Soprano Is at Home in Verdi’s Range

Verdi becomes her.

“The size of her voice, the richness, the ability to sing long lines . . . Deborah Voigt is like Zinka Milanov, one of the great Verdi sopranos,” said David DiChiera on Sunday at the post-performance gala saluting Voigt’s Orange County debut.

DiChiera, general director of Opera Pacific, was among about 80 guests gathered at Diva restaurant (where else?) in Costa Mesa to applaud the soprano’s performance as Leonora in “Il Trovatore” at Segerstrom Hall. Voigt’s father, Bob Voigt, and her stepmother, Lynn, were party hosts.

“This is an opera about love, lust, passion and revenge,” DiChiera noted as he waited for the Metropolitan opera soprano to make her entrance. “Leonora is a woman in love and two men--who don’t know they’re brothers--are vying for her affection. Voigt is superb in the role.”

But there was more to this night than praise. This was the night that Voigt, who attended

Cal State Fullerton, came home--back to the people who nourished her vocally and emotionally while she was honing a perfect pitch. Her mother, Joy, was there. Her brother, Kevin, a music composer and publisher, was on hand. Her stepsisters, Melinda and Marianne, were there. Her vocal teachers--Cal State Fullerton’s Jane Paul and Chapman University’s Patrick Goeser--were close by. And of course her husband of three years, John Leitich (whom she met in a public library in Placentia), was at her side.

“It was thrilling to see Debbie perform here for the first time--nice not to have to get on a plane,” said Joy, who attended with her husband, Don Muchlinski.

Said Bob Voigt: “We’re very proud of her; she is not only a talent, but a lovely person.”

Party guests stood and applauded madly when Voigt swept into the restaurant.

” Hi poopsie ,” whispered her mother. The two hugged. Hard. Her dad bussed her on the cheek.

“Hi Mom and Dad,” said Voigt, who looked regal in a royal blue silk dress.

How did she like her performance? “I think, since it was the first time I sang this role, that it went very well,” Voigt said. “I’m pleased it’s over. There was a lot of pressure. I am sure the next one will be better.”

Guests sipped fine wines and supped on gilled chicken with fettuccine and creme brulee.

Raising a toast to his daughter, Bob Voigt said the role of Leonora “was never sung better than it was tonight.”

“Friday will be better,” he added. “And next Sunday will be absolutely superb.”

What did the soprano, who makes her La Scala debut in May, think of Segerstrom Hall? “A great hall. Wonderful acoustics. Feels really nice.”

Does it compare with the Met? “I’d have to say they’re about equal, now, wouldn’t I?”

REVIEW

“Il Trovatore” and Deborah Voigt. F1