Staging Fredonia's next opera is focus of Brown Bag lecture
The second Brown Bag Lecture in the College of Arts & Humanities will bring to life the thrills, chills, and backstage events involved in mounting an opera. The panel discussion entitled, “Putting It Together: The Art and Scholarship of Staging La Bohème,” will showcase selections from the opera set to open on November 12th on campus in Marvel Theatre. The talk will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 4, noon, in Diers Recital Hall in Mason Hall (this is a new location for the series).
Four Fredonia faculty members will comprise the panel, including: Julie Newell, professor and Coordinator of Opera at the SUNY Fredonia School of Music; Steve Rees, professor and Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance; Tom Loughlin, professor of Theater and Dance; and David Rudge, director of Orchestral Activities and Conductor of Opera.
Each participant will address how the innately collaborative nature of opera brings many challenges for faculty who are working in an academic environment where students are learning their "craft" in the moment and in a field where there are no textbooks - only experiential learning. Ms. Newell will discuss the art of selecting an intriguing operatic repertoire that meets the learning needs of students while also appealing to a varied audience comprised of campus and community members, and both young and old attendees. Mr. Rees will discuss the challenges faced by his staff in absorbing a professionally built set and having to bring it to "life" in only a matter of days, a task which in a professional environment takes weeks. Dr. Rudge will discuss the unique relationship built between a conductor and singers, as well as what is necessary to ultimately mesh all the musical expectations and visions into one. Mr. Loughlin will discuss the art of staging opera: what goes into his preparation to breathe air into these characters and make them come live for the audience. Shinobu Takagi, assistant professor of Music, will provide musical accompaniment on piano.
The Brown Bag Lectures, sponsored by the College of Arts & Humanities, feature new creative and scholarly work by SUNY Fredonia faculty and are held on the first Wednesday of the month, October through May. Each program is free and features a 30-minute presentation and brief discussion, followed by refreshments. All campus and community members are welcome.
