Over the past several years, opera lovers in Salt Lake City have been able to see Utah native Celena Shafer in several productions with Utah Opera. But until now, the young soprano has yet to perform a full-length recital in her home state.
That will finally change when Shafer takes the stage in Libby Gardner Concert Hall on Tuesday evening.
During a telephone interview, Shafer said she had just arrived in New York City to sing Mozart's "Coronation" Mass with the New York Philharmonic under its music director Lorin Maazel. But she added that she's looking forward to returning home for her local recital debut. "This is my first large recital in Salt Lake. I've done small things before, but nothing as big as this."
Shafer hasn't done too many recitals up to now in her professional career but said she relishes the opportunity whenever it arises. "Recitals are more intimate than opera, and the music is more intimate. But they're also more emotionally exposing."
It's much easier singing opera, she said. "In opera, you hide behind a set and costume. And you have the orchestra pit that divides you from the audience. No such barrier exists in a recital hall, however. You almost feel naked. But it's a good naked."
On Tuesday's program, Shafer will sing Debussy's "Ariettes oubliees" and Schoenberg's early (and romantic) "Four Songs," op. 2, as well as arias by Mozart, and songs by both George Gershwin and English composer Roger Quilter.
The recital includes pieces Shafer sang while a student at the University of Utah. Her repertoire back then included some of Quilter's numerous settings of Shakespeare's texts. "I discovered his music through my first teacher, JoAnn Ottley."
It's been an eye-opener revisiting some of her early repertoire, she said. "It's been really interesting coming back to them so many years later. I can feel how different I've become technically and emotionally. I feel like I've grown a bit and become more worldly wise."
That Shafer has become more worldly and wiser shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has followed her career. After graduating from the U., Shafer became an apprentice artist at the Santa Fe Opera in 1999 and 2000, and she returns there almost yearly.
Besides the New York Philharmonic, Shafer has sung with a number of leading American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, with whom she made her Carnegie Hall debut. Shafer has also sung with the Washington Concert Opera, the Los Angeles Opera and the Welsh National Opera.
But despite this impressive background, Shafer admits she is excited about having the opportunity once again to sing for a hometown audience. (Most recently, she sang Lisette last month in Utah Opera's production of Puccini's "La Rondine.") "I really enjoy performing for my friends and family," she said, adding that, in a way, it's easier. "I walk into a room, and I know I have a friendly audience right away."
Still, there are some drawbacks. "On the other side, my expectation goes up. I want to do so well, because I have so much invested in it emotionally. I want to do well wherever I sing, of course, but it's different when I sing locally. I want to give everyone something they can take home with them."
Despite her increasing performance schedule, Shafer has so far refused to even consider moving to New York. She still makes her home along the Wasatch Front and is quite happy about it. "I look at it this way. I can either pay the high cost of living in New York and be away from family and friends, or I can pay the cost to travel to New York for auditions and performances and be with my family. And family support is important to me."
Another reason that makes living in Utah tolerable is the high level of musical talent found here. "We have just as much talent here as elsewhere. We have people here like Jeffrey Price (her accompanist for Tuesday's recital). He is a great friend and support and coach. He is one of the reasons I can live in Utah. With people of his caliber to work with, you don't need to live elsewhere."
If you go . . .
What: Celena Shafer, soprano; Jeffrey Price, piano
Where: Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $25
Phone: 581-7100
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com