A Cup of Opera Soup

Lori Brown Mirabal came to Manhattan on a Greyhound bus. Traveling from Tennessee, she stayed with the friend of a teacher as she auditioned for a role. Determination backed by a powerful singing voice won her the role of Ella in Cal Calloway's "Bubblin' Brown Sugar."

Now, living in Maplewood with her husband and seventh grade daughter, Mirabal's view of Manhattan has changed. Not only is New York City and its performance stages familiar to her, but she has "made it," as the expression goes, in many ways.

Despite her early success in the world of Broadway music, Mirabal felt the pull of opera. Even when she was in rehearsal for "Bubblin' Brown Sugar," she practiced arias in her dressing room. When she returned to Tennessee after a summer singing showtunes, she announced to her family that opera was her next destination.

She found success after further education, including stints at both Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard. Her Manhattan School of Music experience came by way of a scholarship from Oprah Winfrey, and that experience led her to the Juilliard Opera Center. 

A mezzo-soprano, Mirabal soon shared the stage with such musical luminaries as Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. She played the role of "Adelaide Bobo" in a world-premiere opera entitled "Les Negres" at Opera de Lyon in France. Other career highlights include the title role in "Carmen" with the New York City Opera National Tour, "Queenie" in the Broadway revival of "Showboat," a featured appearance in the PBS television documentary "Aida's Brothers and Sisters," and a comical cameo performance in the major motion picture The Secret Lives of Dentists.

At the same time, Mirabal remained interested in education. Her mother was a career teacher, and her father a minister who wrote songs. Perhaps Mirabal felt the pull of family passions when she earned a 2007 Masters degree in Music Education from Columbia University Teacher College. A doctorate followed, and the singer is now "Dr. Mirabal."

But with a daughter at Clinton School, soon headed for South Orange Middle School, Mirabal was also mom to a tween. The lifestyle of an opera singer involves considerable travel, keeping Mirabal away from Maplewood and family too often for her liking.  

Recalling her passion for Carmen's title role, Mirabal came up with a solution. "If you consider the 'main ingredients' that comprise an opera," explains Mirabal, "story, music, musicians, and singers, then Carmen has the best of these. The story has a timeless theme of love and jealousy, the music is catchy and memorable, and the characters are distinctive and multi-faceted.  All of these, along with an opportunity to visit the ever-intriguing Spanish culture make this opera a winner!" She decided to share her experience with a different audience this time. 

Mirabal combined her musical experience with what she had learned of education and brewed Opera Soup, her home-grown production company. Now Mirabal performs in schools throughout the tri-state region, presenting assemblies that focus on music and culture. (In our district, such assemblies are generally known as "Cultural Arts.")

Mirabal offers four different shows. The first, "Opera Soup," is for the youngest students, and focuses on the "main ingredients" of music. "A Musical Toast to Marian Anderson" is designed for third grade through middle school students and looks at the legacy of African-American contralto Marian Anderson. A favorite with middle school through adult audiences, "That Spicey Gypsy Girl" is a study in opera by way of "Carmen." "Songs of Passion and Love" is an adult-oriented performance of opera and classical music.

"It's important for kids to see themselves in the music and on the stage," says Mirabal, explaining her diverse selections. "And they connect with it right away, even though opera sometimes has a reputation for being less accessible."

Mirabal's commitment to music has taken her around the world and brought her back home to Maplewood. She serves as South Orange Middle School's Home-School Association Music and Art Coordinator, sometimes on the same day she performs for large audiences in renowned concerts halls. Mirabal laughs at the contrast. "That's opera soup," she says.