From Plain to the world
Joshua Sanders got discovered at age 12; contract in Germany
Sanders
During his senior year at UW-Madison, Joshua Sanders performed the role of Tobias in Madison Opera's 2015 production of "Sweeney Todd."
MADISON | OPERA IN THE PARK
Growing up in Plain, a town of 780 people about 45 minutes west of Madison, Joshua Sanders loved to sing along with the Michael Jackson album "Thriller" as a kid and thought he'd grow up to be a pop star.
The love of music stayed — but took a surprisingly operatic turn. With a touch of cabaret.
After Plain, Sanders attended UW-Madison and studied voice, focusing on classical music to make himself as versatile as possible.
"I realized that if I could gain mastery over my voice in classical way, it would sort of allow me to do anything else I wanted to do — whether that was to chase that pop star dream and be like Michael Jackson, or be on Broadway, or whatever," he said.
As part of his eclectic resume, in the last year the 31-year-old has performed or understudied in America's top opera houses: the Met in New York, the Lyric in Chicago and the Los Angeles Opera in L.A. He's also done cabaret and recently wrapped up a drag show performance at New York's Lincoln Center with stars from "RuPaul's Drag Race."
This fall, Sanders will head to a large opera house in Germany on a two-year contract, a plum performance job in a country where classical music is deeply woven into everyday life.
But first, on Saturday night, he'll be in Madison to take the stage at Opera in the Park, a free showcase of music under the stars in Garner Park on Madison's West Side.
"It's such a blast. I get to do it with people who feel like family. My best friend's dad" will be conducting, Sanders said. "It really feels like an awesome homecoming and the best way to leave on a high note and go to Europe."
'Your son has a gift'
Sanders got on the professional track after singing a solo in his school choir concert while a student at River Valley Middle School, he said. A woman from the audience rushed up to him afterwards and demanded to meet his parents.
"I don't know if you know this," she told them, "but your son has a gift."
That stranger turned out to be Jan Swenson, a local choral conductor and musician, who was able to refer the young Sanders to a voice teacher in Plain. After that, "I kept singing and singing and singing," he said.
At age 12, he landed a gig at American Players Theatre to record a song with Shakespearean lyrics that they used in a production. He earned the princely sum of $25 — and felt like a pro.
In college, Sanders won a coveted spot in the studio of then-UW-Madison vocal professor Julia Faulkner and became great friends with fellow student Jennifer DeMain, the daughter of Madison Symphony Orchestra maestro John DeMain.
A master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music followed, as did three years off Broadway. But soon, he said, "I found myself missing the grand scale of opera," he said, "the way that it allows me to use my voice to the fullest extent and pushes me to my limits."
At Opera in the Park, Sanders will be on stage with featured vocalists Katerina Burton, Weston Hurt and Milwaukee native Emily Fons, along with the Madison Opera Chorus and the Madison Symphony Orchestra, conducted by DeMain. Sanders will sing crowd-pleasers such as the tenor aria from "Elixir of Love," popularized by the legendary Luciano Pavarotti, plus a duet from Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" and more.
Changing plans
Sanders was scheduled to appear as Count Almaviva in Madison Opera's production of "The Barber of Seville" this fall. But he had to bow out because of that unexpected job offer: joining the ensemble of soloists at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, in a city just west of Frankfurt.
"An ensemble position, in the context of a German opera house, is a position where you go in and sing all the roles that the opera house has your type of voice to do," he explained.
"So, this first season, I'm doing a smattering of roles, everything from character roles like Spoletta in 'Tosca' to leading roles like Count Almaviva. So, they can use me across the board in different genres, different styles, and as my time there grows, and my relationship with them develops … they will start to plug me into different repertoire throughout the seasons."
Kathryn Smith, general director of Madison Opera, said that when Sanders got his ensemble offer from Germany, she didn't hesitate to release him from his Madison contract. "Full-time work in opera is rare, and a 'fest contract,' as it's called, is a great opportunity for him to sing many different roles while earning a steady paycheck," Smith said.
Sanders' history with Madison Opera goes back to his days as a high school apprentice for the Downtown opera company. He sang in the chorus through college and eventually landed the role of Tobias Ragg in "Sweeney Todd." Sanders' father passed away in that time frame "which was very difficult," but his Madison Opera "family" offered tremendous support, he said.
"Madison Opera has been so supportive me over the years," he said. "Writing letters of recommendation for me. They hosted my senior recital at Madison Opera Center. They've hosted some other recitals for me when I was raising money to go abroad. They feel like family."
His mother and stepfather never miss a performance.
He also has a flourishing career as a cabaret artist. In drag performances he goes by the name Pretty Lamé "and we do a lot of blending of classical and nonclassical music," he said. "We just did a concert of opera hits with sort of a drag cabaret mix at Lincoln Center in New York City, with a full orchestra and some luminaries and winners from the 'RuPaul's Drag Race' franchise."
"I've done an original piece for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami …. to basically 'drag Florida politics' and let the people know what's going on," he said. Last summer, Sanders also was commissioned by the New York State Commission of the Arts to put together a PRIDE show at the Hudson Opera House.
"I'm very excited about the possibility of bringing that work over to Europe, as well," he said. As for opera, "Germany offers a very different environment. I think (it's) simply the fact that art is state funded over there, so it has a different feeling," he said. "People, I think, are more excited about the art. "
On Sept. 24, Sanders will turn 32, and his contract in Germany starts the next day.
"It's this weird, cosmic moment," he said, "where I feel like everything is aligning and the universe is kind of letting me know I'm in the right place at the right time."
If you go
What: Opera in the Park, produced by Madison Opera
When: 8 p.m. Saturday (rain date Sunday)
Where: Garner Park, 333 S. Rosa Road
Admission: Free
Details: madisonopera.org
