We have a chat with the two new leading ladies of the
Singapore Lyric Opera's upcoming double bill of
Pagliacci and
Gianni Schicchi. Young, beautiful and talented, Japanese
Sachika Ito and New Zealander
Marlena Devoe look set to sparkle on the stage of our Esplanade Theatre when the production runs next week (10 to 12 Sep, Thursday to Saturday). Here's their respective introductions, followed by what we talked about:
Sachika Ito
Nedda / Nella (soprano)
Sachika Ito graduated in opera singing and chamber music with a certificate of honour. She won the 3rd prize in the Competition for Young Singers of Foggia and the 2nd prize at the Concorso G.Poggi in Piacenza, the Certaman New Voices Ciudad de Sevilla.
She has performed with soprano Maria Laura Groppi in Conservatiorio Nicolini in Piacenza since 2004. Her notable main roles include Oscar in
Un ballo in maschera, Norina in Donizetti's
Don Pasquale, Elvira in Rossini’s
L'Italiana, Frasquita in Bizet's
Carmen, Lauretta in Puccini’s
Gianni Schicchi, Serpina in Paisiello’s
La Serva Padrona, Violetta in Verdi’s
La Traviata, Rosina in Rossini’s
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Sofia in Rossini’s
Bruschino Signor, Gilda in Verdi’s
Rigoletto, Musetta in Puccini’s
La Boheme, Adina in Donizetti's
Elisir d’amore and Countess of Folleville in Rossini’s
Il Viaggio a Reims. Sachika has recently started singing modern and contemporary music with various composers.
The Mad Scene: Tell us, in your own words, which character in this doublebill production are you playing, and what does she do in the opera?
Sachika Ito: I’m playing Nedda in
Pagliacci and Nella in
Gianni Schicchi. Nedda is a traveling actress, wife of Canio (Pagliacci) but is in love with Silvio, a farmer from the village where they will perform at. She decides to leave her husband and her career for a new life with Silvio, but her desire is not realized because Canio discovers their secret.
Nella is the wife of Gherardo, mother of Gherardino. She is concerned about her inheritance from of her recently deceased uncle Buoso Donati, just like all her other relatives. They ask Gianni Schicchi (a trickster) for help in rewritting the will of Buoso.
