Allegra De Vita was given the role of the title in Tulsa Opera’s forthcoming performance of Rossini’s “L’Italiana in Algeri,” the mezzo-soprano was aware that this wasn’t the kind of character she had a difficult time relating to.
“Oh No,” De Vita said with a laugh. “This was like typing for me. It’s evident that she’s a Southern Italian girl. I didn’t have to go into too much detail to understand this persona.”
“L’Italiana in Algeri,” or “The Italian Girl in Algiers,” is the story of the young woman Isabella who sets off in search of her fiancé, Lindoro, who never returned from what could be a short trip to another country.
Her ship is sunk on the shores of Algeria and she is held hostage by the servants of Mustafa who is the Turkish leader of the area — a man who happens to have been tired of his wife and believes that adding an Italian woman to his harem could make his life more interesting.
Isabella However, she is not planning to do any connection with Mustafa particularly when she finds out that Lindoro is currently one of the servants of the ruler and is expected to be the husband of Mustafa’s wife in order that Mustafa can pursue the Italian lady in Algiers.
“Isabella is among the most fun of Rossini’s women,” said De Vita who has performed in a variety of parts in her past. “She also has control over her destiny in a manner unlike any other Rossini character does. She knows what she wants and she’s determined to achieve it.”
The cast that will be joining De Vita in this production include Ashraf Sewailam as Mustafa, Aaron Crouch as Lindoro, Robert Mellon as Taddeo, Abigail Raiford as Elvira, Elissa Pfaender as Zulma and V. Savoy McIlwain as Haly.
Kimille Howard makes her Tulsa Opera debut as stage director. Leslie Dunner, who last performed in Tulsa as the conductor of a 2020 concert with Tulsa Symphony, will conduct the Tulsa Symphony, will conduct the Tulsa Opera orchestra.
Born in Connecticut, De Vita started singing lessons at the age of 14 however, it took her time before she realized that she could create an income from her voice.
“I would go to these auditions in big conservatories and then have conversations with those auditioning with me,” she said. “They were talking about things like ‘Opera is my life I can’t imagine life without it’ but I didn’t feel like that.”
She was a student at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut in which she earned the degree of biology with a focus on neuroscience.
“Part of it was due to the fact that I was born by two engineers,” De Vita said, smiling. “But my entire life I’ve been intrigued by neuroscience, since it’s such an ever-changing field.”
As De Vita was engaged in things like cutting chicken brains to earn her degree in science and also involved in the newly-formed music program. So, during her junior year “I began to make progress with my music. I also spoke with professionals in the industry, who informed my parents — but, more importantly, they convinced my parents that it was likely that I could create an income from opera.”
Then she earned a master’s degree in vocal performance at the University of Rice, and began to perform in opera companies across the country with roles that ranged from the pants-wearing role as Cherubino as in “The Marriage of the Figaro” to the principal character of the title role in “Carmen.”
De Vita said her work in biology assisted her in becoming an opera singer.
“I was required to read many lab reports that test your critical thinking skills,” she explained. “Opera is essentially a game that incorporates music, and I enjoy revisiting the text, and then going deep, analyzing it in order to find the key aspects it has,” she said. “I truly believe that if one do not fully comprehend the text then you’ll lose the motivation to sing in the first in the first place.”
The text of “L’Italiana in Algeri” together with director Howard De Vita helped De Vita craft a clear description of the type that Isabella is.
“We were having a lot of discussions about the character of Lindoro,” De Vita said. “My theory is that she’s between 18 and 19 years older, an orphan with no one to look to at the time Lindoro left for that trip and never returned.
“So she embarks in search of her lover,” she said. “Yes she’s an incredibly fiery woman however, underneath is a love that’s more intense and enduring and she’s prepared to go through all sorts of extremes in order to find her fiance.”
This will not be De Vita’s first experience to portray the character of Isabella; it will be her second opportunity to appear with Tulsa Opera. It was her part in the ensemble for Tulsa Opera’s original performance that was “Rigoletto,” which was presented in October 2020 at Tulsa’s ONEOK Field. She played Maddalena as the wife of hired killer Sparafucile.
“To be honest, I was delighted to be part of this performance,” she said. “It represented something that people from my generation believe that opera must be willing to change its structure in order to reach a larger public.
“But on a deeper scale, when I stepped foot on the field it was an unforgettable moment,” De Vita said. “We were in a capacity of a hundred and I was aware that there would be a significant number of people going to perform for the first experience of their lives, and were completely absorbed in the drama. It was definitely among the most memorable experiences I’ve had because it demonstrates that opera can create its magic wherever.”
