Conductor Conversations: Joseph Young on Blue

Joseph Young, currently in his sixth season as Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony, is making his Lyric debut with Blue. He previously served as the Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Spano and Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Here he talks about conducting new work, favorite moments, and this opera's special appeal.

You were among the first artists to bring this score to life — at Washington National Opera in the 2022/23 Season. How is approaching a new work different from working on a classic? 

Working with a new piece, you open a score and you're on this new planet, with a new atmosphere, new language, new everything. Even with works in the canon, there is something to discover. In a piece like this that's so humanistic, it was easy to open the score and see and hear relatable things. There are hymns. There are prayers. Musically, as well as with the text and the story, there are things that I was able to grasp onto really quickly. 

Has any aspect become your favorite?

So many favorite parts. The moments that really hit me are the scenes with the girlfriends — the idea of this fun, playful relationship between four women when we first see them, and then this painful reality of trying to be there for a friend while grappling over present-day issues. Why are those my favorite parts? Because those are things that we challenge ourselves every day to try to navigate around. And it's great to see art do that for us — give us perspective.

That was the draw of the work for you?

Part of the reason I wanted to do this opera is, how many times do we get art that can tell us how to handle things? How many times in art are we able to gain strength to walk outside of the hall and go on living our lives? This is such an important piece. As an artist, I like to say this is my protein to go out there and have the strength to continue another day.

That makes for a powerful audience experience.

That's the reason everyone should come see this opera; this is the fuel that we need, because these problems don't go away. Whatever issues that we may face, we're looking for something not to retell the story, but to make us stronger for the opportunity to tell our own stories. And this is that communal space for that.

That's rather unusual.

Sometimes we come to performances for escape. Sometimes we just want to laugh. I think every piece of art is different. And I have never experienced a piece of art like this where, while I'm in the process, it is telling me, "You're going to be okay."

Does that make this a good first opera?

This could be a first opera for many people because, again, I think from the first downbeat, you feel like you're connected to the story. From the first time you see the girlfriends come out, from the first time you see a mother and father who are overjoyed by having a son, you can see something in your own life. It's a human story. It's in English. It has a dynamic score.

Can you give us another example?

There's a theme when the father finally gets to hold the baby. Jeanine Tesori creates this almost slow waltz; it's the sound of the love of the family as they are figuring out how to take care of this newborn. That's one of the most touching moments in the second scene. And at the end of the opera, when that same slow waltz happens again, it's also one of the most heartbreaking moments. This time, the mother and father have to sing that and think about how that's never going to happen again.

The music is crucial to telling the story.

Tesori is someone I've always really loved. The first CD I ever bought was Thoroughly Modern Millie, and I played that on repeat so many times. She has this amazing way of creating tension, but also the joyfulness that you don't hear in a lot of opera scores. So it's a very relatable score.

It makes us feel like we're part of the community.
My other favorite part is that at the end of the opera, there is this huge hymn that happens where the whole congregation stands, the whole community is there, and they're singing a hymn of strength, I would say. It's that moment where it's hard to contain the emotion, but we all understand that this is where the power comes from. This is the power that we need to get through the next day.