At an age when her peers were watching Disney movies, Alma Deutscher was listening—again and again and again—to a DVD of The Magic Flute, mesmerized by the musical brilliance of Mozart’s final opera.
And every time the despairing Pamina would sing about ending her life, Deutscher says, “I would run from the room and hide myself in a cupboard because I got so scared. Even now when I listen to that music, a tremor passes through me.”
A musical prodigy often compared to Mozart, Deutscher composed her first pieces by the age of 3 and her first full-length opera, Cinderella, at age 11. Unlike the original fairy tale, about “a pretty girl who cleaned and kept quiet,” Deutscher’s heroine is a talented composer who triumphs “because of her talent and determination—and not because of her small feet.”
Cinderella had its U.S. premiere in 2017 with Opera San José, and Deutscher returned to conduct the work herself in 2022.
Now Deutscher has traveled again from her home in Vienna back to San Jose, this time to conduct The Magic Flute.
Still a toddler when she first saw the opera live, Deutscher says, “I became quite obsessed with The Magic Flute. I tried to sing the Queen of the Night [aria], not quite hitting the high notes.”
Now she’s responsible for all the notes in OSJ’s production of Magic Flute, which opens Sept 14 in the California Theatre. Giving an interview right before the first run-through in the theater, the now 19-year-old conductor sounds calm but admits that she’s quite excited.
After weeks of working with the singers, the orchestra and the stage director, what comes next is “the most exciting part,” Deutscher says. “You’re in the theater with the orchestra, with the singers and the sets and the costumes, and it’s all coming together.”
Deutscher has encountered many familiar faces. “It really feels like coming home now,” she says. “And it’s so nice because I’m such good friends with the stage director [Brad Dalton, who directed OSJ’s Cinderella], which makes the working atmosphere so wonderful and so relaxed.”
‘An Amazing Seamless Flow’
Though it’s her first time conducting The Magic Flute, Deutscher says she has “a very intimate relationship with Mozart,” calling his musical language “sort of my mother tongue.” She speaks softly yet very quickly, her voice emulating the speed at which Mozart’s music moves. Calling Magic Flute “an amazing seamless flow of emotions,” Deutscher describes how “Mozart transitions seamlessly between split-second changes depicting the emotions of the characters.”
She pauses, contemplating his achievement: “One could say that in some sense Mozart invented film music.”
Deutscher’s challenge is to take in “this incredible seamless flow,” where things happen so fast on stage, and “bring out the most of the humor and the drama of the music so that people really get the jokes and understand what’s happening before it’s moved on,” she explains. “That’s what I’ll be working on.”
Opera San José General Director and CEO Shawna Lucey, who has watched Deutscher shape the production, says, “To see her have full command of the rehearsal room, in the pit, with the performers—I have to say her particular interpretation of Mozart’s masterpiece is so fresh, it’s just a delight to watch her dig in that score and find these wonderful interpretations with the artists.”
Other aspects of the production also have Lucey crowing.
“I am so proud of this production.” she says. “Big beautiful costumes, incredible scenery—the lighting is really exciting, like all of the design elements. It’s everything you want out of the opera experience. The visual elements are just going to knock your socks off!”
Lucey is not only thrilled by “an incredible cohort of artists in residence who are joining us this season,” but also by the guest artists. “Magic Flute has a huge cast, actually, and so we’re excited to have a lot of new faces but also some very dear returning friends.”
She specifically calls out two youthful performers: Younggwang Park (making his OSJ debut as Sarastro) and artist-in-residence WooYoung Yoon (playing Tamino). “People will be seeing both of these guys, as well as other residents, on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera before you know it.”
The opening production in OSJ’s 2024-25 season, The Magic Flute is a crowd pleaser. As Lucey says, “It’s so entertaining. It’s really meant to be a production that you can bring the whole family to.” To aid in making that a reality, ticket buyers can use the code “Family” to find tickets for around $10.
But those who think they know everything about Mozart’s masterpiece may be in for some surprises. Conductor Deutscher says she and the company will be doing their best to fight how overfamiliarity with the opera’s catchy tunes “can actually blind us to how amazing the music really is.”
Deutscher asserts, “We will try our best to play and perform this as if it’s the first time. The audience should try to imagine that they are listening to this piece for the first time, and I think it will be quite an experience.”
Coming Attractions
As for Deutscher’s future plans after Magic Flute wraps, she’s got plenty on her plate. “I’m about to compose a short ballet for a company in LA, and I’m also working on a musical,” the composer says. A romantic comedy, it will be based on her third opera, The Emperor’s New Waltz, which premiered in Salzburg about a year and a half ago.
“I already have lots of lots of tunes and lots of ideas for songs.” she says. “It’s getting along well, I think.”
And for Opera San José, what lies ahead is a season with “everything that you could want,” Lucey says. “We have beloved titles like Magic Flute and Bohème [in November]. We have a title for the adventurous—Bluebeard’s Castle. That will be our production in February, which I am directing.”
This new production of the Bartok opera is “a real psychological thriller. The score is unbelievably rich and challenging,” Lucey says, yet at just over an hour long, it’s also “perfect for someone who wants to see a show and go out for a cocktail afterwards.”
The season wraps up in April with Zorro, Hector Armiento’s grand operatic telling of the legendary figure and the founding of the state of California. Armiento, the founder of Opera Cultura, lives in the Bay Area. “We are thrilled to produce one of his works.” Lucey says. “It’s in Spanish and English, and is another opera that is good for all ages. And who doesn’t like a little swashbuckling with their operatic singing?”
The Magic Flute, performed in German with English and Spanish supertitles, will be presented Sept 14-29 at the California Theatre, 345 S First St, San José. Tickets are $58–$215 (use code FAMILY for children’s tickets. Call 408.437.4450 or visit operasj.org.
