Magic & Mayhem Artist Interviews: Aumna Iqbal

Get to know the cast of Magic & Mayhem!

Aumna Iqbal, mezzo-soprano, will be performing Crude furie (Handel), The Worst Pies in London (Sondheim), and a scene from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Buy your tickets today! 

Tell us about the pieces you are performing and how they fit the theme of "Magic & Mayhem".

Crude furie is all about Serse’s rage, and a plea to the furies, falling more on the mayhem side of things. Similarly, Mrs. Lovett’s “Worst Pies in London,” is about chaos and desperation. “But ere we this perform,” from the two witches in Dido and Aeneas, is about conjuring up a magical storm, using magic to cause mayhem.

Why did you choose these pieces? 

I love singing active pieces and have a lot of chaotic or frenetic pieces in my repertoire. I’m a very energetic performer and I like the level of challenge those kinds of pieces represent, and the fact that you always have to be thinking quickly and thinking ahead.

Why it is important that this music be heard?

I think “Worst Pies” is hilarious and highly entertaining. The Handel is both incredibly precise and untethered. Everyone can relate to the feeling of being caught doing something you would rather not have anybody know about, and the fear and anger and despair and hurt of losing somebody or potentially losing somebody. The Dido is just beautiful to listen to.

Describe your dream role.

Octavian in Rosenkavalier, and my 14 year old dream job of Bombalurina in CATS. I would also love to perform Komponist again.

If you weren't an artist, what would your dream job be?

If I could make money cooking from home I’d do that, cause I love to cook. Or dessert taster. :)

Tell us something unusual or bizarre about your hometown.

Kobe Bryant is a regular at the Happy Nails by my family’s house, and I used to live in the same neighborhood as a few other Lakers.

What's on your schedule after Magic & Mayhem?

I’m doing a concert for OperaRox, working with Cantanti Project again as Orfeo in L’Euridice, and performing the Brahms Alto Rhapsody in California with the Antelope Valley Symphony.

What's one song on your playlist you can't help but dance to?

“Elle me dit” by Mika, the French version. Or anything by Mika really.

Please visit Aumna's website at www.aumnaiqbal.com.

Magic & Mayhem Artist Interviews: Lydia Dahling

Get to know the cast of Magic & Mayhem!

Lydia Dahling, soprano, will be performing a Hungarian Mad Scene from Bánk bán by Ferenc Erkel. Buy your tickets today! 

How does Melinda’s Mad Scene in Bánk bán fit into the “Magic and Mayhem” theme?

Mayhem is an inherent part of mad scenes, and this scene is no exception. After being drugged and raped, Melinda goes mad and deliberately drowns herself in a river. What’s unique about this mad scene is that Melinda is fully aware of what she is about to do. She actually becomes more lucid throughout the scene.

Why did you choose this piece?

I spent 2 weeks in Hungary this summer and chose this piece because of its cultural significance. Bánk bán is one of the most performed operas in Hungary. Every Hungarian I met has seen Bánk bán, but is rarely performed anywhere else. It has been the opening production of the Hungarian State Opera every season since the mid-1860s! In many ways, it is the Hungarian cultural equivalent of West Side Story in that both take on political and social themes, use musical idioms directly related to the subject matter (Erkel's folk music influence, Bernstein using Latin inspired rhythms), and are well known by most of the population, if only by name. Bánk bán was written during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so it isn't a surprise that this opera is heavily about maintaining Hungarian identity in the face of foreign rule. The themes in this opera are highly nationalistic The aria "Házám, házám" ("My homeland, my homeland") is considered the "second national anthem" of Hungary (Erkel wrote the official Hungarian national anthem too!). Plus, it's just a damn good score.

Why is it important this music be heard?

I think that we can use repertoire from the past to examine our own world, look at what has changed, what hasn't changed, and try to find out why. In Bánk bán, Melinda deals with Otto trying to get her to sleep with him, and even after she turns him down multiple times with explanations she has to invent because he just. doesn't. get. it. He feels entitled to her because he's a powerful man, a celebrity in some ways. Sound familiar?

Describe your dream role.

I'd love to be involved in Angels in America at some point in my career!

If you weren’t an artist, what would your dream job be?

A historian!

Tell us something unusual about your hometown.

There are probably more people in Penn Station at any given moment than have ever been in my hometown.

What’s on your schedule after Magic and Mayhem?

I'm singing Proserpina in L'Euridice with Cantanti in February!

What's one song on your playlist you can't help but dance to?

"Dancing Queen" by Abba!

Please visit Lydia's website at www.lydiadahling.com.