Singer Spotlight: Paul Just

Singer Spotlight Paul Just

Paul Just, tenor, is very pleased to be working with DragonDiva Operatic Theatre once again. He was last seen with Dragon Diva as Lord Tolloller in the 2009 production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe and the previous summer's The Elixir of Love by Gaetano Donizetti.  Paul began taking formal lessons at the age of 19 at St. John's University in Minnesota.  After receiving his B.A. in Vocal Performance in 2005, Paul then moved to Vancouver and began his M.Mus in Opera at the University of British Columbia.  After completing his formal education in 2009, Paul began to study privately with baritone Peter Barcza, with whom he is currently studying.  Some of his favorite roles over the near decade that he's been singing include Nemorino in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore, Eisenstein in Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus and Edgardo in Donizetti's bel canto masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor. In 2004, Paul had the great distinction of premiering the title role in the American one-act opera, The King's Tower, by composer Tim Cheesebrow. Paul is proud to join the stage with the alumnae of DragonDiva Operatic Theatre for an evening of operatic projects of the past, present and future!

We caught up with Paul and
asked him a few questions to
whet your appetite for the
show.

(Q) Can you describe one
of your favorite moments
from a DragonDiva Production?


(A) One of my favorite
moments of the DragonDiva Productions that I've been in was during The Elixir of Love, when the mute character, Sasparilla (Carolyn Barker) saw that some wine had been spilled on the stage during the middle of a scene and proceeded to lick it off the floor using her hand.  I was in stitches, the audience was in stitches, and I have rarely seen such dedication to a role as I did that night.

(Q) What is the most obscure/strange opera
that you can think of and what makes it
interesting?

(A) The most obscure opera that I can think
of...hmm.  That is an unfair question
because I live and love obscure opera.
HAHA! I'd have to say one of those that I
consider an  opera rara would have to be
Verdi's Un giorno di regno (otherwise
known as Il finto Stanislao). The world
has long ignored this opera, but I cannot
really see why? Verdi had some great
success with his first opera, Oberto,
conte di San Bonifacio, but his second
(and very nearly last) attempt at opera
and first attempt at comedy fell into
obscurity and oblivion. And that is an incredible shame.  Why I really enjoy this
one so much is two-fold: 1) it's Verdi, so we already know it's genius and
2) it's a comedy (a funny one, at that), something Verdi didn't do again until
the end of his career.  I think it needs to be brough out of obscurity because
all of Verdi's music, no matter what Verdi may have thought of it, needs to
be heard! (As does much obscure music that is ignored!)
 Who knew you were such an opera rara afficionado, well actually we did
know, that's why we come to you with this question.  We knew you would
be able to answer with gusto and penache ;)

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