Scarsdale's Opera Prodigy Joseph Kaiser's On A Roll

It's rare that a singer is comfortable with words, unless they're accompanied by a melody line.

Tenor, and rising Metropolitan Opera star, Joseph Kaiser, has no such problem.

When questioned about his upcoming Manhattan performance, in the New York Festival Of Song, Kaiser states his feelings about the show eloquently.

"In this day and age, everything seems to move at about 100 miles an hour," Kaiser says. "Whether it's the 24-hour news cycle, or life itself, so much of our lives seem to have become accelerated to an unnatural degree. One of the things about hearing live music, opera in particular, is that you can experience it in the moment, in real time. It's good for people to be able to luxuriate in something like music and not feel so rushed when they're doing it."

Lovers of the romantic song, and its finest composers, such as Strauss, Rachmaninoff and Alban Berg, will understand Kaiser's sentiments better, if they come to Manhattan's Merkin Concert Hall on February 16th and 18th, for NYFOS' "The Voluptuous Muse."

Here, Kaiser, along with renowned singers, Kate Lindsey, Dina Kuznetsova and others, will be presenting late-19th and early 20th century songs. All in the romantic tradition.

Kaiser, 32, born and raised in Montreal, says the simplicity and intimacy of the festival always makes the evening special.

"It's a thrill to sing with the Met," he says. "But as exciting as it is, when you perform in  a large hall, there are a lot of obstacles between you and the audience. Many concertgoers are far away. You are wearing a costume. And you are acting as a character in a story. NYFOS is a whole different beast. The intimacy of Merkin Hall and the fact that all of us are singing as ourselves, no costumes, no masks, makes the experience thrillingly immediate."

The tenor is quick to praise, not only his fellow singers on the bill, but pianist and accompanist Steven Blier, who, Kaiser calls, "The Chef de Cuisine," of the upcoming evening. 

"Unlike the traditional opera performance, we're only going to have piano accompaniment at these dates. That means there's a lot of pressure on the pianist to create a full sound. Although he plays piano, I tend to think of Steven as a great chef, a culinary master. Perhaps that's  because he can make any selection, any musical dish, if you will, seem delicious to the audience. That's a rare gift."

Then, there's Kaiser's own singular gift of being able to deliver a song in such an intimate setting. He says part of the credit should go to Montreal's McGill University, where he studied music and voice.

"One of the things I concentrated on at McGill was song interpretation. I use to spend an entire semester just working on a single song cycle. There was an intensity and an attention to detail that I learned there, that has really helped me as an interpreter."

"Once you know a piece that well, it gives you a tremendous sense of stylistic courage. You also learn to slow down and really enjoy the piece, too. And, if you're lucky, the audience enjoys it that intensely, as well."

As much regard as Kaiser has for his "day job" with The Met, he evinces a fondness for NYFOS that is is palpable and contagious.

"I started doing the festival in 2002, if memory serves. The impact the performance had, on me and the crowd, was immediate. And it has stayed that way. It's sort of nerve-wracking to be singing the sort of strange, almost atonal stuff that Berg writes, in front of people who are 50 feet away. And doing it as Joe, the singer. Not Don Jose  from 'Carmen,' or as a character from 'Tosca.' In this situation, you have to be willing to be vulnerable and have the courage to let people see you that way."

"At the festival, we have a real responsibility to take the audience away, to transport them, with just our voices and these songs. The risks make it thrilling for me. And I think, under the right circumstances, it should be just as thrilling for the people who come and hear us."

The New York Festival Of Song (The Voluptuous Muse) will be held on February 16th and 18th, at 8:00 pm, at the Merkin Concert Hall. Tickets are available by calling 212-501-3330 or by going to www.kaufman-center.org.