#councilupdates

By: Sareen B., Capital Opera Teens, National Opera Teens Advisory Committee

This fall, the Capital Opera Teens were lucky enough to see the In Series Opera Company’s Magic Flute. Performed at the D.C. Scottish Rite auditorium on 16th Street in downtown Washington, DC, the show was intimate and youthful and lovely! AND hilarious.  My younger sister, Arya, was one of the Three Spirits (she has also performed this role with the Washington National Opera and in the Siena Music Festival) and was terrific—as was the entire cast.

The director, Rick Davis, created a “backstory” for these performances that was truly funny: 

There is a scrappy opera company in the 1930s, which has little funding (it's the Depression) but lots of spunk. The group is actually ready to perform “Il Trovatore,” but then the orchestra starts to play the “Magic Flute” overture! Lots of hilarious antics ensue, with the opera company members running around frantically trying to gather costumes and props to put on Mozart’s “Magic Flute.” They even grabbed Arya out of her seat, who was pretending to be a regular audience member!

Magic Flute is a fantastic opera—and I mean full of fantasy, with bird people, an evil queen, magic instruments, and of course a handsome prince and a beautiful princess. The In Series took that fantasy and made it so accessible to the audience. All ages could appreciate the casts’ antics. But the acting was not the only superb element—the show was beautifully sung. Pamina’s voice, for example, was so pure and beautiful that we were mesmerized. Of course, Tamino, Papageno, Papagena (who, in a cool twist, played the First Spirit), The Queen of the Night (her coloratura arias were incredible) Sarastro, the Three Ladies, The Three Spirits, Monostatos, the Priests, the Servants, and truly every last performer had strong, gorgeous voices.

The setting was PERFECT for this opera. It was in a Scottish Rite theater that has been in use for nearly 100 years—in fact, some of the backdrops were originals from the 1930s. They were painted so vividly and, of course, there are many references to Masonic rituals in the opera itself, so this helped create a unique experience.

The smaller-sized orchestra, conducted by Stanley Thurston, was fantastic, with each instrument having a role in the show as well.

I think the best part of the opera was that the audience was enjoying itself from the very opening. There was non-stop laughter and joy. And appreciation for opera, from the 6-year-old who exclaimed, “Mommy that Queen is sooooo mean, but she’s such a good singer!!” to the elderly couple who said they had seen maybe 15 Magic Flute performances all over the world, but this was their favorite.

By: Frances C., Boston Teen Opera Club; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee

By: Caroline H., Capital Opera Teens

The Capital Opera Teens went to see the Washington National Opera's production of Madame Butterfly in May. Our experience was extraordinary!

As we sat in the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts waiting for the curtains to rise, we were almost mystified watching a world of vibrant colors come to life on the set as if splashes of paint were being thrust onto an empty, dark stage before our very eyes!  There was so much to see, mostly in the colorful costumes, umbrellas and the larger-than-life screens that depicted images of the sun rising and setting, the clouds moving, ships coming into harbor and much more!

The opera was so visually exciting! The best use of the artistry on the ceiling-to-floor screens was in the last, most dramatic scene when Madame Butterfly (spoiler alert) kills herself.  There was a white screen behind her and she stood facing the audience. When she stabbed herself, the blood that flowed was portrayed first as a small red dot in the center of the tall white screen.  As the blood spread, this was depicted by the red spot getting larger and larger until it grew to the proportional size of the red dot at the center of the Japanese flag. Then it stopped and for a while she sang with the depiction of the Japanese flag behind her.  But when she stabbed herself again, the red at the bottom of the dot, started to seep down in several trickles as if blood was slowly dripping from the dot on the flag. The art director is a genius!

As tragic as the story is, it was so fascinating to watch how the director chose to tell it and it even had some funny moments that allowed audience participation through laughter.

The music was beautiful; the orchestra was outstanding.  Shout out to the trumpet section! 

The boy who played Madame Butterfly's son played his part so well.  He looked so young (maybe age 4) that it was hard to believe that he could remain so composed.

Finally, the costumes, make-up and hair complemented the storyline so well that I felt transported to Japan.  I loved the costumes!

By Nareg B., Capital Opera Teens; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee and Caroline H., Capital Opera Teens

Sareen B., Co-founder of Capital Opera Teens (COTs) and her sister Arya B. sang the Star Spangled Banner at the last Wizard's game of the regular season, Saturday April 8, 2017. It was Fan Appreciation Day, with a sold-out crowd of over 20,000 people at the Verizon Center! 

Members of the COT Executive were there to cheer them on. Mrs. Alicia Hatcher, a strong supporter of the COTs, was also there. Both Sareen and Arya have sung multiple times with the Washington National Opera Children’s Chorus, so their training is in opera, of course! They were fantastic, and we are really proud of our fellow COTs! 

By: Nareg B., Capital Opera Teens; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee

The Capital Opera Teens, thanks to Ms. Ashi Day and the Kennedy Center Education Department, saw another memorable WNO opera production, Champion.  Composed by Terence Blanchard, with a libretto by Michael Cristofer, the opera was based on the life story of a boxer Emile Griffith, who famously said, “I kill a man and most people forgive me. However, I love a man and many say this makes me an evil person.” 

Champion, like Dead Man Walking, explored the power of forgiveness and redemption as it also depicted vividly not only the physical but also the psychological harm that can be inflicted on another person. Griffith was tortured emotionally and psychologically by an unyielding and unforgiving society, and yet in the boxing ring, he was the one causing damage—albeit physical. WNO’s production captured perfectly the pain that Griffith must have felt as a man who had to hide his true nature because society had deemed it to be “wrong.”

Blanchard’s score, with its jazz-like feel, put the audience squarely in the historical time frame and added immeasurably to the sentiment the opera inspired with its free, unencumbered resonance. The set and the costumes drew us in as well. What struck me the most was the staging of the infamous 1962 Griffith-Paret fight at the end of Act I, in which Griffith killed his opponent, Benny Paret. The scene was flawless—we were at the edge of our seats, knowing the outcome and yet fervently hoping, praying that Paret would survive. He did not, and Griffith would face the repercussions of that event for the rest of his life. However, Griffith would have some comfort later in life when Paret’s son ultimately forgave him. 

Once again, the voices and the orchestra were at a level that transcended what we might have considered normal, and each character and each arrangement was integral to the story. I have to mention the incredible instrument that Denyce Graves, in the role of Griffith’s mother, had. Hearing her would have been enough that night, but the opera went beyond talent. We left the Opera House with opinions, notions, and perceptions that we will ponder for a lifetime. And in deliberating and discussing and transforming our lives and our society to conquer the difficult issues raised in this opera, we will, as Gandhi said, change “the attitude of the world.”

By: Nareg B., Capital Opera Teens; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee

I continue to be grateful that not only do I live in a cultural mecca like Washington DC, but that Francesca Zambello is the Artistic Director of the Washington, DC-based NATIONAL opera company (otherwise known as the Washington National Opera or WNO). Ms. Zambello’s creativity and brilliance are matched by her choice of operas to bring to the Kennedy Center Opera House. She and the WNO have as their mission to showcase American operas, which often confront issues significant and relevant to our society, together with the standard opera fare we all know and love.

I saw WNO’s Dead Man Walking, composed by Jake Heggie with the libretto by Terrence McNally, with the Capital Opera Teens. I already had some exposure to it, since my youngest sister Arya was in the Children’s Chorus. That night each and every opera teen was moved by the powerful opera—a gripping story of the value of human life and the power of love and redemption. Beginning with its painfully real opening scene, which depicted the crimes that led to the incarceration and placement on death row of the convict, Joseph De Rocher, the opera took the audience on an emotional journey.

We started this journey by desperately wanting to shut our eyes to the assault and murder on stage—to close our ears and drown out the primal screams of the teenage victims. We then felt the devotion and genuine care of Sister Helen Prejean as she tried to become “the face of love” for convict De Rocher. We cried with De Rocher’s mom as she insisted her son was innocent. (Susan Graham, who premiered the role of Sister Helen, was extraordinary as Mrs. De Rocher). We wanted revenge on the victims’ parents, and yet understood it would do no good. We realized that asking for forgiveness must be accompanied by real remorse and that forgiveness is universal, and necessary, and human, and divine. We decided that we will kiss our own parents goodbye when we leave our own homes so that our last words to them aren’t about not “cleaning our rooms” or “doing our homework,” but are instead “I love you.”

WNO’s Dead Man Walking was what every great opera should be: a transformative emotional event, with stirring music and exceptional vocal and instrumental talent, cocooned in a set and costumes that complete the story and resonate with each audience member.

I am indebted to the WNO, especially Ms. Ashi Day, for giving the Capital Opera Teens the opportunity to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

By: Sareen B., Capital Opera Teens; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee

On Sunday, November 6, the Capital Opera Teens (COTs) had their first meeting and event.  We had pizza and tons of cupcakes and then held our meeting where we talked about our mission and our plans for the year, as well as introduced the new executive and all the members. After the meeting, the COTs were lucky enough to have Maestro Michael Rossi [check him out here: http://www.michaelrossiconductor.com] of the WNO and Founder of the Miami Music Festival give us a hands-on lesson about conducting operas. Mr. Rossi then answered all of our questions (and we had a ton!) about the opera world. He told us some great (and hilarious) stories about famous conductors he has worked with as part of the Kennedy Center orchestra and with the Philadelphia Orchestra. We closed our day with a surprise guest singer, who performed an aria from Figaro: Soprano Missy Curl, who studied both Italian and vocal performance at UMD. She explained the scene and then sang beautifully in the sanctuary, which has great acoustics. Missy’s performance was exceptional. Every one of the COTs was happy to have been at the meeting and event and left looking forward to more.

One of our Executive Committee members, Blake H. became an uncle the same day as our meeting! We wish him the best!

We are planning our next event at an opera performance—we are looking for guest passes to a dress rehearsal or deeply discounted tickets for students. We are in contact with the education department at the WNO, who have been very supportive of the COTs.

A big shout out to Mr. Rossi, Missy Curl, and Mrs. Hatcher for an incredible event! More to come!

By: Nareg B., Capital Opera Teens; National Opera Teens Advisory Committee

Capital Opera Teens (COT) had the great fortune to attend the orchestra dress rehearsal of the Washington National Opera’s production of The Valkyrie, the second opera in Wagner’s Ring Cycle. The evening started off with a pizza dinner from Campono’s, the Neapolitan pizza cafe extraordinaire next to the Kennedy Center, graciously provided by the COT moms. After dinner, the whole team went into the opera house to see the opera. Ms.Ashi Day of the Kennedy Center Education Department kindly provided us with orchestra seats that were right in the center of the Opera House. A few of the performers from the other operas of the Ring Cycle sat directly behind us, and we spoke with them during the intermission to understand their insight and impressions about the Ring Cycle. Ms. Day has been a great supporter of COTs, and we are very grateful to her for making this entire evening possible. Around 18 teens and their chaperones went to see this opera and most stayed for the full five hours (which included intermissions).

The Washington National Opera’s Ring Cycle was a masterpiece, blowing away audiences and critics. I will not attempt another review; suffice it to say that we all felt truly privileged to see this once-in-a-lifetime production, directed by the brilliant Francesca Zambello. Here is just one review by the Washington Post, as a representative sample: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2016/05/03/two-critics-trade-thoughts-on-wagners-ring-in-dc-the-long-version/

During the orchestra dress rehearsal, when it is always announced that the show is not finished and things can happen, something did happen! The first act went smoothly; the music breathtaking, the staging exactly on point. The myth itself--the story--is disconcerting and Wagner perfectly reflects this in his music. The performance was hair-raising. Then, in Act II, we get to the part where Wotan, the king of the gods, tells sent his daughter Brunhilde to kill our hero Siegmund. Suddenly, the singer playing Brunhilde slipped and injured her foot! The whole audience gasped. A consummate professional, Catherine Foster (Brunhilde) gently limped off the stage after finishing her scene--it was barely obvious. We all held our breath to see what would happen. In the next scene, her cover came on stage and delivered an amazing performance. Ms. Foster was too injured to perform in the first cycle but did ultimately recover.

During the intermissions, a Kennedy Center senior staff member, Ms. Jovita Gross, brought us to an exclusive lounge area within the opera house. We were so grateful. At the lounge, we met supporters of the WNO and the Ring Cycle and enjoyed eating donuts (also provided by the great moms of the COTs), drinking coffee and tea and celebrating the birthday of one of our COTs, Blake.

When the opera was over, we had not had enough! During the car rides home, we could not stop talking about the evening. We compared what we had seen and heard with YouTube videos and discussed it all the way home. The Valkyrie was an opera that left a huge impact on all of us. We were riveted by this journey--not only the extraordinary opera but the entire evening from dinner to the intermission in the lounge to the great camaraderie of all of the opera teens!