Harwich Teacher Toscano To Perform Lead In “Tosca”

by Marcella Vokey

The Cape Cod Opera has a new face among its cast: Diana Toscano-Gross.  A hidden gem of talent in the community, this middle school music teacher from Harwich will perform in her return to the stage as the title role in Puccini’s “Tosca” this weekend.

            Raising two daughters and a son in addition to working as a teacher, Toscano has done little in the way of performing since living in New York City over a dozen years ago.  Now that all but one of her children are in college and school is out for the summer, Toscano is making time to pick up where she left off.

Diana Toscano-Gross. LISA MELANO PHOTO

           Urged by her mother, Toscano auditioned for the role of Tosca.  She was extremely familiar with the Puccini masterpiece, having seen it several times including a live show in Verona, Italy.   But never did she have the opportunity to actually perform the role.  With a name like Toscano, it would seem as if fate had a hand in getting her the role.  However, she subscribes to a different philosophy.

            “I’m sure if something is going to happen, it will.  My part is to be ready,” Toscano said about her career in opera. 

            A great deal of work has gone into getting Toscano ready.  Though she says the role is good for her voice, there is no question the opera is a demanding one.  A dramatic story of murder and suicide, love and lust, the opera takes audiences through the whole spectrum of human emotion which can be just as challenging as the vocal composition.  Toscano has devoted time on her own to translating “Tosca” from Italian as a way of getting the full story and not simply the abridged translation.

After a great deal of preparation, Toscano said, “I’ve worked the role, and I’m ready.”

            Still, the part of Tosca requires so much more.  With a great deal of action in the plot, the opera is a truly athletic one.  So much so that director David McCarty asked Toscano to run around the auditorium and then sing as part of her audition.  Un-phased, Toscano’s only hesitation was in wondering how fast and how far.

            Toscano attributes her response to her teaching general music and voice at the Harwich Middle School.  As a teacher for young students and a mother, she is used to running around all day.  Teaching has helped improve her as a singer in other ways, too.  Toscano must analyze her own knowledge and abilities in order to approach her class.

            “I’m a better performer because I’m a teacher.  It’s so obvious,” said Toscano.

            Teaching has also made music more of an experience for Toscano.  As a singer in New York, she was more careful with herself and everything seemed a little more precious.   Out in what Toscano considers the “real world,” she learned to not take herself too seriously but still work as hard as she can.  These days her perspective is entirely different and Toscano’s main purpose is to share something significant with her students and now her audience.

            Few suspected a local teacher to make such a stir and capture the leading role in Cape Cod Opera’s upcoming production, but Toscano is unsure where things will lead.

            “Teaching is the most important thing I’m doing right now,” said Toscano when asked whether she considered making a career in Opera again.

            Not only does she teach classes during the school day, right now she is one of the primary forces driving Harwich Middle School’s extracurricular Shakespeare production in the winter and musical production in the spring.  It may seem like an idealistic undertaking, bringing Shakespeare into a middle school, but Toscano has seen these young students take to it with enthusiasm. 

She feels strongly about creating opportunities for students interested in everything from acting to lighting.  Applying for grants and working closely with the student actors, she is devoted to this cause and believes Cape Cod, where there is so much appreciation for the arts, is the perfect community for a program like this to flourish.

Toscano doesn’t know what to expect after “Tosca” finishes, whether or not she will rekindle a career in opera.  For now she is enjoying the ride.

Performances of “Tosca” will be held at the Tildan Arts Center at the Cape Cod Community College on Friday, Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 17 at 3 p.m.  For tickets and information, call 508-246-0039.