Sounds of Learning

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Bizet's Carmen on Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 at the Academy of Music. In our final Carmen webisode we ask you, students and teachers, to pick your favorite scene from Carmen. The videos of the top five scenes are listed below. Vote for your favorite! 1) Habenera This aria has become one of the most popular opera songs for a reason. This sexy, siren song comes from the first Act of the opera, where Carmen seduces the the crowd and catches the eye of Don Jose. 2)The Gypsy song As fiery introduction to the second Act, this aria leaves you stomping and clapping along with the passionate dancers. As Carmen weaves her seductive spell at Lillas' Pastias she entices the women and the orchestra to dance along. 3) Toreador Song This aria, full of bravado, is the only song appropriate for the entrance of Escamillo, the famous...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Bizet's Carmen on Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 at the Academy of Music. Now that you've studied the opera and seen it, what were your impressions? Tell us what you think and post your reviews here! Did you like the opera? Why or why not? Who was your favorite character and why? Did you like the costumes and the sets? Who was your favorite singer? Which singer had the best and most impressive singing voice? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Don't forget to support your opinion! While you are writing your reviews we have one last Carmen video clip! As you have seen over the past few weeks the music from Carmen has inspired many musician and artist. This last clip is of a violin concerto that was created using Bizet's inspiring music...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! Continuing with our preview of Carmen this week we will take a look at video clips from Acts II, III, and IV of the opera and take an inside look at the world of gypsies. Video Clips of the Week!! We start this week with Act II of Carmen. Our fist clips comes from another famous song from Carmen- the Toreador Song. This aria introduces Escamillo, a famous bullfighter who eventually wins Carmen's heart. In this clip from 1959 we will see the final dance for the gyspy song and hear baritone Robert Merrill sing this familiar aria. Our second clip comes from the beginning of Act III. Frasquita and Mercedes begin reading tarrot cards and eventually Carmen joins in. This famous duet eventually becomes a card trio as Carmen reads her death. This clip comes from the 1985 Glyndebourne Festival with soprano Elizabeth Collier as Fresquita, mezzo-soprano Jean Rigby as Mercedes and mezzo-soprano Maria Ewing plays Carmen. (Note: This clips does...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! This week begins our series on Georges Bizet's opera Carmen presented by the Opera Company of Philadelphia . We will take a look at scenes from the first two acts of the opera as well as a glimpse at the exotic Spanish setting of the opera. Video Clips of the Week!! Our first video is one of the most popular and memorable songs from Carmen - the Habenera. In the opera this song introduces Carmen to Don Jose and the audience. The clip comes from the 2006 production at Covent Garden in London. Mezzo-soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci sings the role of Carmen. The song Habanera is so famous that it has been performed by many famous musicians and cultural icons, like Beyonce and Bobby McFerrin . The next video clip is a performance of the Habenera from three famous artists who need no introduction. The famous Spanish dancer and director Carlos Saura has produced several versions of the opera Carmen as well as all-dance versions embraci...