By Naomi Tsuang
Staff Writer
Musicians are tasked with performing music live, but Mira Costa freshman Maggie Weller takes this task and adds acting when she both acts and sings in her performances of opera music.
Weller started taking vocal lessons at the age of nine. Weller’s vocal coach, Michele Collins, then persuaded her to try singing opera because she thought it would work well with her voice, as Weller has a wide vocal range.
“I had never heard anything like opera before, so when I was introduced to it, I became very interested immediately,” Weller said. “I knew that I really wanted to continue learning about it and practicing it so that I could become better.”
After she realized how distinct it was from other musical styles, Weller was encouraged to focus exclusively on opera, eventually leading to opera becoming a passion of Weller’s.
“Opera is unique and different, and I thought it would be fun to try out,” Weller said. “I’m so glad that I continued with opera. It can really help me in the future to stand out from my other peers who sing and perform.”
The operatic pieces that Weller practices are in the languages of Italian, German, English and French. She said that memorizing her songs is difficult because she doesn’t speak all of the languages. However, in the future she wants to learn the languages so that she has better pronunciation when singing. She also stated that when knowing the language of a song, it is easier to act out the song’s story.
“At first, it’s difficult to perform and memorize songs in different languages, but after consistently practicing, it gets much easier,” Weller said. “Acting is a big part of singing opera. Memorizing what the song is actually saying is very important to convey realistic emotion.”
Weller mostly sings at Collins’ annual recital, but last year she sang at an American Youth Soccer Organization Convention with over 500 people in attendance. Additionally, Weller plans to enter opera competitions beginning in February.
“I am not scared of performing in front of a large audience, but I am nervous to sing in front of the judges,” Weller said. “I think that I’ve been singing opera for long enough that now I’m ready to start performing and competing more often.”
For over a year, Weller has been working on the three songs she plans to perform at her first competition in February. She has prepared a German art song called “Lachen Und Weinen.” Weller has also been practicing two Italian arias, or long, accompanied opera solos, called “Batti Batti” and “Se tu m’ami” for the competition.
“The pieces that she would like to sing in a competition really need to be prepared, flawless and ready to perform as far as technique, memorization and stage presence go,” Collins said.
After practicing the songs that she plans to compete four times a week for approximately an hour by herself, Weller has a singing lesson once a week with Collins where she receives feedback on her work.
“Watching how much she has grown as a singer is incredible and has been so much fun for me,” Collins said.
Weller said that she wishes to continue her opera career throughout high school and college. In the upcoming years, Weller plans to go to a college known for its performing arts programs, such as the Juilliard School or the University of Southern California, in order to become a better vocalist.
“I’m excited for the new experiences that come with singing opera,” Weller said. “Once I get critiqued by the judges at the competition, I can work on my weak spots and, hopefully, become a better singer and further my career in opera singing.” Weller said.
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