When Jack Swanson was in high school, he was singing a line from “La Bohème,” a popular Italian opera, during a performance with the Minnesota Opera. And suddenly, even though it was only a small moment, he felt bit by the opera bug. Since then, opera has taken him from his hometown in Minnesota to Rice University, where he studied vocal performance. Now, he’s back in Houston to star as the prince in Houston Grand Opera’s “Cinderella,” opening today and running through Nov. 9.
How did you first get into theater?
“My parents are actually both great singers themselves, but never pursued it as a career path. Still, I was surrounded by music, enjoyed and dabbled in theater. We did family theater shows when I was growing up. The path to theater came through music. I was always involved in the choir in high school. My choir director said, “Why don’t you start studying voice with this person we’re going to hire?” I started working with this guy and he said, ‘I think you have a voice for opera.’ I started to dive into what that might actually mean. I got to sing in the chorus of ‘La Bohème’ with Minnesota Opera when I was 17 or 18 years old. I got to go out and sing a tiny little line. I totally got the bug and decided I was going to go to school to pursue vocal performance and opera.”
How did your training at Rice prepare you for your career?
“When most people think opera or classical music, they tend to think more East Coast, New York. Rice is a hidden gem of the music and performing arts, especially in the South. I went to the Shepherd Music School at Rice because there’s a voice teacher, Stephen King, that I worked with in programs before. He’s an incredible teacher and also teaches at the Houston Grand Opera’s young artists program. It’s an excellent training program. Just being in Houston and being so close to an opera house like the Houston Grand Opera was really important, because we got to not only go see those performances, but also some of the inner workings of the opera house.”
What’s different about Houston’s newest version of Cinderella?
“There’s no fairy godmother. There’s actually a man named Alidoro that somewhat serves that purpose. Some productions make him more of a fairy godmother, but he’s really more of an advisor and tutor to the prince. In this version, the prince actually dresses as his servant and wants to find the person he’s going to spend the rest of his life with. He wants his love interest to love him for who he is and not for his money. Also, there’s an angry stepfather as opposed to the stepmother. There’s a bracelet instead of a slipper. Overall, the overarching theme is still close.”
This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
