Role of Krystina in Pasażerka, composer : Mieczysław Weinberg

The thesis for the Master of Music degree in Opera consists of the performance of a major role in one full opera production in the first or second year. My major role in one full opera production was Krystina performed in Pasażerka on January 30th and February 1st, 2020. Mieczysław Weinberg’s Pasażerka was composed in 1968, however, the opera was not performed until the 21st century, due to censorship in the Soviet Union. University of British Columbia’s production of Pasażerka was the Canadian premiere of the piece, and was performed as a component of UBC’s Symposium Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Berkinau. Krystina is a Polish prisoner in Auschwitz during World War II. Preparation for the role of “Krystina” began in November 2019 with translating the entirety of the score – no small feat, considering the libretto for this piece is in Russian, Polish, German, Yiddish, French, English, and Czech. Multiple diction coachings were required as I had no prior experience speaking or reading Polish and was only slightly more familiar with the Russian language. In addition, Weinberg’s harmonic and melodic language is complex and dark, with unpredictable rhythmic changes and folk song-inspired modalities. The opera required hours of staging with director Nancy Hermiston. I worked very hard to give Krystina an emotional depth and history that went beyond what was on the page to really pay tribute to this horrible historical event. This was undeniably the most demanding piece I have ever been a part of and required many hours of work on text, music, and staging.Arts, Faculty ofMusic, School ofGraduat