Jenna Clark performing Orlofsky from Die Fledermaus at the Lamont School of Music in 2017.
Jenna Clark will be making her debut with Boulder Opera Company this December by performing The Child in The Child and The Spells (L’enfant et les sortilèges) at the Dairy Arts Center. Jenna is an energetic, dynamic, and talented singer who we are ecstatic to have joining our team for our Family Series production! You won’t want to miss this fun Opera that is perfect for kids (and the young at heart)!
BOULDER OPERA: Can you tell me more about your career in the performing arts and why you decided to get involved with Boulder Opera Company?
JENNA: As of last year I transitioned to be a fully self employed musician. I have been teaching private voice lessons for 7 years and continue to do so now while performing in the Denver area. I graduated with a dual concentration Masters degree in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Denver and am leaning more heavily on the performance part of my career right now. I am the first person to pursue a career in the performing arts in my family so I am learning a lot and trying to build a sustainable life in the arts. It has been challenging, but I am the happiest when I am on stage and the people I have met in this field are some of the coolest, bravest people I know. I have never worked with Boulder Opera Company before and am thrilled to make my debut with L'enfant! It's a role I've always wanted to sing, I just love the music, story, and characters so much. I have many colleagues who work with Boulder Opera so I'm happy to be singing alongside friends.
BOC: In your opinion, what about The Child and The Spells (L’enfant et les sortilèges) makes it a great show for children & families?
JENNA: Well, first of all - it's only 45 minutes! Definitely a doable length as far as Operas go. L'enfant is one of those shows that is just as captivating to adults as it is to children. It sort of has something for every person - musically it's extremely exciting, interesting and complex, but the magical and somewhat sober silliness of the characters is what really carries the show. The protagonist of the story, L'enfant, is probably about the age of many kids who will be attending. In fact, the librettist specifically wanted to tell a story from a child's perspective with all the drama, fears, joys, and fantasies in his young life; Ravel musically tells that story so well. When we were young, some of the things that now seem small to us as adults, seemed so big and bad - not wanting to do our homework, feeling a lack of independence, being scared of the dark, monsters, being separated from our trusted adults. L'enfant experiences a variety of big emotions that kids will understand even if they don't know the language! Despite the joy of its magical elements, there is also a darker undercurrent to this story. The somewhat dark chaos that we see the young child navigate through is the chaos that many felt during the time of this opera's conception, shortly following WWI. Every adult feels a little bit like a child sometimes, and we all just want an answer to the uncertainties of life. This opera explores those questions in a way that every age can understand and I think that's just amazing.
Jenna singing Armelinde in Loveland Opera Theater’s 2021 production of Viardot’s Cendrillon. (Photo by Colleen Lee Photography)
BOC: What has been your favorite show to be a part of? Or what is one memory in your career that is very important to you?
JENNA: My very first big opera role was Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte at the University of Denver in 2016 and that's an experience I'll never forget, namely because I was awful at flirting and Dorabella taught me how!! It was my first time having to sit down with a big score and write in all the cuts & translations, sing dry recit, memorize a lot of Italian, and have the vocal stamina to sing a 3 hour opera. I remember it being so hard and thrilling at the same time. I'm not sure it's one single memory, but I'll never forget the countless times I wanted to give up pursuing this career and music kept on showing up for me. I came very close a few times, and something would happen to remind me how much I love this art form and how much I need it. That's always really special to me.
The National Repertory Orchestra Emerald City of Oz Gala in 2018, singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
BOC: What do you hope to communicate to the audience through your performing?
JENNA: Largely, in this production I hope to communicate the authenticity of this character's experience so that we all can find something to relate to through a child's eyes. Overall, I just want to find the truth and relevance in every character I play so that the story and the music can make the audience feel something. And in this crazy world, to be able to get in touch with ourselves through art and storytelling is a great gift.
Get your tickets to see Jenna Clark in The Child and The Spells (L’enfant et les sortilèges) this December at the Dairy Arts Center!
