THREE SINGING SISTERS Event Review! Seattle, WA 11/2/19
THREE SINGING SISTERS
The Costa-Jackson Sisters
McCaw Hall
Seattle, WA
11/2/19
Greetings,
Saturday evening McCaw Hall was the stage for the Three Singing Sisters Concert. Featuring two cast members from the very recent, “Cinderella” production by the Seattle Opera - mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson and coloratura soprano Miriam Costa-Jackson, along with third sister spinto lyric soprano Marina Costa-Jackson, the audience was delighted with an abundance of songs divided into three programs.
Accompanied by pianist John Keene with stage direction by Dan Wallace Miller, the first program consisted of opera songs from a wide range of productions, aside from the opening number of, “Sisters, Sisters” from White Christmas.
Ginger, Marina, and Miriam came out in beautiful evening gowns and proceeded to sing their hearts out. Each song featured a different configuration of singers. Most were solo pieces, a few were done as a duo, and of course there were songs where all three sisters were on stage.
With sixteen years of professional experience between the sisters, each number was performed with the level of skill one would expect from such talented performers. The program featured songs from Bizet, Verdi, Puccini, and Gounod among others.
After a short intermission, the second program began. Complete with a wardrobe change (sparkly evening gowns) this was the portion of the evening I was the most curious about - musical theater. Three of the five songs were done as a trio, with one as a duo, and one as a solo number. I found youngest sister Miriam’s voice the most suitable for the musical theater material. Don’t get me wrong, all three sounded great, but Miriam’s voice really worked well with the numbers chosen.
The third program was Neapolitan and Favorite Italian Songs. The sisters made mention and thanks to their mother who was in attendance at the performance. With a spotlight acknowledgment of mom, the sisters launched into, “Mamma son tanto felice”. Four of the songs were performed as a trio, and the other three were done as solo pieces for each sister.
By the end of the third program, the sisters took their bows, the audience rose to their feet, the sisters exited the stage, and the applause lasted until the Costa-Jackson Sisters returned to the stage for an encore.
“Nessun Dorma” brought the house down as the sisters once again thanked the audience and exited the stage for the night.
The concert was a revelation in sheer talent. It was fun seeing the performers sing songs that were out of opera character. I would of enjoyed more insight into the sisters as people (there was more staged banter than I would have liked) in-between songs but that’s a very minor quibble.
The lasting notes of the encore still ring in my ears today - two days later. What an impressive performance by three incredibly talented artists. Thank you for sharing your talents with Seattle!
Best,
Mark
Eclectic Arts
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