Sounds of Learning

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week on our voyage through the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Tea: A Mirror of Soul, we will look at tea sage Lu Yu and some of the tea traditions that inspired this opera. YouTube Clip of the Week The tea ceremony is an important aspect of Japanese and Chinese culture. It is a consistent element in the opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul and therefore I thought I would share the experience with you… Japanese tea Ceremony Web Site of the Week Lu Yu (733-804) is sometimes known as the Patron Saint of Tea or the Sage of Tea and is the founding father of tea art. He is worshipped by many for his monumental book Cha Jing (The Classics of Tea a.k.a. The Book of Tea) the first complete work on cultivating, making and drinking tea. This historical figure is also an important, unseen character in Tea: A Mirror of Soul. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Yu The Japanese House or Shofuso , sits in a beautiful...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will continue our voyage through the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Tea: A Mirror of Soul . We will continue to look at the world acclaimed cast and a scene from the opera written by Tan Dun . YouTube Clip of the Week I thought that today we should take another glimpse at the music in the opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul . We will look at the scene of Lan’s death from the world première at Suntory Hall, Japan. Tan Dun: Tea: A Mirror of Soul, Death of Lan Web Site of the Week Soprano Kelly Kaduce plays the role of Princess Lan in Tan Dun’s Tea: A Mirror of Soul ; the same role she sang in the opera’s U.S. premiere at Santa Fe Opera in 2007. Kaduce made her OCP debut as Caroline Gaines for the East Coast premiere of Richard Danielpou and Toni Morrison’s Margaret Garner . To find out more about Ms.Kaduce, visit her web site where you will find information about her life, recent recordings, and...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will continue on our voyage through the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Tea: A Mirror of Soul . We will begin to look at the world acclaimed cast and the imaginative and creative music of Tan Dun . YouTube Clip of the Week Tea composer Tan Dun is known for his use of unusual instruments. Mr. Tan likes to use “organic” or natural instruments and has written full orchestral pieces that celebrate percussion instruments that use water, paper and more. Below, are links to Tan Dun’s Water and Paper Concerti , both of which are truly fascinating compositions. Tan Dun: Paper Concerto Tan Dun: Water Concerto Web Site of the Week Baritone Haijing Fu created the role of Seikyo at the 2002 world premiere of Tea: A Mirror of Soul and is returning to Philadelphia to repeat this role. Tenor Roger Honeywell sings the role of the Prince. Mr. Honeywell is no stranger to the Opera Company of Philadel...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will begin our voyage through the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Tea: A Mirror of Soul . An east cost premiere by Tan Dun! YouTube Clip of the Week To get you familiar with the composers’ unique musical style we will look at the opening Prelude of the opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul . One of the highlights of the opera is the composer’s use of “organic” or natural instruments. He uses water, paper, and stone as an important part of the music. In this scene, watch as three onstage percussionists use water as an instrument! Tan Dun: Tea (Tokyo 2002) prelude Web Site of the Week You may be surprised to recognize some of Tan Dun compositions from soundtracks to films such as Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . To find out more about this renowned composer, visit his web site where you will find information on his life and music to date. Opera on the Air On January 9th at 1pm WRTI radio...