European star returns to his native Minnesota for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ role

by Sheila Regan

The Minnesota Opera’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” is something of a homecoming for tenor Evan LeRoy Johnson, who first appeared with the company while in high school. 

A Minnesota native, Johnson participated in what was then a youth training program called Project Opera (now Youth Opera Circle and Youth Opera Studio). Through that program, he sang in the chorus for Minnesota Opera’s “La bohème” as an apprentice. 

Since then, Johnson’s career has taken off in Europe. He got his first big break in Norway, while still in graduate school. He sang in Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem,” directed by opera auteur Celixto Bieto. “It was really intense,” Johnson told me. “It was one of the darker things I’ve done.” 

Then, a few years ago, the singer joined the ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera), and sang many roles with the company, and currently lives in Bavaria. He’s also performed widely around Europe and here in the U.S., at places like the Dallas Opera, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the San Francisco Opera. 

This week, the singer opens “Romeo and Juliet” opposite Jasmine Habersham, who plays Juliet. Habersham returns to the company after previous MN Opera performances like “Edward Tulane,” “The Fix,” and “Fellow Travelers.” Composed by Charles Gounod with lyrics by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré, the production is directed by Mathew Ozawa, while Johnson’s sister, Celeste Marie Johnson is the company’s principal coach and chorus director.  

Here’s an interview with Evan LeRoy Johnson, edited for length and clarity. 

SR: Can you tell me about growing up in Minnesota? 

ELJ: I’m originally from Pine Island, Minnesota, which is about 15 minutes north of Rochester. I actually grew up in the country, so not even in town. I’m a country boy. 

SR: You must have had a musical family, since you and your sister both ended up in the field.

ELJ: Yeah, actually, all my siblings, we are all musicians. Only Celeste and I do it professionally now, but my other siblings are also very gifted. We all played brass instruments, all played piano, we all sang in choir. I was also an organist. So there was a lot of music being made at the Johnson family.

SR: Were your parents musicians? What was the secret sauce? 

ELJ: I think I’d have to chalk that up to my mother, who is a very passionate classical music fan, and I think she saw some talent in us and also just wanted to share her passion for classical music, and specifically opera, with us. We grew up going to the student matinees of the dress rehearsals for Minnesota Opera. I think probably the first time I went was probably 7 years old, and saw a lot of opera all the way through high school. Then I was able to do Project Opera with the Minnesota Opera. 

SR: Did you know at that point you wanted to be an opera singer? 

ELJ: I think I was still discovering that world and what it meant. It was definitely a turning point with a big step in that it was the first time I was able to be on stage, and sing with an orchestra, sing with a chorus, see what that experience was like. It was definitely secured in my mind that this was something I wanted to continue to pursue and see how far I could get. 

SR: Have you worked with your sister professionally before?

ELJ: We’ve done some recitals before, but never in this context. Even last night and the night before, she’s out there with her music stand, checking notes and I see her out there in the corner. So it’s a unique and new experience for us. 

SR: Have you played Romeo before? 

ELJ: This is my debut as Romeo. It’s always kind of been a dream role of mine. It’s something about the beauty of the music. The character has a lot of heroic qualities in his lines that I’ve always just really wanted to emulate and connect with. He’s such an interesting character. You’re playing these people with such raw, young emotions. He’s 16, and just the way he expresses himself is kind of free of a lot of the negative experiences that some of us adults have gathered over the years from getting our hearts broken, from disappointments and all that. And somehow that purity combined with rapturous music is very intoxicating just to play and to listen to and also to sing. It’s very fun. 

SR: How do you find that lightness of such a young character? How do you find that part of yourself? 

EJL: I think that’s the interesting thing about this project. Ultimately I’m not sure I will be able to exactly portray a 16-year-old, because can you really portray something that you aren’t anymore? You try and deliver the character. For me, I’m finding that there’s just a lot more lightness in my body. When I’m thinking and I’m trying to move as Romeo on stage, I feel much lighter than I would normally walk as Evan. I just have this little bit of spring in my step, and there’s just a little bit more excitement. I’m very connected to the music, so I portray Romeo by trying to understand the music and let the music be in my body. Then I add in the acting and all this kind of stuff.  

SR: What about, playing off your Juliet or playing off the other characters? Does that help as well?

EJL: Oh, for sure, Jasmine is great. It was very easy working with her. It’s kind of a vulnerable situation when you’re with someone that you’ve never met before, and suddenly you’re trying to fall in love, and it can be a stressful experience, but I was very lucky to get a great scene partner, and there really hasn’t been any awkwardness. We’re just both telling our stories as Romeo and Juliet, and we have people in the rehearsal room to kind of help that process go well and assist us if we didn’t feel comfortable with the intimacy. We’re both just throwing ourselves into the roles and trying to get a really good product for the audience. And I think we’re also having a lot of fun while doing it.

SR: Do you have a favorite scene? 

EJL: I have a couple different favorites. My two favorites would probably be the end, when he’s coming to the tomb, and to see the transition from when he thinks Juliet is dead and he’s going to kill himself, and all this kind of resolution in what he’s going to do with his life, and then she wakes up. Just the colors and the different kinds of ways I can use the text and the music to go through this kind of discovery and this shock — it’s exciting, and then I’m dying. There’s so many emotions wrapped up into 15 minutes or less of music. It’s just kind of fun to play that whole journey. 

My other favorite one is, I really enjoy sword fighting. There’s a lot of tension in that scene, and everyone’s on stage, and I’m there with my colleagues, and you can just feel there’s just a lot of excitement in the air. And then I get to sing this one wonderful little arietta, I think it’s the first aria that I really kind of fell in love with from “Romeo and Juliet,” because it’s very sad. He’s finding out he’s exiled and he’s not going to see Juliet again, and Mercutio is lying there dying. It’s just extremely powerful, because everything slows down, and the orchestra gets very quiet, and this line just comes out of it, and it just gets huge. And then the chorus joins as well. It’s very impactful to sing it as well as just be surrounded by it.  

SR: How did you end up being a European opera star?

EJL: I happen to be a fairly sensitive artist, and I think a lot of the European companies respond well to my artistry, and then they seem to enjoy that I have a passion for trying to get the sound of a language too. I’ve been able to do a lot of operas in countries where I’m singing their native tongue and it’s tense, and maybe I don’t do a perfect job, and I’m sure they can always give me a little critique and all that. But in general, I think they’ve responded well to see that I really am trying to emulate their language and understand it, in addition to adding my voice and then kind of my style and personality into that, and they seem to enjoy it.

Romeo and Juliet opens Sat., Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ordway, with additional performances Nov. 7, 9 and 10. More information here. Johnson will also perform a recital with his sister, Celeste Marie Johnson, at MacPhail Center for Music on Sun., Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. (More information here.)

Sheila Regan

Sheila Regan is a Twin Cities-based arts journalist. She writes MinnPost’s twice-weekly Artscape column. She can be reached at sregan@minnpost.com.

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