Behind the Song: I’m There with John Riesen and Elyse Kakacek

Natasha Barbieri: Why did you choose this piece – what does it mean to you?

 John Riesen: Elly (Elyse) and I wrote the song together over the course of many months in the heart of the pandemic shutdown.

Elyse Kakacek: John and I wanted to create something new that fused our love for Puccini with more modern sounds to create something unique and listenable for opera and crossover fans alike.

John Riesen: We both felt we could uplift the community and pay homage to our operatic roots with a sort of “The Prayer” meets opera type song. We started brainstorming, and our energy, synergy, and passion just clicked and we created something truly special together from the comfort of our living rooms.

Elyse Kakacek: Creating this duet together (remotely) has brought a sense of collaboration back into music making for me despite the pandemic.

Natasha Barbieri: Tell us a little bit about the production of the track?

Elyse Kakacek: John and I wrote this song mostly via text messages, which is amazing. We brainstormed operative duets and arias we loved that may work for a “the Prayer” like song and volleyed ideas about lyrics over a few months. I have used much of my time in the pandemic learning to produce music by taking courses at NYU and online – I thought this would be a great chance to give my new skills a chance to get some practice! Once we decided to work through Crossover Records, Jonathan Estabrooks was in on the groups texts as well. When we had a version of the song we all liked – John Riesen and I went to recording ourselves in our respective home studios, and then our mixing and mastering team melted us together like magic.

John Riesen: It is a mixture of themes from operas we love such as La Boheme (especially the themes that are recurring in the piece) which we felt was a nod to our lives on stage, as we worked together in isolation. Elly, Jonathan and Ziyad did MUCH of the musical work (the mixing, mastering, balancing, and orchestrating), but I tried my best to offer insights and ideas to this unbelievably talented team of humans!

Natasha Barbieri: Did you have any additional collaborators?

Elyse Kakacek: Yes! Jonathan Estabrooks was instrumental in being a sounding board for our writing ideas and getting the vocal mix just right, and my friend and mix artist for my first original record Ziyad Asrar mixed the backing track for us.

John Riesen: Jonathan, my colleague through Emitha and Crossover Records, also played a hand in the song writing process– helping Elly and I to narrow down what we wanted and getting the best result possible.

Natasha Barbieri: How did you both meet?

Elyse Kakacek: We actually have still never met in person! I met John on instagram and connected with him there.

John Riesen: I knew OF Elly from some online engagement groups to support fellow artists, and we’ve both sung around the country at similar venues but our paths had never crossed.

Elyse Kakacek: We had so much in common with innovating in the opera industry and I was actively seeking collaborators at the time to feel less musically alone during lockdown. Its super funny because I HAVE met his wife Gillian, who took my fiance and my engagement photos in the spring.

John Riesen: We ended up having a few phone calls, and the idea to collaborate came up. The rest is truly history.

Natasha Barbieri: What are some of your goals for the future?

Elyse Kakacek: Hopefully this is the beginning of many more fruitful collaborations! I am so inspired by the work John is doing and I see writing many more original crossover duets in the pipeline. I am also very excited to be working with John and his wife Gillian on the release of my first full original record out in November.

 John Riesen: I LOVE collaborations. I hope Elly and I can work on more duets, and also sing these pieces on stage together! We kept that in mind when writing the song, that we wanted to be able to perform it LIVE! I am also helping Elly to release her incredible album this fall, and working side by side with her on Spotify promotion. It will be a blast!

Connect with John & Elyse

elysekakacek.com

johnriesen.com

Stream “I’m There” now on our Classical Crossover Discovery Playlist

Natasha Barbieri, Editor

Editor

Creator of Classical Crossover Magazine. For Natasha music has always been closely tied to her faith. At age 18, Natasha made her opera debut playing the part of the mother in Menotti’s ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ with the Eastern Festival Opera. At 20, she was a winner of the 2011 Young Artist Competition at Andrews University. Natasha graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Music. Natasha has released a series of Holiday singles “A Place Called Home” (2020), “One Little Boy,” and “The Perfect Year” (2021). In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Future Classic Women Awards’ show on Men’s & Women’s Radio Station. Natasha is the creator and editor of ‘Classical Crossover Magazine’ a venture that has allowed her to interview many of the top stars in the genre including Sarah Brightman, Celtic Woman, Mirusia, Paul Potts, and more. During the covid-19 pandemic, she created an online concert series for the magazine that has seen her perform in the same line-up as Alex Sharpe, Lucy Kay, Barbara Padilla, Classical Reflection, and more on the virtual stage. In 2022, Natasha was included on the charity album “Stars of Classical Crossover: Christmas” in benefit of the Wallace & Gromit Children’s Charity.