Met Opera Husband-And-Wife Stars Jack Swanson And Katherine Henly Talk Travel And Opera
It's a family affair at the Met Opera for Jack Swanson and Katherine Henly, husband and wife duo hailing from the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Both opera stars have made their Met debuts this season, with soprano Katherine as a Niña in Golijov's Grammy Award-winning 'Ainadamar,' which premiered in October, and tenor Jack Swanson as Count Almaviva in 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia,' who picked up the role on May 16 from Lawrence Brownlee.
Barbiere di Siviglia will stream Live in HD to cinemas around the world on Saturday, May 31, at 1PM ET.
In addition to Jack and Katherine, a third special member of the family also made their Met debut. Katherine was 8 months pregnant with their son (and first child) when she debuted, and 9 months (just 12 days away from giving birth!) when she performed in the final performance of 'Ainadamar.'
The couple, who has performed around the world together (they met at LA Opera during a production of 'Candide'), spoke to me about their favorite spots in New York, where they love to travel together (for work and for pleasure), their favorite pieces of career advice, and more.
Jack Swanson, Katherine Henly, and their son.
favorite opera that's not my own is:
Jack: My favorite opera is Puccini's 'Fanciulla del West!'
Katherine: Puccini's 'La Bohème' is one of my favorites of all time. There is so much subtle beauty woven into it, down to the placement of every rest, and I love playing Musetta—she has so much fun but also has such a caring heart, and her music is a real joy to sing.
My pre-performance ritual is:
Jack: I start the day with the same vocal exercise, making sure I'm free, relaxed, and that my technique is lined up and in a good place. On a performance day, I like to do some mild cardio, sometimes just a long walk, and I spend most of the day resting. When singing Rossini, I always make sure to sing the most difficult, florid passages as part of my pre-show warm-up!
Katherine: It's changed a bit now that my son is here! I always make sure to move my body, so that it's warmed up and feels connected and able to support making the music and storytelling happen. I eat a good meal early in the day so that by performance time I'm fueled up but not too full, and I'm big on hydrating in advance. I still do those things, but my schedule also revolves around when my son needs to eat and sleep! I get performance ready early so that the last thing I can do before I go onstage is feed him and hopefully get him to sleep. I
Katherine, what was your experience like being pregnant at the Met and making your debut?
Katherine: The Met was so accommodating, and it was an experience I will forever cherish.
The costume department was so kind to me and made all of my costumes expandable as I grew into the final month of my pregnancy, and the cast and creative teams truly looked out for me and felt like family. So often we are led to believe that pregnancy and motherhood are limiting to women, but in fact the opposite is true; becoming a mother has been the most strengthening, heart-bursting and expansive experience, in every way.
After a performance I:
Jack: EAT! I tend to eat very little before a performance, as I don't love the feeling of singing or moving around on stage with a full stomach. So, I usually do my most serious and ferocious eating after the show.
Katherine: I am always wide awake and fired up after a performance, it takes me a long time to wind down. I love going out for a bite with my fellow performers or family and friends and celebrating in some way. One of my favorite aspects of performing is how it brings us all together. The next day I try to work in as much rest and resetting as possible so that I am fresh and ready to do it all again!
My must-have travel item is:
Jack: My Bose headphones. You'd think I'd always be listening to tenors, which of course happens occasionally, but most of the time I just use them to decompress. Noise-cancel and meditate!Katherine: A comfortable travel pillow! Great for adults and babies alike!
The destination I love to travel to most for work with my significant other is:
Jack: This is a tough one, but last year we had the opportunity to travel all over Spain, and for the two of us, it was really a perfect fit. Luckily, we have more travel and work in Spain soon.
Katherine:Tough to pick! We first met working at LA Opera together on a production of Candide, so LA will always be a special place for us! We left a lock with our names on it in Cologne, Germany on the Hohenzollern Bridge when we performed in Street Scene together for Oper Köln. We've since spent a lot of time working together in Norway, which we've loved, and last year we had the chance to travel in Spain and we absolutely fell in love with it. We are looking forward to more time there in the future!
My favorite travel destination for vacation (not work) with my significant other is:
Jack: When not working, we really love to camp. One of my favorite trips was our adventure to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with our rooftop tent.
Katherine: Also tough to pick, but we have really loved our time in Ireland and Italy and are always looking forward to returning for work or vacation! We also love to camp and one of our first big vacations together was a road trip with our rooftop tent that took us from Utah, through Wyoming and on to Minnesota. We love any excuse to get out in nature!
My favorite restaurant in New York is:
Jack: I've discovered that the BEST New York pizza slice is from Upside Pizza on Broadway and 112th. Don't skip the garlic knots.
Katherine: Victor's Cafe on W 52nd. The most amazing food. My father played lead trumpet on Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre nearby for the 10 year run until I was 12 years old and Victor's became my family's go-to place for celebrating. I have a lot of great memories there.
My favorite spot near the Met opera is:
Jack: Too many to count, but you'll often find me with a coffee, sitting in Richard Tucker Park, just trying to soak in the inspiration and understand how he got his high notes to sound the way he did.
Katherine: There are so many, but I love to sit under the trees across from The Performing Arts Library and Lincoln Center Theater, it's so peaceful and inspiring to be near so much incredible art happening.
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