"Whether you're a seasoned opera lover, or someone who's never seen opera before, this year's Opera Scenes offer a little something for everyone," explained Opera Workshop Director Stuart Howe.
Drawing from the world's most-loved operas - including Don Pasquale, The Merry Widow, Cosi fan Tutte, Candide and The Mikado -?the Opera Scenes offer a wide variety of?short scenes?while showcasing the exceptional talents of the Department of Music's voice students.
"Students will perform a new scene every five minutes or so," said Howe. "There's no chance to get bored!" he laughed.
Undergoing a process reflective of a true opera production, students have been hard at work learning the ins and outs of taking a production from rehearsal to the stage.
"It's a challenging mix of some of the best opera scenes," explained Opera Workshop Director Elizabeth Turnbull. "Students will be singing in four different languages, some of them singing in a foreign language for the first time. But these are a passionate group of students ? we are excited for them to experience the payoff of performing in front of an enthusiastic crowd.?
Playing with the conventions of traditional opera, Howe and Turnbull looked at different ways to update the scenes. ?In an effort to go green, we?re projecting the surtitles so audience can follow along; we?re also projecting the backdrops in which the characters find themselves ? a sort of virtual stage which hints at modernism,? said Turnbull.
?In one scene, instead of opening an actual letter as was written in the original, the character will instead check her iPhone for an incoming text message,? explained Howe. ?We were interested in finding ways of making this year?s scenes relevant without losing the original intent.?
An exciting showcase of both talent and entertainment, the?Opera Scenes offer an affordable night of entertainment fun and interesting variety which showcases the outstanding talents of Canada?s next great opera stars.
See it live:
Friday, November 26, 8pm AND Saturday, November 27, 8pm
Convocation Hall, Old Arts Building
University of Alberta Campus
$5 at the door