Suzanna Guzman

Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán hosts "Open Call," KCET's new Thursday evening show featuring performances at Southern California's top arts schools and institutions. The L.A. native maintains an active performing schedule - her next gig is singing the role of Bertha in San Diego Opera's production of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," opening April 21 - and helps groom young artists as the director of L.A. County High School for the Arts' Office of Community Engagement. Tell me about "Open Call.

Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzmán hosts "Open Call," KCET's new Thursday evening show featuring performances at Southern California's top arts schools and institutions. The L.A. native maintains an active performing schedule - her next gig is singing the role of Bertha in San Diego Opera's production of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," opening April 21 - and helps groom young artists as the director of L.A. County High School for the Arts' Office of Community Engagement. Tell me about "Open Call.

You don't look like an opera singer." That's what the kids tell her and it makes sense. The only opera singers most of them have seen are of the Looney Toons variety--zaftig, with a horned hat and a vibrato you could drive a Mack truck through. But even taking into account the multicultural, multifaceted appearances of real opera singers, the kids are still right. With her long dark hair and lanky grace, Suzanna Guzman looks more like a folk singer than a mezzo-soprano.

My introduction to the world of opera was when I saw Guzman perform the role of Paula in "Florencia en el Amazonas" almost two years ago. I had headed to the opera because it was in Spanish, the composer was Mexican and I believed I could relate to it, even though the traditional world of opera was foreign to me. After the performance, I introduced myself to Guzman and found her approachable and gracious. It's great that she's making herself accessible to her community as a role model for young women, and Latinas in particular.

When Suzanna Guzman was growing up in El Sereno in East Los Angeles she never thought she was destined to play the world's greatest opera houses. For starters, she knew nothing about opera. If anything, she wanted to be an actress or a rock singer. Even today she comes across as a girl-next-door type--friendly, open and unpretentious--not what one might expect of a mezzo-soprano on the rise.

Bravo! L.A. Times for "A Generation of L.A. Opera Singers Comes of Age" by Jan Breslauer (Oct. 15). I am a huge fan of L.A. Opera and it's about time that the company and its artists get the exposure they deserve. L.A. Opera is truly a gem and deserves more attention than it is receiving. That is why I was pleasantly surprised when I turned to the Calendar section and saw the familiar faces of Rodney Gilfry, Suzanna Guzman, Greg Fedderly and Hector Vasquez. Opera is alive and kicking, but the general public is not aware of this.

There are a lot of classical music performers nowadays who think that talking with an audience will make a concert a more user-friendly experience. That's not necessarily so. Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, who appeared at Luckman Theater at Cal State L.A. Sunday, talked almost as much as she sang, inserting jokes and reminiscences of her East L.A. childhood into her preambles, and calling the amalgam an "urban recital." But the effort was only episodically successful.

My introduction to the world of opera was when I saw Guzman perform the role of Paula in "Florencia en el Amazonas" almost two years ago. I had headed to the opera because it was in Spanish, the composer was Mexican and I believed I could relate to it, even though the traditional world of opera was foreign to me. After the performance, I introduced myself to Guzman and found her approachable and gracious. It's great that she's making herself accessible to her community as a role model for young women, and Latinas in particular.

Four Latino artists will discuss their work and how it is affected by their culture at a forum Saturday at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Griffith Park. The panel will feature composer Osvaldo Golijov, mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, actor-director Tony Plana and visual artist Frank Romero. The event begins at 2 p.m. and is open to the public, although reservations are required. For reservations and information, call (213) 972-0704.

Whew, just in the nick of time! I was about to give up on your "chichi froufrou, circa Rodeo Drive" publication when, out of the blue, a real magazine revealed itself (March 7). Did you fire your entire staff and replace them with real people? This issue was authentic, even down to the house you highlighted ("Character Building," by Barbara Thornburg). The article on Suzanna Guzman ("The Accidental Opera Singer," by Mary McNamara) was uplifting, and the article on the man who changed his name to God was the best ever ("A Little Bit of Heaven in Hollywood," by R. Daniel Foster)

You don't look like an opera singer." That's what the kids tell her and it makes sense. The only opera singers most of them have seen are of the Looney Toons variety--zaftig, with a horned hat and a vibrato you could drive a Mack truck through. But even taking into account the multicultural, multifaceted appearances of real opera singers, the kids are still right. With her long dark hair and lanky grace, Suzanna Guzman looks more like a folk singer than a mezzo-soprano.

There are a lot of classical music performers nowadays who think that talking with an audience will make a concert a more user-friendly experience. That's not necessarily so. Mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman, who appeared at Luckman Theater at Cal State L.A. Sunday, talked almost as much as she sang, inserting jokes and reminiscences of her East L.A. childhood into her preambles, and calling the amalgam an "urban recital." But the effort was only episodically successful.

Bravo! L.A. Times for "A Generation of L.A. Opera Singers Comes of Age" by Jan Breslauer (Oct. 15). I am a huge fan of L.A. Opera and it's about time that the company and its artists get the exposure they deserve. L.A. Opera is truly a gem and deserves more attention than it is receiving. That is why I was pleasantly surprised when I turned to the Calendar section and saw the familiar faces of Rodney Gilfry, Suzanna Guzman, Greg Fedderly and Hector Vasquez. Opera is alive and kicking, but the general public is not aware of this.

When Suzanna Guzman was growing up in El Sereno in East Los Angeles she never thought she was destined to play the world's greatest opera houses. For starters, she knew nothing about opera. If anything, she wanted to be an actress or a rock singer. Even today she comes across as a girl-next-door type--friendly, open and unpretentious--not what one might expect of a mezzo-soprano on the rise.

The William Hall Chorale, augmented by a spiffy little orchestra, managed to meld Baroque sensibilities and the sheer volume of today's sonic allure in an exciting performance on Friday night of Handel's "Messiah." Performing in Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Hall had his 100-voice chorale scale down its massive output to manageable dynamic size, and the conductor's introduction of all manner of ornamentation was well executed by these forces.

A basso from Irvine took first-place honors in the Third Annual Mario del Monaco Vocal Competition Saturday at St. Boniface Church in Anaheim. John Weiss, 36, won the $500 top prize for singing "Che mai vegg'io" from Verdi's "Ernani" and "La calunnia" from Rossini's "Il Barbieri di Siviglia." The second-place prize of $300 went to mezzo-soprano Suzanna Guzman from Pasadena. Guzman, who did not give her age, sang arias from Menotti's "The Medium" and Bizet's "Carmen."