From left-to-right: UNM Professor of Voice Olga Perez Flora, ’24 UNM Alumnus Tzvi Bat Asherah, and UNM Professor of Voice & Opera Jamie Flora.
Albuquerque native accepted into Santa Fe Opera apprentice program
Originally published in The Albuquerque Journal on June 24, 2024. By Kathaleen Roberts / Assistant Arts Editor.
When most third-graders were singing “Hot Cross Buns,” Tzvi Bat Asherah wanted to sing music by Andrea Bocelli.
“It piqued my interest,” the Albuquerque bass-baritone said, “- singing in Italian.”
Soon the Albuquerque native was singing in the University of New Mexico children’s chorus, a position that endured until he graduated from high school.
This year, he was accepted into the Santa Fe Opera’s prestigious apprentice program. He’ll sing in the chorus in the operas “La traviata,” “The Righteous,” “The Elixir of Love,” and “Der Rosenkavalier,” as well as the opera’s apprentice concerts on Aug. 11 and 18.
The Santa Fe Opera apprentice program is internationally recognized as one of the finest programs of its kind. It can lead to contacts from across the country and a professional career.
A recent UNM graduate from the Department of Music, Tzvi hung out in its opera studio as often as possible.
He performed in the chorus of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” with the UNM Opera Theatre as a high schooler in 2019. He has performed with them in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring and in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” He sang the titular role of Figaro in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in April.
“I think maybe I had a passion for music,” Tzvi said. “I wanted to follow in the footsteps of of my choir teacher. I wanted to pursue music education.”
Then UNM opera and voice lecturer James Flora encouraged him to pursue professional opera.
“I think he is one of the most talented students I’ve ever worked with,” Flora said.
In the beginning, “he was very raw,” Flora continued. “He thought he was a true bass. He’s a bass-baritone with a high extension His voice has a certain athleticism.
“He went from being a good, serviceable voice to world-class,” Flora added. “People here don’t understand the level of the Santa Fe Opera. It is world-class. I wasn’t surprised that he got in.”
“I didn’t understand the depths of the art form until I had that talk with Professor Flora,” Tzvi said. “He has encouraged me every step of the way.”
Tzvi first sang at Santa Fe in the auxiliary chorus of “The Flying Dutchman” last summer. Impressed, the organizers contacted Flora and asked about him.
“They likened him to the man who was star of ‘The Flying Dutchman,’ Nicholas Brownlee,” Flora said.
When Tzvi learned he had landed a spot in the apprentice program, he was ecstatic. “I think I called my mom first,” he said. “Then I called my voice professor because it’s really a big deal.”
He says he begins by studying the libretto, decoding the subtext to imbue it in his voice.
“Without that, the performance doesn’t land if you’re not invested in the character,” he said.
Next year, he’ll study for his master’s degree at Houston’s Rice University.
Now he dreams of singing the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto.
“I still do admire Bocelli,” Tzvi said. “I met (bass-baritone) Nicholas Brownlee last summer. He was performing in ‘The Flying Dutchman.’ He’s someone I can really look up to because our vocal qualities are similar.”
While studying as a vocalist with UNM, Tzvi has won several awards, including the Cris and Marilyn Barnes award during the 2023 Vocal Artistry Art Song Festival.
LEARN MORE about The UNM Department of Music Vocal Performance area by visiting https://music.unm.edu/areas/performance/vocal/
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