Throughout the spring and early summer, patrons at all the Urth Caffes in SoCal may have wondered why the beautiful face of soprano Golda Zahra was on placards in the line to order and on a sign on every table, inviting us to see her two upcoming showcase performances with the Dream Orchestra — the first at St. Monica Catholic Church in June with the Opera Chorus of Los Angeles (in support of their continued response to the L.A. fires), followed by her mid-July extravaganza at The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center.
A quick Google search informed the hundreds who would eventually flock to see at both venues the stellar performer the L.A. Times has called “one of the rising stars of her generation” that she’s the daughter of Urth Caffe co-founders Shallom and Jilla Berkman. That and the promise of beyond delicious Urth desserts at intermission at the Broad Stage show piqued my interest as a longtime Urth aficionado, but it was witnessing the powerful, multi-faceted full St. Monica concert online and being regaled by her multi-octave operatic voice performing cherished classical pieces and iconic pop and Broadway gems which inspired me to research Golda’s bona fides further.
Even non-opera fans can’t help but be impressed by a bio that begins with: “A winner of the 2015 Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Award, Golda has since appeared as a soloist in major oratorio works, including Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Handel’s Messiah. Still in her mid-20s, she’s performed at Royce Hall, Disney Hall and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, among others, with many of our top local orchestras.
The evening at The Broad Stage was a magnificent, otherworldly pleasure, holding the audience at rapt attention while filling their hearts with the dual excitement of Golda and the Dream Orchestra under the direction of storied conductor and musical director Daniel Suk. Beyond the opportunity to hear a charismatic rising star do her surreal thing with that otherworldly angelic voice, one of the most interesting aspects of the program was the unique back and forth between the vocal and instrumental pieces.
The 53-piece Dream Orchestra was not simply a backing ensemble for Golda, but a prominently featured co-star throughout the evening, performing suites from familiar classical works from. among others, Carmen (including the powerhouse “Les Toreadors,” aka the score from the original Bad News Bears film) and Ponchielli’s La Giaconda in the first half (“Viva Opera!”) and introducing and punctuating Golda’s spirited, emotionally impactful vocal performances in the second half (Musical Celebration) with overtures and suites from The Sound of Music, The Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady so engaging that they might have prompted whimsical singalongs (maybe even dance-alongs! in less formal settings.
The two selections Golda chose for the Viva Opera! segment of the program gave her a chance to showcase different sides of her operatic personality and keen storytelling skills and personality. As an English translation of the romantic lyrics hovered above on a video screen, she was pure charm and exuberance sharing the lighthearted, whimsy spiced romance of “Ah! Je veux vivre” (from Charles Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette Act I) and more dramatic and emotionally charged on the slower “Signore Ascolta!” from Puccini’s Turandot Act I. After the orchestra’s graceful prelude to Verdi’s LA Traviata, Golda closed the first half spotlighting her full vocal and emotional range through the many fascinating moods of “E strano … e strano … Sempre Libera” from the same opera.
After the aforementioned intermission filled with a multitude of Urthly delights (!), Golda and the Dream Orchestra treated the non-opera fans in the house were treated to the other side of her artistry as she sang the Julie Andrews, Betty Buckley and Marni Nixon (subbing for Audrey Hepburn) out of some of the most enduring of 20th Century Broadway classics.
The Hollywood Bowl can do its singalong every year, but nothing tops hearing live a contemporary Julie-esque voice like Golda’s warming and caressing the senses of nostalgic souls with her majestic takes on “The Sound of Music” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” (capped with a glass shattering high note!) and charming romp through “My Favorite Things.” Rodgers & Hammerstein quickly gave way to Andrew Lloyd-Webber, as the Dream Orchestra performed a truly rapturous, one hit after another 13-minute suite from The Phantom of the Opera, followed by a lovely take on the perennially popular “Memory” (from Cats).
When Golda wrapped the announced program with a spritely sashay through “I Could Have Danced All Night” (which followed a My Fair Lady overture of “On the Street Where You Live” in its entirety), she could have been echoing the feelings, skipping hearts and tapping feet of everyone blessed enough to hear her. The fact that these were among the favorite musicals of my late parents — also fans of Urth Caffe, or course — made the evening extra special on a personal level.
After countless audience members bestowed bouquets of flowers at the end of the show, Golda returned for an equally wonderful encore medley of Celtic Woman’s “The Blessing,” “Nessun Dorma” and “I Dreamed a Dream,” which artfully combined her operatic and pop showtune skills in a single magical presentation. The Summer of Golda continues with the presentation of the Pacific Music Festival’s "Turandot In Concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall" on Saturday, August 16. The show will feature Golda in the part of Liu, backed by Suk, the Dream Orchestra, the Opera Chorus of Los Angeles and the OCSA Classical Voice Choir.
