Laundry and Tosca

Asuza Pacific University Dance Company

For most of her adult life, Marcia Whitehead has lived in a little garage apartment in Southern California and worked a modest-wage job. Like most of us, she lives paycheck to paycheck, and has more debt than savings. And, like most of us, she dreams of an abundant life, beyond the ordinary. Her body is built to sing what is considered by many to be the hardest repertoire in song. When she was first told that she was a rare, lirico-spinto soprano, she was disappointed because she did not care for opera. Nevertheless, she was obedient to what she believed was God's imperative call to develop her talent: for over twenty yea rs, she worked her 9 to 5 during the day, paying for coaches and teachers to train her voice on weekends and nights. Along the way, she learned to love the characters in the operas that were written for her voice: Andrea Chenier, Aida, Manon Lescaut, Adriana Lecouvrer, Tosca. A random acquaintance offered to arrange a hearing by Maestro Franco Iglesias-a world-renowned vocal instructor in New York City-whose students once included world class tenor Placido Domingo. It took a year just to arrange the audition, during which Iglesias would judge her chances at a late-blooming career. In the time that follows, it becomes clear that Marcia's dream of an abundant life has already come true.

Marcia Whitehead was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. She currently lives in the metropolitan New York area, working exclusively with world-renowned vocal instructor, Franco Iglesias. Marcia is an award-winning lirico-spinto soprano, whose vocal gifts were discovered after her college experience in the dramatic arts. She was involved with music at an early age, but her serious pursuit of opera commenced after a choral concert where she stepped in at the last minute for an ailing soloist and an enthusiastic audience member offered to sponsor professional training. Subsequently, her private vocal study has included training with Kathleen Darragh of Los Angeles, and Maestro Franco Iglesias of New York City. Her operatic coaches have included Greg Buchhalter and Luis Menendez of the Metropolitan Opera and international operatic soprano, Juliana Gondek and Ann Baltz of OperaWorks. Additionally, Marcia has studied stage movement with academy award-winning actress Alfre Woodard and language arts with Carmen Brunol.

Marcia was thrilled to perform an aria, composed specifically for her voice, as a guest artist in a production of "Romeo and Juliet," performed at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House. She was also invited to be a guest artist, and sing the role of Abigail in The Crucible for the California State University at Fullerton, California. In addition, Marcia participated in recording the sound tracks for Hanna-Barbera’s  Jetsons: The Movie and The Easter Story.

In an Opera Guild of Southern California competition, she was recognized as an unusual talent, as she performed arias, art songs, oratorio selections, recitatives, duets, trios and ensembles in a rigorous contest, for which she was a finalist and award winner.

Marcia’s years in the professional chorus of California’s Opera Pacific gave her several opportunities to sing “bit” roles and occasionally serve as rehearsal cover for roles lead roles in Der Fliegende Hollander, Manon Lescaut, Un Ballo in Maschera and Cavalleria Rusticana. On two occasions, while rehearsing Tosca and Aida, Marcia was heard by general directors David DiChiera and Patrick Veitch (respectively) who both encouraged her to pursue work on the world’s operatic stages. Though Mr. Veitch was aware that Marcia had come to opera late, having already begun a career in an unrelated field, he pronounced her voice “glorious in the extreme” and told Marcia “you have the voice for which the entire operatic world awaits.” 

Marcia is the subject of the award-winning documentary film, Laundry and Tosca, which has been honored in international film festivals in Europe, Great Britain and the United States. Marcia was presented the award for “Best Music” in Milan for her work in the film. After experiencing a profound encounter with the Lord, Marcia has chosen to focus all her musical energies with a heart for Christian ministry.  In addition to worship concerts, she enjoys presenting both arias and worship music in a faith-based ministry, born out of the film Laundry and Tosca which is a poetic examination of what it means to follow a calling and the abundant living that can result. Ministry opportunities have taken Marcia to Washington DC, New York, California, Oregon, New Mexico, New Jersey, Idaho, Texas and Utah, where Laundry and Tosca was presented at the Windrider Forum at the Sundance Film Festival.

Marcia has performed several classical concert works with choral societies and regional orchestras in California. Her concert repertoire includes works by Verdi, Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, Faure, Saint-Saens, Britten and Rossini. Marcia’s sacred repertoire includes music composed by contemporary Christian artists and gospel in addition to classical sacred works. Marcia has sung with regional opera companies in Oregon, California, New York, and New Jersey and her operatic repertoire includes Aida, Andrea Chenier, Cavalleria Rusticana, The Crucible, The Consul, Manon Lescaut, Tosca and Un Ballo in Maschera.

Lauralee Farrer is the principal filmmaker of Burning Heart Productions. She is writer/director of the feature documentary The Fair Trade, the award-winning documentary Laundry and Tosca and the upcoming feature narrative Praying the Hours. Freelance writing for humanitarian organizations took her to Spain when Franco died, to Kenya during the droughts of 1981 and 1991, to Somalia when the war broke out, and to Uganda to write about early outbreaks of AIDS and the plight of its orphans. She wrote of the Sisters of Charity in Ethiopia, was in Moscow when the 1991 coup took place, and when Leningrad became St. Petersburg again. She was in East Germany before and after the wall went down, in Mexico City to write about cultures of poverty, and in U.S. cities like Philadelphia, Houston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Boston to write about American life. Her freelance writing provides the material from which her directing and screenwriting voice emerges, as does her public speaking.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND ENDORSEMENTS

“…one of the most beautiful documentaries I’ve ever seen.”

Terrence Berry
Executive Director, Damah Film Festival

“One of the most wonderful services of my 27 years in ministry. The combination of the film Laundry and Tosca, the singing by Marcia Whitehead, and the commentary by filmmaker Lauralee Farrer provided for a terrific blend of art, spirit, and substance. The film is top notch, Marcia’s singing will deeply impact anyone who hears her and Lauralee’s commentary delivers insight between songs that inspire. This exposed our church to a new dimension of artistic endeavor and challenge to rise to the pursuit of dreams.”

Jim Johnston
Senior Pastor, Renaissance City Church,
Pasadena, CA

“This exquisite film invites us to join Marcia on her compelling journey toward the fulfillment of a dream. Hearing her sing is like entering the throne room of Almighty God – an experience I will never forget.  Laundry and Tosca is truly a life-changing experience.

Bob Huckins, Director
Windrider Forum at The Sundance Film Festival 

“…I don’t know what you’re doing to people in there, but they go in normal and come out crying and saying their  lives have been changed.”

Film festival usher