'camp For All' Seeks Support 
Project Will Open Programs To Area Kids With Disabilities

Aaron J. Morris

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL marytb@leader.net
 Sunday, January 27, 2002 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1G 





Rosemary Musoleno has two reasons to rejoice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The soprano is coming home to Scranton on Thursday to sing ``Turandot,'' an
opera she describes as ``phenomenal. Puccini outdid himself.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And during her recent European tour, she and her husband, George Martynuk,
adopted 4-year-old Katya Svitlana. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's really exciting,'' Musoleno said in a telephone interview from
Manhattan last week. ``She was in an orphanage in Ukraine. We'd been waiting
for her for quite a while. She's great, she's healthy, she's smart and,
believe it or not, this is the news of the day: She's a singer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``When they'd have a little program or party at the orphanage, she was the
little star. She must have a repertoire of at least 30 songs - Ukrainian folk
songs.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As new daughter Katya, her 11-year-old sister, Stepha, and their parents
recovered from jet lag last Wednesday, Musoleno described the beauty of
``Turandot,'' which she will perform 8 p.m. Thursday at the Scranton Cultural
Center with Teatro Lirico D'Europa. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Musoleno sings the role of Liu, a slave girl from the Far East who is in
love with a prince. He, in turn, is in love with Princess Turandot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's the typical, tragic love story. It ends in a mess, with the slave
girl killing herself.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The plot focuses on a princess who asks all of her suitors to solve
riddles. Those who answer incorrectly are beheaded. Naturally, Liu does not
want the prince to risk this fate. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She sings an aria, ``Signore, Ascolte,'' which translates to: ``Sir, wait
... come away with me and let's be safe.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Blinded by infatuation, he doesn't listen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Later, Turandot demands from Liu the name of a man she wishes to kill. The
slave girl rebuffs her and defiantly sings ``Tu che di gel,'' which means,
``You princess of ice ... for love, I will absolutely not give his name
away.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Liu feels compelled to stab herself, and Musoleno relishes the scene. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Dying on stage is cool,'' she said with a musical chuckle. ``As long as
it's on stage.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The opera will be sung in Italian, but the action should be easy to follow
- with or without an English text, Musoleno said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Don't be intimidated,'' she said. ``Come and enjoy.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Musoleno, who graduated from Valley View High School before attending
Juilliard on a full scholarship, began singing as a child and hoped for a
Broadway musical career. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I sang in churches, for weddings and funerals. I was in a band.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When she was 14, Scranton-area voice teacher Norbert Betti heard her sing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``He was such a lover of opera. He said `You have to take this piece of
music home and learn it.' '' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It was an aria, and Musoleno was horrified. ``That's opera,'' she
protested. ``I'm never going to sing that.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But she followed his advice, started to sing it and ``I couldn't believe
it. My voice kind of exploded.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Suddenly, Musoleno had found her vocation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Betti died recently, and Musoleno's mother passed away last year. The
soprano canceled a year's worth of engagements so she could spend time with
her mother during her last months. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Though she's grateful that another of her music teachers, Pat Marcinko,
will be in the audience at the Scranton Cultural Center, she sadly notes the
loss of two important mentors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the smile returns to her voice when she says, ``They're watching from
heaven now.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`turandot' Not Only Joy For Singer