World Opera Day 2021: We Did It Our Way
A #360ofOpera interview with Elly Kace, Jay Dref, & John Riesen, written by Yutong Yang.
From Josh Groban’s “Anthem” to Andrea Bocelli and Ed Sheeran’s duet “Perfect Symphony” with 370M hits on YouTube, classical crossover captivates and thrills us with the power and lyricism of “legit” singing, blended with the passion and fun of popular music genres. Ever since artists like Il Volo and David Garrett started to gain traction, we’ve been contemplating alternative routes for classically-trained vocalists and instrumentalists.
For this year’s World Opera Day, we’re celebrating the value of our beloved art form through stories and insights from soprano Elly Kace, baritone Jay Dref, and tenor John Riesen. They’re all at different places on the classical-pop spectrum; furthermore, they may approach various genres with more liberty, and not even juxtapose them as ends of a spectrum, but rather raw materials to experiment and play with. But first, I’m curious —
1. Have you always wanted to study classical voice? What was your training like? Why did you decide to pursue a crossover / hybrid career? Please tell us a bit about your original story.
Elly: My journey has been pretty winding! I started my love of opera when I was twelve and sang in the children's chorus at Lyric Opera of Chicago with THE Renée Fleming singing Desdemona in Otello. Talk about being spoiled young. I wanted to be capable of the magic she was able to offer people. I also wanted to be Elphaba in Wicked, Jewel, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, and Christina Agulera (I have always sung in all styles and loved every one of them). To be totally honest — when it came time to go to college, I got the most scholarship money for opera, so I let that guide me — and I am so glad I did. When you can sing classically, so much more becomes possible in your technique. I actually didn’t really decide to pursue a crossover career — I just started writing when the pandemic started. I had no intention of my music being crossover music … but crossover audiences seem to enjoy it, which is nice! Writing took me back to my many loves — all those vocal styles — and reminded me that music is about the heart more than anything else. No matter the genre.
Jay: From a very young age I always knew I wanted to be a performer. Who knew I would end up studying classical voice. My passion for music and performing was first ignited while listening to classical music — particularly by composers like Mozart and Puccini. I watched the Three Tenors PBS concerts, The Lawrence Welk Show and other variety specials on television. I participated in local community theatre and choir, where I started to develop my stage presence. I then began studying classical music at the Eastman School of Music, where I received the Allen Award for Best Vocalist. That same year, I received the Young Musicians Award from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Committed to becoming a professional artist, I auditioned for the prestigious Juilliard School and was awarded a full scholarship. Studying classical voice at Juilliard was an incredible experience for me. There was always a ton of music, dancing and acting going on in the hallways of that wonderful building right in the heart of Lincoln Center. It was never a quiet place and definitely never a boring place either. There was always something going on that influenced me and added to my creativity. It was a place where I was always able to find some sort of inspiration. The training I received from some of the best teachers and the atmosphere really molded me as a singer and prepared me for a career in the performing arts. I look back at my time there and am glad to have been surrounded by so many motivated, competitive and talented people! After I graduated I decided to take a different route with my singing. I had been listening to classical crossover giants like Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion and loved what they were doing. I then began recording a lot of music which is something I had never really done before. I immediately fell in love with it. I felt at home in the recording studio and knew this was something I needed to pursue. I also wanted to sing music that appealed to a wider audience of listeners. The crossover genre is a growing art form and I’m so glad to be a part of it.
John: My path has been a bit unique, too. I was first and foremost a high-level baseball player. It was my passion growing up and I received Academic All-State and All-Region awards for my pitching in high school. It wasn’t until college that I discovered my operatic voice and began studying with a Metropolitan Opera tenor named Richard Fracker at Michigan State University (where I’d hoped to play baseball). Life changed a lot upon working with him. I fell in love with singing, opera, the stage and began chasing a new dream. I’ve always thought that my stamina, stage presence, composure and many other “singer-skills” came from my time on the mound pitching. After college, I began performing around the country at operatic companies. After a few years I was encouraged to begin to sing some Classical Musical Theatre, and the journey towards crossover began. I eventually made my debut at the Lincoln Center as the voice of Tony in West Side Story Suite with the NYC Ballet and I was hooked. I started doing BOTH opera and crossover. In 2020, when Covid took me off of stages, I began recording more and more, and found I could communicate with a whole new world of listeners, and in a new intimate way. The rest is history, as they say!
2. How would you define “classical crossover”?
Elly: I am a horrible person to ask! For me, music is based in intentionality — so I rarely know what to call things. I just released a dark trip hop song and have people saying it’s part classical crossover! In the past, I used to see classical crossover as somewhat cheesy (to me this is a good thing) opera-ish music — but now … I really think it means anything we want it to mean. I am excited to continue to push the boundaries of what we think it is as I continue to write and create original music.
Jay: That’s a really good question! I would define classical crossover as something that puts together two genres in order to gain more appeal to larger audiences. Usually an artist in this genre has been trained to sing classically, but they tend to sing more well known pop music to get the attention of more listeners. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with songwriters in the genre who have worked with both classical singers and pop singers. They all agree that classical crossover is “hot” right now!
John: To me, Classical Crossover is the catch-all genre for when a classically trained voice or instrumentalist begins to play with the boundaries of the genre. Combining elements of pop, jazz, Broadway, and opera in songs or singing a famous classical tune with a twist. It’s not a clearly defined genre for me, because it encapsulates so much breadth of music.
3. What’s the most special thing about your voice, or your artistry in general? Is there a common theme in songs that particularly intrigues you? How have you highlighted this quality / theme in your music up till now?
Elly: Oh wow — I struggle to comment on my own work. Instead — I can talk about what I aspire to. I have been the most moved and changed by artists with integrity and authenticity at the forefront of their work. It is a rare quality. Whenever I sing, whenever I write, when I hold production meetings — I am endeavoring to hold space and presence with the people I am creating with or for. I am working to be as vulnerable as I can and share myself without pretense. It is very challenging and I am rarely successful, but I like to think my trying matters. Or maybe it doesn’t — that’s not really my business. My business is that I am working to BE with people and myself and sing from there. Whatever comes from that, I work hard to trust.
Jay: That’s another really great question. I do know what kind of music I’m attracted to and what songs fit my voice best. I’ve had the opportunity to record some original songs and each one has a common theme that my voice is able to portray. Mostly songs that people can immediately relate to and have a special connection with. I want to take my listeners on a journey while I’m singing. I think the intimacy of my voice is what really has an effect on people when I perform. This is one of the reasons why I decided not to sing opera anymore. I was once told the intensity of your voice does not come from a loud place, but from an intimate place that’s even more powerful. I’m also one of those guys who wears his heart on his sleeve in life and now in my music. It’s when you lay it all out there completely exposed that really captivates an audience. The simplicity of a song can also make it very special.
John: I find that people have always found the power and stamina of my voice to be an outstanding trait. From the very beginning of my training, I could sing incredibly powerfully for hours on end, and along with that I could project my emotions along with the voice. I suppose that is what led me first to opera — the larger-than-life scale of the art. I’ve learned so much in my recordings, and with crossover — how to use my voice delicately to communicate, but it’s definitely a part of me to bare my soul and just belt it out.
4. Please tell us about a unique performance in your career. What made it so special for you?
Elly: I had an incredible experience just before the pandemic performing with the visionary artist Theaster Gates. A group of vocalists from all styles came together for an improvised performance with his group The Black Monks in the Haus der Kunst museum in Munich. We spent 8 to 10 hours a day actively listening to each other and creating music in the moment from a place of radical honesty culminating with a 2 hour event with the public. I had never improvised in front of an audience before and the experience was life-changing. Theaster cultivated a space where you were safest as your whole self — a space of focus and drive — and a space of catharsis. I was a changed artist and person after those three days. It made me listen differently.
Jay: Oh gosh! I have had so many! It’s not really a specific performance I’ve had, but I think one amazing opportunity I had that really stands out is when I traveled to Napa Valley, California to sing in this festival called “Live In The Vineyard.” It was pretty much a gathering of some of the best singers from all over the country. We all sang for each other while we hung out and drank lots of wine! I was also performing alongside artists like Adam Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Kelsea Ballerini, Natasha Bedingfield, Maren Morris and Jewel. Jewel actually came up to me and told me she loved my voice. I almost fainted!
John: I have several … It’s hard to choose! On a short note, I got to play the dream role of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast which was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life … 6 year old John would have been thrilled! I think my Lincoln Center debut as Tony was pretty monumental for me, too. It was my first major NYC gig and thousands of people were watching. It just felt like I made it finally, if that makes sense!
5. What are your favorite influences / inspirations when you write songs?
Elly: I feel influenced by every moment of my day to be honest. Sometimes I will be inspired by something I hear in the bodega near my house, or from my yoga teacher, or in the park taking a walk. I am always, always coming back to Puccini, Verdi, and Mozart — the way they tell a story with music is so nuanced and graceful. I am also deeply inspired by experimental artists like serpentwithfeet, Ted Hearne and Björk. Ancient texts like the Tao Te Ching and newer texts like A New Earth (Tolle) light a fire within me. Clarissa Pinkola Estés has pulled me from frozen places more times than I can count. adrienne maree brown is changing my life one word at a time. Artists creating from a space of creating a new language for feelings and the human experience are the root of a lot of my inspiration.
Jay: I’m always listening to music, like nonstop. Always listening to see what’s fresh and what’s new as well as what’s popular at the moment. Songwriters value creativity and always wanna write something that’s new and exciting. I’m fairly new to songwriting. It’s something I found out I had a knack for when the pandemic started. I bought a keyboard and just started playing. In the past I’ve had the chance to collaborate on original songs with some of the greatest songwriters in the industry. I spent some time out in California at Stephan Moccio’s recording studio where we, along with songwriter Lauren Christy, recorded two songs together. This was my first experience with original music so I had nothing to compare to. Being the first singer of a song is absolutely incredible. It means you can do whatever you want with it because it’s all yours. How I collaborated with Stephan and Lauren in particular was pretty awesome. The day I got to the studio we just played around at the piano figuring out keys and stuff. Then we went through the lyrics and I came up with my own story for the song. I then got into the booth and the rest is history. I’m not sure it usually happens this way but when it comes to a brand new song like this one you just know. It was magic. Be sure to check out my single “Taxi in the Rain” now on Spotify and Apple Music!
John: It’s an interesting question. I am the kind of singer who can help guide an idea from the side while letting the songwriter or composer work their magic. Maybe I’ll give a few examples of songs that hit me deeply, or fit me but mostly I let them work and just enjoy the results.
6. How did you adapt during COVID? And what’s next?
Elly: Well, I accidentally pivoted into a new place where writing and making new sound worlds is an important path for me in addition to interpreting. If you asked me in 2019, when I was leaving for my European audition tour (that never happened), if I would write and sing a “pop” album … I would not believe you. Yet, here I am. I have no idea what is coming next, but I will say I have a new commitment to listening to my creative sensibilities that I feel very protective of. I have a new interest in empowering others. I have a new obsession with discovering who I really am, and sharing it as I go.
Jay: It’s been a very hard time for all of us artists during this pandemic and many of us have had to take a moment to reassess. I for one had been living in New York City for over 12 years and decided to move back to my hometown. I can say it was probably one of the greatest decisions of my life. As far as adapting I began collaborating with a bunch of different artists virtually from all over the world for concerts / recordings / interviews etc … I never would’ve thought that doing things through a computer screen would further my career as much as it’s done. I also met my now good friend Mr. John Riesen through all of this and we have an incredible duet out now with lots more to come! Now that things are starting to get back to normal I’m finally booking live shows again which is very exciting!
John: I turned first to recording music, and to growing the largest classical crossover, Broadway, and operatic ecosystem on the Spotify platform. We have over 50,000 active listeners now in our playlists and are growing rapidly. My wife and I started a classical and crossover production company and label for artists called Emitha LLC, and it’s become our new passion for the industry. A one-stop shop for an industry that’s never had that. We can help an artist get recordings, promo, music videos, websites, branding, photography … everything, and we don’t take royalties, ownership, or ANY free THING from the artist. We just want to help. It’s been game-changing during Covid, that’s for sure!
7. Please share a fun fact that people should know about you :)
Elly: Fun embarrassing or fun fun? I am such a masochist — I am going to GO for it! Fun embarrassing … I spend most of my time in pajamas now. And to keep myself feeling fancy and cute while I write I bought these AMAZING shiny silver booty shorts that I wear around the house. Non embarrassing fun … my artist name “Elly Kace” comes from my late papa “Johnny Kace” who was a professional wrestler on TV in the 50s — André the Giant was a guest at my parents’ wedding! You can find his stuff on youtube. My nana’s house is full of photos of him in leopard print speedos with a handlebar mustache — maybe that’s why I like my shiny shorts ;).
Jay: I guess a fun fact about me especially around this time of year is my love for scary movies! My favorite holiday is Halloween and I go all out, costumes and all! We have special themed movie nights at home where I’ll be in the kitchen preparing something to eat that goes along with what we’re watching that night. I’m also a huge Tim Burton fan and would love to sing in one of his movies someday!
John: A fun fact about me, is that I have had major plastic surgery on my face! It was not by choice, but still — most people are shocked to hear it. When I was younger I was hit in the face (BY ACCIDENT!) by a golf club that had a jagged edge. It caused me to need major facial reconstruction and many many stitches. I was told I had a face cast for 9 months and had to write everything I wanted to say down! However, the doctor who did the surgery was visiting giving lectures on aging lines in children and heard that a child needed help and did the whole thing as an example for the other doctors. He did a dang good job considering most people have never noticed the large scar on my face!
Hopefully, these fresh perspectives from three of classical crossover’s most exciting talents will help us embrace the ever-changing future with more freedom and intentionality.
As life happens and technology develops, there is no saying where we may all be professionally and personally six months from here. But the spirit and style of Georges Bizet and Johann Strauss II, whose birthdays we celebrate today, are still very much alive. The human race is concerned with a lot of the same topics — love, war, death, (re)birth … — and the sentiments invoked when we listen to a fellow human sing keep us connected to each other.
- Yutong Yang
Photo Credits: Elly Kace ( by Trina Merry ), Jay Dref ( by Raul J. Marrero & Don Burns), John Riesen ( by Gillian Riesen / Emitha Studios)
Bios
Elly Kace’s musical life so far has been defined by ceaseless curiosity and passion. Already an established and acclaimed opera singer, her winding and award winning career has found her performing across the world. But with her latest solo album Nothing I see means anything, Kace breaks free from the traditions of the disciplines she’s spent her life studying for something boundary-pushing and danceable. It’s a pop album for the seekers inspired by Björk, Kate Bush, and Lady Gaga. It finds catharsis in the journey and acceptance in not having all the answers, a reflection of her equally fierce love for yoga. The songs on the album are as open and as full of life as Kace.
Jay Dref is a Juilliard trained and award winning classical crossover singer. He has been a featured soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and has given numerous recitals at Lincoln Center. He has also performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, The Amphitheater at the Chautauqua Institution, The Fireside Theatre, The Burchfield Penney Art Center, The Buffalo Club, Bittersweet Piano Lounge at the Lafayette Hotel, West Falls Center for the Arts, The Delancey, The Bitter End and was a featured artist at “Live in the Vineyard” in Napa Valley, CA. His voice has been heard regularly on both television and radio on ABC Channel 7, the TCT Network, The Celebrity Page and VH1 as well as on Buffalo’s classical music station 94.5 WNED, OWWR Long Island, The Weekend with Ed Kalegi, and the Jim Brickman Show. His Christmas single “A Wish on Christmas Day” streamed over 500,000 times on national retail radio. Jay spent some time out in LA where he worked in the studio with academy award and Grammy nominated Songwriters Stephan Moccio and Lauren Christy (Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Sarah Brightman, The Weeknd, Avril Lavigne, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus) who together wrote his debut single “Taxi in the Rain.” He recently was awarded the very first Enrico Caruso Video Award and will travel to Italy to perform early next year. You can find all of Jay’s music on Apple Music and Spotify.
Hailed as “every inch the hero in stature and voice” (Classical Voice North America), award-winning American tenor John Riesen is consistently impressing audiences with his "impassioned...and vibrant" voice (Opera Today). Riesen’s growing career boasts a variety of roles in which he excels and includes significant work in opera, musical theatre, studio recording and concert. He has released two studio recording albums: What You’d Call a Dream (2019) and Christmas at Home (2020), and several singles including, “Autumn Leaves (2021)” “What a Wonderful World (2021)” and “Maria (from "West Side Story") (2021)” that have reached over 1 million streams on Spotify. He has also collaborated with Emmy-nominated PBS TV pianist Marina Arsenijevic in both video performance (during COVID-19) and in studio recordings. John is an avid athlete, and is playing AA baseball this summer and is sponsored by Nokona Leather.