Soprano Brenda Rae traveled to Philadelphia on short notice to assume the lead soprano role in Mozart’s “Mitridate, re di Ponto” for the Opera Philadelphia’s opening night, replacing Lauren Snouffer. Rae joined tenor Lawrence Brownlee and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo for the performance Wednesday night at the Academy of Music.
Rae was in Wisconsin visiting her father when she received the offer to step into the production. “It’s kind of a funny feeling,” Rae said. “It's almost like: What just happened? Or did we really do it?”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed the opera in 1770 at the age of 14. “Mitridate” tells the story of a tyrannical leader who feigns his death to test his sons' loyalty to his fiancée. The opera concludes with the title character's suicide.
Rae had been scheduled for a break between a July premiere and upcoming rehearsals for a role debut in Seattle Opera’s production of Richard Strauss' "Salome." She had previously performed the role of Aspasia, the fiancée, twice with Brownlee at Boston Lyric Opera in September 2024. Rehearsals for “Mitridate” began on August 13, and Snouffer’s departure was finalized on the Thursday prior to the opening.
Anthony Roth Costanzo, the company's general director, described the decision-making process as collaborative. “I don’t believe in being autonomous in those things unless it’s absolutely necessary and I think we just wanted to make sure that everyone was doing what was best for them,” Costanzo said. Bill Palant, Snouffer’s representative at Étude Arts, declined to comment.
Michael Eberhard, Opera Philadelphia's director of casting and artistic administration, contacted Rae on Thursday morning to inquire about her availability for the production, which included three performances through September 13. Rae initially felt they might not need her but took her score to Wisconsin just in case.
Philadelphia did not have readily available cover singers, and the company determined that obtaining a U.S. visa for a soprano from Europe would take too long. Costanzo stated that if Rae had declined, the company might have considered a younger singer or, as a last resort, cut Aspasia’s arias and duet, leaving only her recitative.
Rae booked flights for Saturday, and after a flight cancellation, she arrived at the Academy of Music in time for the orchestra’s dress rehearsal that evening. Costume and wig fittings took place during breaks. Aspasia’s costume was an off-white Oscar de la Renta pantsuit purchased online.
Lawrence Brownlee recalled telling Rae, “Anything you need, I'm here for you. Thank you for saving the show.”
Sunday involved a two-hour musical rehearsal with conductor Corrado Rovaris, followed by four hours with director Emma Griffin and assistant Colter Schoenfish. Monday night featured the final dress rehearsal, and Tuesday was spent with Grant Loehnig, the opera company's head of music staff, reviewing recitative passages that differed from the Boston production.
Rae noted that this last-minute substitution differed from a previous experience in 2012, when she took over the title role in Donizetti's “Lucia di Lammermoor” at the Vienna State Opera after two other singers fell ill. "I've done jump-ins in the past, but they’ve always been for roles that I’ve done fairly often or at least did a big run of them where I felt like they were more — were part of my standard repertoire," Rae said. "This one has been especially stressful just because it’s a Mozart opera, so there are lots of recitative and just all those words."
In the hours before opening night, Rae was managing practical concerns. Eberhard arranged for her to stay at the ROOST Midtown hotel. On Wednesday, Rae mentioned needing to do laundry, having arrived with only a small suitcase of clothing.