BY KAREN BOSSICK
They performed for Vladimir Putin at the Bolshoi in Moscow during a cultural exchange sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Russian government before hacking was part of the vocabulary between the two countries.
And, now, the Costa-Jackson sisters are headed to Sun Valley to sing for a Sun Valley audience.
The Costa-Jackson sisters are part of a musical buffet served up by Sun Valley Opera as part of its 5th annual Winter Festival.
The Festival kicks off on Jan. 20 with a concert titled “Casablanca to La La Land” and ends with two concerts titled “90 Minutes and 2 Martinis Later” in March.
In between will be the concert by the three Costa-Jackson sisters and a semi-staged production of “Madama Butterfly” brought to Sun Valley by Opera Idaho in association with Sun Valley Opera.
“We try to offer a variety of music and concerts that will draw in all ages and we think we’ve done that with this lineup,” said Mary Jo Helmeke, who heads up Sun Valley Opera. “Our winter seasons tend to have a classical bent, while our summer concert in the Pavilion has a pop bent because it’s a fundraiser.”
Here’s the lineup:
- Matthew Kacergis, Prince Eric in the National Tour of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” will perform in a concert titled “Casablanca to La La Land at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at The Community School Theatre. The baritone also appeared in 5th Avenue Theatre’s “Ragtime.”
- The Costa-Jackson sisters, who grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Community School Theatre.
It’s rare for three sisters to be renowned opera singers. Miriam set the sisters on their operatic journey as a 10-year-old who caught the opera bug about the time Salt Lake City was hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics.
She trained first with Mormon Tabernacle Choir soprano JoAnne Ottley; then with Betty Jeanne Chipman, known as the Mother Superior of voice teachers in Utah. A year later the Utah-Italian Community of Salt Lake City found itself holding a fundraiser to help the family send Miriam and Ginger to Italy to continue their vocal training with the likes of Renata Scotto at Santa Cecilia in Rome.
Ginger is a 10-year veteran of the Metropolitan Opera where she frequently appears in its Live in HD broadcasts. Soprano Marina Costa-Jackson is a resident artist with the Academy of Vocal Arts—Philadelphia’s prestigious opera school--and winner of several major competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. And Miriam, the youngest, returned with her sisters to Russia this year for an extended tour that included stops in Lithuania, Georgia and Armenia.
- A semi-staged production of “Madama Butterfly” will be brought to the Church of the Big Wood by Opera Idaho in association with Sun Valley Opera at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10.
The opera, by Giacomo Puccini, tells the story of an American lieutenant who casually marries a Japanese girl who, in turns, takes her marriage vows very seriously. He returns years later with an American wife to discover he has a son. When he takes the son, his Japanese bride kills herself.
Tickets start at $18, available at 1718.operaidaho.org/
- New Zealand-born baritone Hadleigh Adams, who now makes his home in the United States, will present two cabaret-style concerts titled “90 Minutes and 2 Martinis Later” in March at the Limelight Hotel.
He will perform in a private concert at 7:30 p.m. following a Diva Party at 6:30 p.m. on March 1. And he will return for an encore performance at 7:30 p.m. March 2 in a concert open to the public.
Adams began his operatic studies at the University of Auckland, after which he joined New Zealand Opera. He then studied at The Opera Studio, in Melbourne, Australia, and at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He made his debut at London’s Royal National Theatre singing the role of Christ in Jonathan Miller’s production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
Adams later joined the San Francisco Opera as its first New Zealander to be an Adler Fellow.
“I saw an article on him in about him being an up-and-coming star to watch in ‘Opera News’ and Frank Meyer made the connection,” said Helmeke.
General admission tickets for the concerts are $45 and preferred tickets $65, available by calling 208-726-0991 or visiting www.sunvalleyopera.com. Diva Tickets for March 1 are $175 and include a cocktail party before the concert.