In a Word...Ambur Braid

From what I've experienced, the key is to do your job consistently well, to be very reliable and to be relentless.

Soprano Ambur Braid is quickly establishing herself as a rising young artist in dramatic coloratura soprano roles that encompass Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Massenet’s Esclarmonde, Handel’s Semele, and Mozart’s Queen of the Night. In her final season as a member of the ensemble at the Canadian Opera Company, Ms. Braid was seen in Christopher Alden’s new production of Die Fledermaus as Adele and will perform the role of Vitellia in the Ensemble Studio performance of La clemenza di Tito. Additionally in the 2012-2013 season, she sings the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Opera Atelier. She recently sang the Queen of the Night in the Ensemble Studio performance of Die Zauberflöte to great acclaim causing the National Post to praise her turning a “stock figurine into a scary, knife-wielding matriarch.” Other recent appearances with the Canadian Opera Company include Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice, The Greek Woman in Iphigénie en Tauride, and the Danish Lady in Death in Venice. Previous operatic credits include Diane in Iphigénie en Tauride with Opera Atelier; Konstanze in Die entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Queen of the Night in die Zauberflote, Princess/Fire in L’enfant et les sortileges with the San Francisco Conservatory; and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with The Glenn Gould School. Her awards include the East Bay Opera Competition, San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition, and Palm Beach Opera Competition. (Source: amburbraid.com)

CHARPO:  You made a deep impression in AtG's "Villains" pastiche in a minuscule venue and again in the mega production of Fledermaus more recently at COC. Could you compare the two experiences?

BRAID: Well, I do love playing the villainess... Joel Ivany has done a wonderful thing with AtG by bringing incredible music out of the opera house and into less austere venues - with beer! The environment is much more casual, which lends to more interaction with the audience and more improvisation.  Joel is a very creative director and working with him is always a lot of fun. The "Villains" night was in an antique furniture store and we only rehearsed twice for that show, but all 3 of my pieces were solos and he just told me to do whatever I needed to do to be frightening. And so I performed the aria from Esclarmonde as a drunk witch. The two queen of the night arias were done pretty normally, in a corset and stilettos, respectively. I also sat on a few audience members laps and canoodled them with my coloratura. It was fun! 

Die Fledermaus was certainly a mega production. We rehearsed for many weeks and were really able to form our characters over a long rehearsal period, with a director who is so knowledgeable, and so prepared.  My Adele ended up being a bit more Lulu than the typical Adele because we really dug down into the dark truth of the piece. Christopher Alden and the designers did an incredible job with this production - it was unlike any Fledermaus done before and I am so thrilled to have been a part of it. 

Opening nights are a beast and you either crack or thrive

CHARPO: We know every performer has a bad night, and one of our reviewers recently pointed out one such performance by another singer which, unfortunately, happened to be on an opening night. Is a singer's life/reputation built on a series of opening nights which all have to go well or on a steady networking with ADs and General Managers?

BRAID: Opening nights are a beast and you either crack or thrive when riding that insane wave of adrenaline that hits for those performances. I can only speak for myself, so I will tell you that I turn into a bit of  an animal when I feel the pressure: the critics are there, as are the design and directorial team and the sense of pleasing everybody is overwhelming. My methods are a bit unorthodox for handling that stress - I dance and do pushups in my dressing room before heading onstage. For Semele and Fledermaus, I was so incredibly nervous backstage that I couldn't speak, but right when I stepped onstage and exhaled, my body knew what to do and everything was just fine. It is quite honestly the best feeling in the world when it's all over. 

As Adele in Fledermaus
(photo credit: Michael Cooper)

From what I've experienced, the key is to do your job consistently well, to be very reliable and to be relentless. To be reliable in rehearsals and on the stage and relentless with yourself in striving for perfection. 

CHARPO:  In the old days, singers used to hone their skills and build rep by touring the provincial houses in Europe. Is that still the way and, specifically, what was your journey?

BRAID: This is only the beginning of my journey and nobody has the same resumé or the same path to success. What is important for singers to remember is that "success" is personal. My plans are very different from my colleagues because we have different priorities in life as well as in our careers. I was fortunate to have a family that supported me wholeheartedly in my musical pursuit and they sent me off to receive my degrees in two wonderful cities - Toronto and San Francisco.  

Marshall Pynkoski gave me my first professional role as Diane, in Iphigenia in Tauris, which I ended up doing a couple of years later at The COC with Susan Graham.  The young artist programs and Fest contracts put a lot of roles on the resume, which can be both helpful and disastrous to one's voice and so every singer must take great care with what they are offered and how they proceed with it. Personally, I took it quite slowly and built up my technique before delving into certain roles because my voice is an interesting one. It's been likened to being a Ferrari engine in a Honda body, and I had to learn to use a lot of restraint (and only about 70% of it).  This will hopefully allow me to sing for another 25 years in a healthy manner, while still being able to emote the music in the way that I want to.  

My life is my career

CHARPO:  What's in your repertory and what would you like to add to it?

BRAID: Right now I love singing Lucia, Vitellia, Esclarmonde, Violetta and Konstanze, and I hope to perform them as much as possible. The crazier and more heartbroken the lady, the more I love playing the role!

CHARPO: What don't we know about mystery man Alexander Neef!

BRAID: He's elegant and humble. (But you probably already knew that). 

CHARPO: Tell us about juggling career and life or do they have to be one thing?

BRAID: My life is my career, but I believe that life naturally balances itself out when you eliminate the unnecessary aspects and only focus on what makes you a calm, successful and fulfilled person. There are very few people in my life (the "nucleus") and I would do anything in the world for them but they all know that I'm a singer 24/7 and that comes with some unavoidable side affects - like never being able to make plans!