James Strecker Reviews the Arts

Photo portrait by Carlos Botero, Colombia

JAMES STRECKER: If you were asked for 50 words for an encyclopedia to summarize what you do, or have done, in the arts, what would you say?

KATARZYNA SĄDEJ: Polish-Canadian Mezzo-soprano Katarzyna Sadej has an international, eclectic career that spans concert, opera, chamber music, oratorio, recital, recordings, and voice over performance. Katarzyna has also performed many world premieres and has had numerous new works composed especially for her. She has performed in over a dozen countries and counting. www.katarzynasadej.com

JS: What important beliefs do you express in or through your work?

KS: Though it’s been said many times: Art represents our humanity. In music, I believe that certain works have a transcendental beauty and/or power that I want to share with my audience. When a work hits me with that transcendental power, my goal is to share that with my audience, so that they will, hopefully, feel what I feel.

On another note, it’s all about the message in the music and in the words we sing. If we can get over the insecurities that would otherwise cause us to make the performance about us, our performances become that much more meaningful.

JS: Name two people, living or dead, whom you admire a great deal and tell us why for each one.

KS: I’ve really been lucky in my development as a singer to have had amazing voice teachers and coaches, and I can’t just name one person because they were all so valuable in helping me achieve my best sound and artistry. I admire anyone who is successful as a singer and is then capable of taking what they have learned over the years and imparting it on young singers positively and successfully – that is not an easy thing to do! Not all great performers/singers are great teachers. But I’m so grateful to Beryl Devine, Joanne Kolomyjec, Ingemar Korjus, Darryl Edwards, Lorraine Nubar, Jennifer Ringo, Dawn Upshaw and Kayo Iwama for their part in helping me be the best singer I can be. And those are voice teachers and coaches I worked with regularly. There were moments in my development when I met with someone once or twice and the impact was huge! As a voice teacher myself, I admire good coaching techniques tremendously because one can be great at guiding someone on the right path but veering someone off it is also not so difficult!

Now…historically…Alexander the Great of Macedon: I discovered Alexander whilst playing Civilization on my brother’s computer growing up (don’t hate on all computer games – this one actually teaches you a lot!). I know that may sound a bit random, but here is why I admire this legend: Not that I promote warfare or conquering other nations to create empires – this was obviously something acceptable in the ancient world, and a brutal way of life. But what was amazing about Alexander was how he adopted and encouraged the customs of the nations he conquered, when he clearly had the option to oppress instead. He allowed for the practice of various religions; he connected so many different groups of people and races to create friendly trade routes across thousands of miles; and, above all, he promoted a mixing of cultures. If we need more of anything today, it’s a mixing of cultures and a cessation of such vehement nationalism that’s pervading our world today. Music, dance, visual art – all of those unifying art forms bring people of all cultures together.

JS: How have you changed since you began to do creative work?

KS: I think I welcomed change from the beginning of my life. I always did creative work. From childhood. But I suppose what has expanded is where I’ve gotten my feet wet. I began as a visual artist, inspired by my mother, who is a tapestry weaver, and also as a martial artist, inspired by my father who was a world-renowned judoka. I began singing popular music as a teenager, and then began training classically before I graduated high school. All of these shifts certainly molded me into the artist I am today. And then, looking past the early influences, I can think of so many adult life experiences that have also shaped my path and development as an artist. I think we should all always be constantly growing and evolving. When that stops, we begin to die inside, don’t we? We get stuck. Change is necessary for an artist’s growth. Look at something as simple as regular practice, which can be defined as a constant path to change. When we practice, we get better. If we stop practicing, our vocal chords lose elasticity, our technique will eventually suffer, etc. We can apply that rule, in just slightly different words, to so much in life.

JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person?

KS: I would say that the greatest challenge is the need to take a step back and be patient. And that’s hard to do…especially for anyone who suffers from a certain amount of anxiety from the “not-knowing”. Despite auditioning and despite hard work on an almost daily basis, sometimes the waiting can be so difficult…. Waiting for the next big gig…. Waiting to hear back about potential engagements…Waiting for that moment where we feel a certain work is truly ready to be performed… one must be so patient, diligent and determined, in order to keep a sane mind in this difficult career choice.

JS: Please describe at least one major turning point in your life.

KS: My life has always been defined by moving and changing homes. It started from when my family immigrated from Poland to Canada when I was a child; and we continued to move a lot when I was growing up because of my father’s job. Then, as an adult, because of my education and career choices, I have also been moving a lot! So, each of these moves created huge changes and was not easy. But then, such shifts really do make us stronger, more adaptable, more independent and open to change.

JS: What are the hardest things for an outsider to understand about what you do?

KS: Being a classical singer/opera singer requires a lot of discipline, quiet, solitude and, of course, time. When I have a concert coming up, I have to sacrifice going out, or going anywhere that’s loud, or hanging out and talking for hours on end, or drinking alcohol for that matter. Someone who doesn’t do what I do doesn’t necessarily understand that because they haven’t had to use their body as an instrument. The closest thing to an opera singer is a professional athlete who also goes to great lengths to keep their body healthy and in shape.

JS: How and why did you begin to do creative work in the first place?

KS: I think I always had a need to express myself and to express what I saw around me. I loved creative writing when I was a child, and also visual art.

Speaking more specifically about music… I always loved singing and performed at talent shows while at school. After I got my first job, while still in high school, I went to see a voice teacher, Beryl Devine, who introduced me to classical singing. I got totally hooked and decided to pay for my own lessons.

When I first began training my voice classically, I loved the thrill of the improvement when you practiced in the right way. I loved the idea that we can use our bodies to project such a powerful instrument. I loved how subtle it was, how these minor shifts could alter the sound and quality so much. The challenge was appealing. So, I stuck to it, because I already loved acting on stage, and I already loved to express myself. Adding this dimension of also singing, without a microphone, was thrilling to me. I had always loved the operatic voice and when I realized I could learn to do it too, I fell in love with the practice (and later, the performance as well!).

JS: What haven’t you attempted as yet that you would like to do and please tell us why?

KS: How about singing on a Space Station? Both inside the station, and outside in a space suit…. How about a whole opera on a Space Station??

On a side note to that idea: Yuval Sharon, with his opera company “The Industry” in LA created an opera that was presented in limousines and with various scenes outside throughout Los Angeles. I was very fortunate to be a part of that production (HOPSCOTCH) and I hope to be a part of many more performing arts projects like that. Projects that open the door to new performance practice, that explore different kinds of venues, and that draw modern audiences in because they are so unique.

JS: What are your most meaningful achievements?

KS: I’m always trying to follow my own path, and I don’t always follow the status quo. I’m actually quite proud that I followed my heart, stayed open to art song repertoire (not just purely opera) and new music. Thanks to those interests I have been able to travel to so many countries doing recitals and concerts. Having performed in so many countries is one of my proudest achievements.

Of course, I also have to mention some of the important debuts I’ve made, such as at LA Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Cartagena International Music Festival, among many other venues. Each major debut is like a giant, giant, giant glass of wine celebrating all those hours in the practice room, and coaching, and studying your words, and memorizing, and then memorizing some more…. And then re-memorizing!

JS: What advice would you give a young person who would like to do what you do?

KS: Be patient. Don’t try to be the young 20-something hot-shot. If that works out for you – great! But most of the time, it doesn’t work that way in classical music or in opera because the voice needs time to mature. While your voice is maturing, don’t be afraid to try out other passions, to travel, to get some life experience. Life is what inspires us and what will build us into the artist we are.

If you can’t help comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were last month or last year and trust in your own individual path.

JS: Of what value are critics?

KS: Some critics bring value to promote high art because they are knowledgeable and actually care about maintaining a world with art in it. We need critics because we need opinion. How do we decide what high art is, for example, without people’s opinions? The only thing that troubles me sometimes, is that in this world of narcissistic promotion, many critics are just about making self-indulgent statements, getting a high on word-plays and scathing comments, as opposed to writing constructive, eye-opening reviews that work to better our art. Descriptive criticism doesn’t serve anybody but the critic.

JS: What do you ask of your audience?

KS: Turn off your phone, forget about any incoming messages you are waiting for, lean back, and allow yourself to meditate on the art. Our brains are completely wired nowadays for short-term, brief, immediate gratification. With high art forms like ballet, opera, theater, classical recitals, we need to allow ourselves to process the meaning of each work slowly, in order to truly appreciate it; to understand the deeper meaning.

JS: What specifically would you change about what goes on in the world and the arts?

KS: Art appreciation begins with education. It’s nearly impossible for someone to appreciate a complicated opera or symphony without having some sort of introduction to it. Sure, we are sometimes just drawn to the profound harmonies or themes within an orchestral piece, but in general, we need to train our ears a bit and understand what to listen for to truly appreciate it fully. So, we need our governments to support art education in schools so that young potential artists and lovers of art have a chance to emerge in the first place. We also need more arts promotion, letting the general public know about classical music performances, art show openings, and plays. And that’s a challenge in its own right because it’s so difficult to get through to people nowadays; it’s so much easier to binge-watch Netflix or to sit on Instagram all night than to drive over to the symphony or opera or theater…. I mean, that would entail actually seeing real people and having real interactions…. that is sooooo 10 years ago! OMG!

What would I change about what goes on in the world? I like to photograph animals and nature in my free time, and through that I’ve become quite passionate about environmental responsibility – we should all be doing our part to be more eco-conscious, whether it’s choosing to drive more fuel-efficient cars, using safer more natural cosmetic products, avoiding plastic, reducing our intake of cow meat, etc. What does that have to do with art? Well, if we no longer have a planet to live on, what’s the point of creating anything? I suppose that’s one topic for an opera: a bunch of greedy idiots made the entire world dependent on finite resources that produced huge amounts of pollution and doomed the entire plant. There’s our outer space opera – the only venue that may be left to us in a few years!

JS: If you could relive one experience from your creative life, what would it be and why would you do so?

KS: I think I’d rather describe a sensation I have gotten in various performances. You know, there are moments when you are performing that can be so transcendental and powerful; imagine sustaining a note and feeling your overtones harmonizing so perfectly with the orchestra or piano notes that are accompanying you, that you feel the music and meaning vibrating through your whole body. It’s meditative and thrilling all at once. It’s those moments that make me want to create more moments like it!

JS: Tell us what it feels like to be a figure who is presented somehow in the media. What effect does this presence have on you?

KS: I’ve had a share of interactions which taught me to be extremely cautious, as social media provides an excellent disguise for people who may not have the best intentions…or have too many intentions for that matter! … you just have to be careful.

But, in general, if I feel that I can offer insight or expertise, or if I can offer a performance that touches people, I’m grateful for that media presence. I want my voice to be heard, as I want to share my art with people. Media presence allows us to share more, so I welcome it.

I’d love to mention my experience in Colombia actually because that was pretty incredible, and in fact a wonderful example of how classical music can be promoted. When I sang in both Bogota and Cartagena for the Cartagena International Music Festival, each concert was nationally televised in several South American countries, all of the artists did masterclasses at the local music schools, we got interviewed on tv, I had a gown made for me by the country’s most famous designer (yes, I still have it!), and our concerts, which were held at glorious venues, were packed with people (including, I might mention, legends like the Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who attended our performance of Mozart’s Requiem and greeted us backstage). It was really something! It made me feel like I represented something that people were actually excited about… because it was beautiful music that we were presenting to the public. This was an example of media presence working with the whole country to create awareness for a fabulous music festival.

JS: Name two places you would like to visit, one you haven’t been to and one to experience again and briefly tell us why.

KS: Peru – Machu Picchu…I don’t think that requires too much explanation, since most people want to visit that amazing place. I love ancient history (hence my reference to Alexander the Great earlier!!), and I’ve already visited Mayan ruins in Mexico and Roman ruins in Italy, France and England. I’ve just always wanted to hike up to Machu Picchu and experience that awe-inspiring ancient city.

I’m only allowed to choose one, so I guess I won’t talk about wanting to go the Congo to sing to wild bonobos (there’s an explanation coming to that) or wanting to go to Thailand or Laos… just because it’s amazingly wild and beautiful there.

Choosing one place to visit AGAIN is also tough, as I love Italy and southern France, and Colombia, and many other places I’ve already been. But where I really long to go, and where I’d actually love to sing, is my birth town, Wroclaw. I’ve been to Poland many times since my family immigrated when I was a child, but I never got to spend a lot of time in Wroclaw. And yet, I feel so drawn to that city. Any concert organizers from Wroclaw reading by any chance? Locally-born talent wants to do a recital in your city!

JS: Please tell us about one or more projects that you have been working on, are preparing, or have recently completed. Why do they matter to you and why should they matter to us?

KS: Oh good, we can stick to the Polish theme – how convenient!

Currently I am in the process of recording very rare songs composed by Lutoslawki with pianist Basia Bochenek in Los Angeles. Unbeknownst to most people, Lutoslawski wrote tango, waltz and foxtrot songs for Polish radio under the penname “Derwid”; because he was primarily known for his avant-garde new music style, these “pop” songs of the day were largely forgotten. In case anyone is interested in my Campaign for this recording, more information can be found via this link: http://gofundme.com/derwid

One of my main goals as a classical singer, personally, is to present as much Polish repertoire as I can to the public, whenever I do recitals. In recent years, other Slavic languages like Russian and Czech have gotten into the performance practice in conservatories and music programs. I’d love to see Polish art song and operatic repertoire have the same attention, as there are so many wonderful Polish classical composers who’ve created beautiful vocal repertoire. It matters to me because it’s in my blood, and it should matter to others not familiar with Polish language or culture because learning about anything we aren’t familiar with expands our life experience. I have delved into Japanese song repertoire, and Argentinian song repertoire, among others – and I may not become an expert in these fields, but I certainly was able to connect with people from those cultures better because I took the time and effort to discover some of their roots. And, let’s be honest, if the music is beautiful and people want to listen to it, musicians will learn it just because it’s good and worthwhile to learn. My job is to let other singers know how beautiful and worthwhile some of this Polish repertoire is.

JS: Let’s talk about the state of the arts in today’s society, including the forms in which you work. What specifically gives you hope and what specifically do you find depressing?

KS: With high art it can be a bit depressing. It seems that there is barely room for it anymore: there’s no funding for it, and there’s no modern attention span for it. So, opera houses, symphonies and concert organizations are cutting their budgets and shortening seasons. I know that sounds negative, but we can’t pretend it’s not true! I hope that things will turn around, that innovative ideas will save the high art forms, as I can’t imagine not performing and not hearing this music that I studied and have adored all my life. I’m especially biased towards not wanting to lose the tradition of operatic singing. I really believe that there is a power to the unamplified voice that touches on our humanity like nothing else can.

I do want to mention though, that with all that reality checking I expressed above, you can have an experience like being involved with The Industry Opera in LA, which I mentioned earlier. The director Yuval Sharon’s vision for a production like HOPSCOTCH, which I sang in, was to create an entirely new type of opera performance, and it was extremely successful – it brought all sorts of audience members to our shows, including Hollywood celebrities, whose presence also helped sell more tickets. So perhaps that is the way opera and classical music need to go. Perhaps we need to be more creative in the way we showcase a performance – perhaps we need more visuals for example. I am in the process of developing a voice-piano recital with my colleague that includes more visuals during the actual performance. I suppose we’ll see how that is received soon enough!

JS: Finally, what do you yourself find to be the most intriguing and/or surprising thing about you?

KS: One thing that came about rather randomly for me was beginning my personal project of singing to great apes, and more specifically to bonobos, our closest ape relatives, who share 98.7% of our DNA. I was at first drawn to these magnificent apes at San Diego Zoo because I got into photographing animals and nature a couple years ago. But then I was given the amazing opportunity of singing for the San Diego Zoo bonobos when the head keeper heard that I was an opera singer interested in experimenting with that. So, what began as a fun experiment to see their reactions, turned into a bit of a study, and I’ve been in touch with anthropologists and primatologists about it, and have sung to bonobos in San Diego and in Germany! Even if the simple of act of singing to them draws attention to bonobos and their plight and encourages people to read about what these apes represent, that makes it all worth it! We can actually learn so much from bonobos. They are the only great ape that doesn’t kill members of its own species (not a single instance in the wild or in captivity has been recorded), they are matriarchal and… there are only about 10,000 of them, possibly less, left in the entire world.

If humanity allows for such a beautiful, fascinating creature – our cousins – to go extinct, then what is all our art and creation for? If we can’t even take care of our home and give other creatures a chance to survive alongside us?