Soloist to perform 'Messiah' at Disney Hall

Tracy Van Fleet When Tracy Van Fleet takes the stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on Dec. 16, the Westlake Village resident hopes every one of the 2,600 audience members will feel her voice inside their chests.

"For me to sing for people is an expression of my soul, the absolute inner core of myself. I want everyone to feel the same passion I do, to appreciate God's beauty and creation on this earth," Van Fleet said.

The 45yearold mezzosoprano is a soloist in the Los Angeles Master Chorale's annual presentation of the "Messiah" sing-along. Van Fleet knows the Handel piece well.

"Most of us have been singing the 'Messiah' since we were 16 or 17 years old," Van Fleet said.

The "Messiah" performance is one of many solos for Van Fleet throughout the year. She sings in various venues including Church of the Epiphany in Oak Park, where she and her family are members, and travels to perform with the Los Angeles and Colorado philharmonics, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the San Diego Opera.

Van Fleet has sung on the biggest stages in the world with prominent artists including Placido Domingo, Marilyn Horne and Denyce Graves. She has appeared in leading roles in "Carmen," "The Mikado," and "Pirates of Penzance," among others. A CD coming out in January called "Vignettes: Ellis Island" features Van Fleet singing the first-person stories of immigrants.

"I'm going to be singing with the Pasadena Symphony, which is very exciting because it is my hometown. All of my mother's friends have season tickets," Van Fleet said.

Although she has been with the Master Chorale for eight years, Van Fleet says "you never get to rest on your laurels." Every year all chorale members must audition for the group.

"If I were to step down today there are at least 10 people to take my spot," Van Fleet said.There are 78 musicians but only about 30 are tapped to sing solos.

"What's special about Tracy is that she can sing with an ensemble but can also step away from the group and be a soloist. That flexibility is something not a lot of singers can do. It's a skill and talent that's extraordinary," said Terry Knowles, Master Chorale executive director.

To help her stay competitive, Van Fleet completed a master's degree in voice at the University of Southern California two years ago. She works with a coach and practices constantly.

Prior to joining the chorale, Van Fleet sang with the Los Angeles Opera. She left to spend more time with her daughter, Victoria, 14, a freshman at Grace Brethren School in Simi Valley and a soprano in the school choir.

Van Fleet has been singing since childhood, shortly after her family moved from Apple Valley to San Marino when she was 11 years old. A friend invited her to sing in the local church choir. Van Fleet auditioned for a musical at the church and got the lead role, and she's been singing ever since.

"The bug bites you and you're just determined to keep going," Van Fleet said.

Van Fleet graduated from high school a year early to be an exchange student in Wales through the American Field Service. While overseas she began singing in competitions. When she returned she attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor for one year, then returned to California and earned a bachelor's degree in music from USC.

"It was like heaven to me," Van Fleet said.

Music came into her life early. Her mother was a trained pianist and sang in the church choir, and her father was a selftaught banjo and saxophone player who put himself through medical school by earning money performing. The youngest of four children, Van Fleet began piano lessons at age 6.

"All of the kids in my family were required to take three years of piano," Van Fleet said. "At the end of the three years all of my siblings said 'Thank God that's over.' I said, 'do I have to quit?' That was the greatest day of my mother's life, that one of her kids wanted to continue to play."

Van Fleet took up the flute when she was 9 but by the time she was 18 she had dropped both instruments to focus on singing.

"It's such a miraculous creation that these two tiny muscles in the throat can make these beautiful notes," Van Fleet said.

She is a fourth or fifthgeneration Californian whose greatgreatgreat grandmother migrated west from Ohio on a covered wagon. The family lived in Lodi, Calif. for generations, and many members are buried in a Glendora cemetery that was family owned and operated until recently.

"We're kind of proud of our California history," Van Fleet said. She admits to still being a little nervous before each performance.

"If you take a wrong breath, that can affect the performance," Van Fleet said. "When you prepare well you're not scared, just excited."

The chorale performs two concerts of the "Messiah" singalong. The first is at 7:30 p.m. Mon., Dec. 10; the second, which features Van Fleet, is at 7:30 p.m. Sun., Dec. 16. For tickets and further information, call (800) 787-5262.