Festival Opera takes on demanding ‘Norma’ in Walnut Creek

The title role of “Norma” is one of the opera world’s great challenges — one that can either strike fear in a soprano’s heart, or give her the thrill of a lifetime.

For Shana Blake Hill, it’s the latter. Hill, who returns to Festival Opera this month to star in the company’s new production of Bellini’s 1831 bel canto masterpiece, is deeply immersed in the role — and says it’s both a challenge and a pleasure.

“It’s a tremendous mantle to take on your shoulders,” the soprano explained in a recent phone call. “I’ve performed other great opera diva vehicles that have a similar feeling to them. But Norma’s distinct.”

“This role requires athleticism, endurance, technique,” she added. “It’s really a showcase of everything that the operatic voice can do, and everything that the operatic actress can be. In that sense, it’s my Olympic moment.”

Festival Opera’s production, set for performances July 8 and 10 at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, also features mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon as Adalgisa and tenor Dane Suarez as Pollione. Mark Foehringer directs, and Bryan Nies is the conductor.

Hill, a native of North Carolina based in Southern California, is a versatile artist who’s sung a range of roles, from the Countess in “The Marriage of Figaro” to Maria in “West Side Story,” and recorded new works such as Bright Sheng’s “The Phoenix” on the Naxos label. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and an alumna of Los Angeles Opera’s resident artist program, she says she’s waited years for a chance to sing the title role of “Norma.”

Now she’s ready, and says she’s focused on the essence of the character. “I’ve really distilled it down to one word: integrity.”

Integrity is certainly one of the opera’s themes. Set during war between the Romans and the Gauls, Norma, the Druid high priestess, is in love with the Roman proconsul Pollione — and has borne two of his children. But Pollione has turned his attention to the young priestess Adalgisa — leaving Norma with a life-or-death choice, to pursue love or defend her people. Bellini’s score contains some of opera’s most beloved music, including the timeless aria, “Casta Diva.”

Hill’s only previous Festival Opera appearance was in 2019, singing the title role of “Susannah.” In many ways, Carlyle Floyd’s opera, set in a Tennessee mountain valley, couldn’t be more different than “Norma.” But Hill says there are similarities: both operas are set at a crossroads, with uncommonly strong women at the center.

Dixon, who is singing the first Adalgisa of her career, agrees.

“These two women are caught in a love triangle — and Adalgisa chooses friendship,” says the Atlanta-based mezzo-soprano, a recent graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship Program. “This is rare — in ‘Anna Bolena’ or the other Tudor operas, everything blows up. That almost happens in ‘Norma,’ but Adalgisa’s true to herself, strong in her belief.”

It’s a challenging role, she adds — but one she’s always wanted to sing. “I really admire her as a character. She’s so noble, and her strength comes out in her music.

“It’s something you don’t see a lot in opera — strong friendships between women who aren’t related. So I’m very excited to sing those duets onstage. They’re so beautiful. The first thing I ever heard from ‘Norma’ was the duet between Pollione and Adalgisa — it was a Richard Tucker Gala with Tatiana Troyanos and Placido Domingo. I just loved it — I don’t even want to know what my view count was on YouTube! The music is so arresting, so bel canto.”

Hill allows that the technical demands of “Norma” are daunting — “like a marathon,” she says — but believes that preparation is everything. “It’s just choreographing it as best I can, anticipating things in a way that’s flexible, not so set in stone. That’s always the journey — to be in a fresh, prepared, flexible place.”

Bellini’s score, she adds, offers its own kind of support.

“What I know for sure, whenever I touch this score, is that Bellini both loved and knew women. And he loved Norma. There are some operas where you’re not sure if the composer really loves you or not: I would argue that in ‘Turandot,’ Puccini loved Liu better than he loved Turandot.”

“There’s no question that Bellini loved Norma,” Hill said. “I’ve never seen such a Technicolor picture of emotion inside each moment as there is in this score. Emotion, drama, spectacle and real humanity — there really is a reason why people call it a perfect opera.”

Contact Georgia Rowe at [email protected].

‘NORMA’

By Vincenzo Bellini, presented by Festival Opera

When: 7:30 p.m. July 8, 2 p.m. July 10

Where: Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek

Tickets: $45-$95; www.festivalopera.org.