Lucille Horn, far left, performs in the ensemble of “the Orphans in Autumn.”
Photo courtesy of Andrea Adinolfe / Staff Photogrpaher
COURTNEE CESTA
Assistant Reverb Editor
Sophomore music performance major Lucille Horn was in the final stages of learning her role in this year’s Opera Scenes production of “The Pirates of Penzance,” when she received news that a crucial cast member of another scene had left school for medical leave – less than one week before opening night. It was also then that Dr. Haas, advisor of the Student Opera Student Association and member of the SUNY Fredonia voice faculty, asked Horn to fill in.
“I was very happy that I was considered … then I found out I had to be at the dress rehearsal the next day,” said Horn. “That is what made me nervous and anxious.”
Most would agree that learning a complete operatic role in less than one week is hard enough as it is, but even harder is learning a role from an opera that has never been done before. The opera was “The Orphans in Autumn,” a completely new, one-act composition by Fredonia music theory faculty member Sean Doyle that was being premiered at that weekend’s production.
Because the opera was so new, there were no recordings or prior performance notes of which Horn could study. With nothing besides sheet music in front of her, she was faced with the challenge of bringing her role to life.
Replacing the vacated part may not have been so critical, except that Doyle wrote “The Orphans in Autumn” for a very specific sound. The ensemble of the opera was scored for two individuals on each voice part, each of which had their own solo lines throughout. Horn was preparing one of two mezzo-soprano roles.
Whereas all of the other cast members of “The Orphans in Autumn” had been preparing their roles for almost a month Horn was given her part four days before Friday’s opening night, and four hours before the first dress rehearsal.
“I got the music on Monday. Right when I got it, I went to the practice room and stayed in there to practice until dress rehearsal that night,” Horn said.
Hard work payed off for Horn that day, and she was off-book that night. Without much hesitation at all, she sang along with the rest of the ensemble as if she had been studying her music as long as they had. Being off-book so soon allowed Horn to better keep up with the staging cues that she followed from the rest of the cast.
By the end of her first rehearsal, Horn had all 40 minutes of the opera, most of which she was a part of, downpat music, staging and all. During her solo line, a whispered “awesome” was heard from Doyle: a recognition of Horn’s achievement that was a combination of hard work, dedication and encouragement from fellow classmates.
“I gave myself a time frame. That had me learn it in a different perspective,” said Horn. “I have never had to learn a scene so quickly.”
That was, until the “Fredonia plague” infected a fellow cast member of “ T h e Pirates of Penzance,” and Horn was asked to step in again. This time, though, it was merely hours before the performance.
“Dr. Haas called me on Saturday afternoon saying [the actress was] sick and not able to do the part,” Horn said. “She asked if I could be ready by show time and I said yes. We ran through my lines a couple of times before the show and then we did it!”
Although unplanned, the experience served as a learning experience for Horn.
“The experience has helped me grow in so many ways,” Horn said. “It was challenging and daunting to do. It has made me rethink how I practice in the first place because now I know something new that I am capable of. This will be an experience I will never forget.”