Nico Darmanin has followed in the footsteps of Joseph Calleja as he debuted earlier this month at the prestigious Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London. He tells Veronica Stivala that it can get lonely along the way, but the beautiful music always saves the day.
Nico DarmaninIt’s not every day that you meet an opera singer who studied law. Rarer still, one who is lucky enough to be working as a full-time professional tenor. But Nico Darmanin, 29, is no ordinary fellow.
For one, he was chosen as one of only 12 other singers from the world over to study at the National Opera Studio. An intense, nine-month, professional course, sponsored by the major opera houses in the UK, changed his life completely.
But before we discuss this, I’m curious to learn about Darmanin’s unusual career move.
It all started with Mozart. Noting how he always had a passion for music, Darmanin had a special soft spot for the German classical composer, whose music used to give him goose bumps.
Although he studied piano, he was far better at singing, which he took up at a late stage, aged 18, when Gillian Zammit encouraged him to do so, alongside his law course.
I have made many sacrifices along the way, some of which were slightly daunting
Feeling limited as a musician in Malta, he successfully auditioned for a Master’s in Advanced Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music.
It was, however, not till September 2012 when Darmanin started his studies as only one of 12 singers from all over the world at the National Opera Studio that his eyes were really opened. This changed his life completely, he says.
“It helped me understand the demands of a proper professional operatic career and it prepared me as an individual artist, helping me flourish in the repertoire I do best... which is the Rossini repertoire.”
Darmanin was lucky and talented enough to land a contract with Intermusica – currently one of the leading agencies in the world.
The singer has worked lined up for an entire year, with some other works already contracted for 2015 and 2016 for various opera companies. Because his work is dotted over Europe, he is still deciding where to live, as he will be no more than two months in one place.
Darmanin is humbled at how “wonderful” it is to be an artist but admits that it is stressful to be always on the road in his early days.
“I have made many sacrifices along the way, some of which were slightly daunting,” he confides.
“It can get lonely, especially for a younger, less established artist, but thank God, we have a lot of beautiful music to study and perform during those lonelier moments.”
Darmanin debuted at the Royal Opera House in Les Vêpres Siciliennes on October 17; his November 4 performance will be aired live in Malta. He is the youngest in the cast.
The story behind how he landed such a role in such a competitive music world is interesting:Darmanin auditioned for the Royal Opera House Young Artist programme last December but did not make it through to the final round.
As luck would have it, Royal Opera House casting director Peter Katona was sitting in on the semi-finals panel.
Just as Darmanin was packing to catch a flight to Malta, he received a call asking him to go back to the opera house for a working session with Antonio Pappano, one of the leading conductors in the world of opera, who is also musical director at the opera house.
Needless to say, he cancelled the flight and stayed on in London. It was a “dream come true” to get the “best gift ever” when he was offered the role of Danieli in Les Vêpres Siciliennes just nine months away. This was rare as usually singers are cast years in advance.
Speaking about the “beautiful five-week rehearsal process”, Darmanin says:
“It is the perfect role to debut in a major opera house like this; I have been very observant and have learnt more in these past five weeks than I have ever before. It is a completely different ball game at this level. Being well prepared is an essential element, but most importantly one must be dynamic and flexible as there are various demands both in musical and physical interpretation.”
The tenor is very excited to perform the eight performances and of course, says the fact that the opera will be televised around the world will be fantastic exposure. He feels lucky that it will also be aired in Malta, as many of his friends and family cannot come to watch.
Darmanin has performed in front of big names in the opera world, including Jonas Kauffman, Joyce Di Donato, Antonio Pappano and Dame Janet Baker.
A landmark in his career was singing a duet from Rossini’s trying La Cenerentola. Although he was so nervous he felt his heart beating in his chest “like it had never before”, he thought to himself this is what he was destined to do, and realised how much he loves every second on stage.
The future looks bright for this young tenor, who will make his debut in Der Rosenkavalier for the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp in December with further performances at the Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg, in 2014.
Les Vêpres Siciliennes will be aired live at Eden Cinemas on November 4.
www.edencinemas.com.mt