Who’s Afraid of Opera?

Since many students likely will be experiencing opera for the first time, Jim Sohre, OLV General Director, will narrate and accompany a program that will include songs in English translation, as well as a classic aria in the original Italian - Quando m’en vo (Musetta’s Waltz Song) from Puccini’s masterpiece La Boheme.  Students will be taught how to appreciate the emotion and beauty of the original text – and the use of projected Surtitles in today’s performance customs.

Two arias from Verdi’s Rigoletto will be sung in English, and will be explored to learn how they establish and develop the musical personalities of the characters of the nefarious Duke and the innocent maiden Gilda.  Although opera was born in Italy, the French and Germans also soon claimed the compositional technique and will be represented by a sweet romantic duet from Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment and a flirtatious solo (My Dear Marquis) from Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (The Bat). 

Participants will learn about crossover talents, with trained opera singers performing On the Street Where You Live from the classically inspired Broadway show, My Fair Lady and Lonely House from a real hybrid classical-pop score, Kurt Weill’s Street Scene.

To introduce attendees to the composer Gioacchino Rossini, a duo will perform the charming Cat Duet, with its repeated “Meows” and a gentle send-up of operatic style.  

The Informance will conclude with a rousing Addio (Farewell, then) from Rigoletto followed by a Q&A.  Who’s Afraid of Opera? has a 35-45 minute running time, depending upon the length of the Q&A.