A Mother’s Intuition
Jason Budd’s mother used to introduce him as her opera-loving son, even though he protested repeatedly that he hated it. Mothers know best. At 53, Budd has performed for decades as a buffo, a bass baritone whose comic chops match his singing ones. He’ll take the stage at Toledo’s Valentine Theatre on Feb. 13 and 15 when the Toledo Opera Association presents Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore. Budd plays Dr. Dulcamara, a charlatan who peddles cure-all tonics to villagers, including a lovesick man who buys what the good doctor is selling: a love potion. The role is meatier than Zuniga in Georges Bizet’s Carmen, which he performed in Toledo in October, or the Sacristan in Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca last season. He’s sung in Toledo for at least five consecutive seasons now, and his career spans Ohio, the broader United States, Europe, and South America.
From the Lanes to the Stage Budd grew up in Hubbard, Ohio, where he sang in the church choir but also spent considerable time at the bowling alley where his mother worked. “At age 15, I bowled a perfect 300 game at the same center where my mom worked,” he said. He initially studied bowling alley management at Vincennes University in Indiana, but his wrist gave out. He returned to Youngstown State University and turned to music instead. One day, a classmate told Budd about a fantastic opera called Tosca. He checked out the CD from the library, and after listening to it multiple times, he was hooked. Budd still has that disc. He damaged it from overuse, bought a replacement for the library, and kept the worn copy for himself. He continued his studies at Bowling Green State University under Andreas Poulimenos. While there, he became a resident artist with the Toledo Opera, participating in its Opera on Wheels program for schools. He has returned to shine in TOA productions ever since.
More Than a Voice
Kevin Bylsma, Toledo Opera’s artistic director, has watched Budd’s career closely. “Jason is the perfect opera singer,” Bylsma said. “His voice is incredible, and his comic timing can’t be matched. Very few singers specializing in buffo repertoire have such a powerful and impressive voice.” But Budd sees it differently. “I’m not really hired for my voice,” he said. “It’s really a specialty that requires not only being able to sing but being able to command the stage in different ways than most singers. You have to have the timing and the comic chops to do it.” The patter songs and arias, rapid-fire speech set to rapid music, present particular challenges. Imagine turning Gilbert and Sullivan’s “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” into Italian, then performing it for native speakers. Budd did exactly that when he sang Falstaff in Lucca, Italy.
The Foundation of Language
Lorenzo Malfatti took Budd under his wing at Youngstown State to drill him in diction. Budd recalls toiling for two hours on just the first two measures of “Non più andrai” from The Marriage of Figaro. “He was such a stickler,” Budd said, “but it tied in with my love of language, knowing how the words should be pronounced properly.” L’Elisir, composed in 1832, endures because “it was so well fleshed out by the composer,” he said. “I get all of my inspiration from the words first, how it really ties in, and that helps me create a fuller character.” Toledo audiences can experience that character on Feb. 13 and 15.
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