> September 26, 2002 > News > Cover Story

Daphne Alderson had just come home, much later than we had scheduled our interview. She was tired, hungry, and needed to pack for a trip out of town. In spite of these pressures, she was personable, funny and full of grace. These are the same qualities that infuse her music.

Emotion infuses everything she does, and not just when she's singing. Subtle changes of inflection, a slight lowering of tone affect her voice when she discusses her friends and family, when she talks about singing or when she brings up the movie, Dancer in the Dark, which she recently saw. The changes convey a depth of empathy and compassion that lend weight to her performance.

This past spring Alderson released A Matinee at the Love Café, a collection of classic and traditional cabaret tunes. She renders material by Irving Berlin ("The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing") and Stephen Sondheim ("Anyone Can Whistle"), along with songs by lesser known composers, such as Eden Ahbez ("Nature Boy") and Rick Jenson ("In Passing Years"). The album is rounded out with traditional ballads as well, the highlight being "Scarborough Fair." Her voice, a rich alto, is an amazing, chameleon-like thing that changes to fit the needs of whatever she sings. It soars through the compositions, imbuing them with classically trained, operatic dignity combined with a pop sensibility.

Her flexibility is due in part to growing up in a musical home. Alderson's mother was a singer and violinist who taught elementary school music. Her father loved swing music and often crooned the songs of that era to her. Alderson began formal voice training at age 14, and attended the Flint Institute of Music in Michigan. By touring with the Tamburitzans, she earned her bachelor of arts degree, and later earned her master's degree in vocal performance at Duquesne.

Alderson spent two years in the chorus of the Pittsburgh Opera. She laughingly tells of her first onstage role, as part of the Gateway to Music tour, a program designed to introduce children to opera. After years of practice, she played the part of a gorilla -- a non-singing role.

These simian roots and funny costumes are a thing of the past now. Instead, she relies on the strength of her voice, her stage presence and her love of the material. Alderson sings primarily at private functions at the moment. The performances combine opera and pop, what she calls "crossover cabaret." "Opera is acting," she says. "It involves finding the voice of the character. Cabaret, on the other hand, is all about finding the character of the song and giving it voice."

Alderson sings in a number of languages, among them Italian, German and Portuguese. Two songs on Love Café, "Les Choses de la Vie" and Henry Mancini's "Charade," are sung in French. In each case, it is important to her to know the meaning of the words, but she isn't multilingual. "I guess you can say I speak Italian, as well as English," she says. "I don't really speak any of the other languages I sing in. It is important that I know what the lyrics mean when I sing them, however. It's the only way to convey the appropriate emotion."

In addition to performing, she teaches voice part-time at Seton Hill University. "It's a big part of my artistic life," she says. "I think it's useful for a performer to teach. I like nurturing young talent, seeing them carry on love and respect for the art form. I feel like I am helping them find some joy in life."

This joy in music extends beyond Alderson's classical pedigree. You won't find her singing Motley Crue while she prepares dinner, but there is always a wide variety of music in her life. "Right now I'm listening to a lot of bluegrass," she says. "I love Alison Krauss, jazz bassist Charlie Haden. In terms of voice, I like Patsy Cline a lot. I find Bjork's voice to be powerful and interesting."

A Matinee at the Love Café is available in a number of locally owned music stores, as well as at Borders and through Amazon.com.

-- WAYNE WISE