1.04.08 - Former Elmiran thrilled with first role at the Met
by John P. Cleary, staff writer for the Star-Gazette (stargazette.com)

When an opera singer sits down to make a list of career goals, singing at the Metropolitan Opera goes at the top of the page. The Met is one of the great opera companies of the world, and all the major stars have graced its stage.

Now, former Elmiran Todd Thomas can say he has done it, too. Thomas, a 1979 Elmira Free Academy graduate, made his Metropolitan Opera debut in December, singing the role of Dr. Metiver in Sergei Prokofiev's "War and Peace."

Thomas, 46, a baritone, has enjoyed a long career with regional opera companies across the United States and Europe, but he says there was something special about finally singing with the Met.

"It's a big deal," he said. "('War and Peace') has like 68 (solo) parts, my part lasts (all) of like a minute and a half, but it's still a huge credit, and very exciting."

Thomas said he's auditioned for the Met four or five times over the years. He didn't audition for "War and Peace," though, and hadn't even performed much in Russian before he was contacted about the production last spring. He said his reputation and new management helped him land the part.

Rehearsals started in early November. Thomas has attended performances at the Met before, but going there as a singer for the first time was a humbling experience.

"It was really intimidating and inspiring and I was very nervous, very emotional," he said.

The opera, which had its closing performance Thursday night, featured Irina Mataeva as Natasha, Ekaterina Semenchuk as Sonya, Vasili Ladyuk as Prince Andrei and the great bass Samuel Ramey as Kutuzov. Its opening performance was conducted by Valery Gergiev, who brought the Kirov Orchestra to the Clemens Center in 2003.

Thomas lives in Philadelphia, and said it was convenient to commute back and forth to New York for rehearsals and performances. He was able to spend the holidays with his family, and when he needed to stay overnight in New York, he crashed with a cousin in Brooklyn.

The production was a thrill, he said, but now it's time to move on. Eight weeks with one opera is a long time for a singer like Thomas, who is used to regional opera productions that are much shorter. He has other work lined up, including singing Amanasro in Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida" with Opera Carolina in Charlotte, N.C., and a return to the New York City Opera this spring as Baron Scarpia in Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca." He debuted with the company in the same role in 2005. In August, he'll be in upstate New York, performing in Verdi's "La Traviata" at the Chautauqua Institution.

But first, he has a special program lined up.

Some 35 years ago, as a student at Booth Elementary School in Elmira, Thomas was encouraged by his music teacher to take voice lessons from Helen Pletsch of Elmira. He worked with Pletsch for years until she moved out of the area. Some time ago, Pletsch, now living in Vancouver, British Columbia, contacted Thomas by e-mail. Now, he's heading out to Vancouver to visit her, lead some master's classes and perform a recital. She's organizing the whole event.

"We are both really, really thrilled to have this happening," he said.

As for the Met, Thomas hopes his performance there will only be his first.

"They know me now," he said. "I really hope it's a relationship that will continue."