LERON WELLINGTON
Special to the Leader
While opera may not be for everyone, a whole new dynamic is added when it’s being performed by Fredonia students. The Student Opera Theatre Association (SOTA) will be performing its annual Opera Scenes, which will feature three operas that range in style and showcase students’ vocal techniques and abilities.
The opera scenes for this year will be “The Desert of Roses” by Robert Moran, “Le Nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and “The Mikado” by Gilbert and Sullivan. Each scene differs in obvious ways, like when they were written, but also in the overall genre; some are comedic while others are dark tragedies.
Opera Scenes, which is performed every Spring at the Fredonia Opera House, gives students the opportunity to work with voice faculty on, usually, one act of an opera.
Students, regardless of major, get the chance to perform in traditional operas and new ones that are written by composers alive today. SOTA members originally audition not knowing what operas they might be cast in. From there, the directors cast the hopefuls based on what role and opera best suits them.
Heidi Schneider, junior music education major and the producer for the scenes, has spent previous years being in the cast for scenes, but also enjoys being behind the scenes and takes it as a learning experience.
“Comparing to scenes from previous years,” Schneider said, “the audience can expect to see an extremely large range of human emotion expressed in our three scenes. From comedy to deception to gruesome betrayal, Opera Scenes will put the audience on a roller coaster of emotion.”
Junior and vocal performance major Lucia Helgren is playing the role of Sister 2 in “Desert Roses,” which is loosely based on “Beauty and the Beast.”
“I am very excited to perform this new work. I think it will be very unique and new for the audience. The first two pieces are much more traditional, and I think this will really balance out the program,” Helgren said.
Terry Beck, an adjunct professor in dance and movement, is serving as a director for “Desert Rose” and is constantly trying to incorporate new ideas into performing the piece.
“He brings such interesting ideas to every rehearsal and set such a great and safe atmosphere. Terry has a lot of surprises in store that the cast doesn’t even know about yet, and I can only imagine what he has planned,” said Helgren.
Beck, having a strong background in choreography and different forms of movement like Tai Chi, has incorporated his expertise in those fields in the opera and in the cast.
“I have asked the singers also to meet the demands of movement in addition to their singing, which they have taken on with gusto,” Beck said. “I suppose if there is one regret I have in this entire experience, it would be that we are not doing the entire opera because, given the chance, I would work with these singers and these artists without question.”
Performing three operas in one space can be a bit of a hassle when it comes to costumes and the set. But the students have still tried to make it entertaining.
“We will be taking more of a black box approach — not quite concert-style, but sets and costuming will be minimal to really showcase the performers themselves,” said Schneider.
The students and directors are working on making each scene unique in its own way. With the upcoming scenes, the students will take on new roles and use their creativity in a field that they are already passionate about. Hopefully, the audience will enjoy watching the scenes as much as the students have working on it.
The performances will be held on April 7 at 7 p.m., April 9 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 2 p.m. They will all be held at the Fredonia Opera House, and ticket information will be provided at a closer date.