos by\u00a0<\/em><\/span><em><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Dario Acosta, Christian Steiner, Kevin Yatarola.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Italian &amp; English version) Secondo The New Yorker, Julia Bullock \u00e8 \u201cuna musicista a cui piace stabilire le [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":96712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[3559,22770,9354,23331,80,18948,22771],"class_list":["post-96711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-senza-categoria","category-interviste","tag-doctor-atomic","tag-fire-shut-up-in-my-bones","tag-foreign-readers","tag-girls-of-the-golden-west","tag-john-adams","tag-julia-bullock","tag-terence-blanchard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96732,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96711\/revisions\/96732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}