Sounds of Learning

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. Continuing to look at the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata ; over the next few weeks we will be take a closer look at the cast of the opera beginning with American soprano Leah Partridge. YouTube Clip of the Week Sempre Libera sung by Beverly Sills Web Site of the Week Soprano Leah Partridge sings the title role of Violetta Valery in the Opera Company’s production of La Traviata . To find out more about the American soprano and visit her website ! Join Us for La traviata at the movies A great way to help prepare for Traviata is by joining us for the screening of the classic movie Camille starring Greta Garbo at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Wednesday, April 28th at 7:30 pm. This film is based on Alexandre Dumas fils novel La Dame aux Camelias , the same book that inspired Verdi to write La traviata ! Click here more information on the movie and hope to see you there...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will continue to look at the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata . YouTube Clip of the Week La Traviata was made into a movie in 1983, directed by Franco Zeffirelli , starring Canadian soprano Teresa Stratas as Violetta Valery and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo as Alfredo. Stratas was famous for her intense acting and moving singing. Here is a clip from the film of Stratas singing Violetta's poignant and sad Act III aria "Addio, del passato." Addio, del passato Web Site of the Week La traviata is based on the book by Alexander Dumas, fils called La Dame aux Camelias (The Lady of the Camellias) which in turn was based on a French courtesan, Rose Alphonsine Plessis. She later changed her name to Marie Duplessis. Dumas had a passionate affair with Marie but because of her lavish lifestyle (she demanded dinner, theater and a bouquet of camellias ev...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. Beginning May 7th the Opera Company of Philadelphia presents their new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata . Over the next few weeks we will look at the story behind La traviata , the cast, Verdi and the music. YouTube Clip of the Week This is one of the more famous pieces from the opera and also known as the “Brindisi”. Take a listen as you many recognize it! This version is starring Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazón . Enjoy! La traviata - Libiamo, ne' lieti calici Web Site of the Week Get to know the composer behind this beautiful tragedy. Visit Giuseppe Verdi’s official website to find out more about his life, works and more. Opera on the Air There are two great operas that you can listen to and see this weekend. On Saturday, March 27 at 1pm WRTI Radio will broadcast the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Ambroise Thomas : HAMLET conducted by Louis Langree (Met Opera Debut). The cast includes...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will continue to look the The Curtis Institute's production of Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra which is being presented in in association with Opera Company of Philadelphia and Kimmel Center Presents . YouTube Clip of the Week To familiarize you some more with Antony and Cleopatra and Barbers musical style we will take a look at another extract from the opera. C. Malfitano & R. Cowan "I am sick and sullen" Web Site of the Week The Curtis Institute of Music is one of the worlds leading music school. It educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level. To find out more about the Curtis Institute logon on to their web site . Opera on the Air On March 13th at 1pm WRTI radio will broadcast the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Dmitri Shostakovich: THE NOSE conducted by Valery Gergiev staring Andrei Popo...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will look the The Curtis Institute's production of Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra which is being presented in in association with Opera Company of Philadelphia and Kimmel Center Presents . YouTube Clip of the Week To familiarize you with Antony and Cleopatra and indeed Barber's musical style we will take a look at Cleopatra’s aria “Give me my robe”. In the final moments of the opera, Cleopatra muses on her love for Antony, who has killed himself. Feeling all is lost, she kills herself with the bite of a poisonous snake, an asp. We'll see a concert performance of the aria as performed by American soprano Carol Vaness . Carol Vaness "Give me my Robe" Antony and Cleopatra Web Site of the Week The Opera is set around 51 B.C. when Cleopatra came to rule. To find out more about Ancient Egypt, visit this web site where you will find information about pyramids, pharaohs and t...

Tan Dun's Tea: A Mirror of Soul Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Academy of Music 2:00 p.m. Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Tan Dun's Tea: A Mirror of Soul , on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at the Academy of Music. Tea: A Mirror of Soul is a fantastical story of love, jealousy, and spiritual growth. It tells its story by using organic instruments like water, paper, and stone. 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 and why? What did you think of the water, paper and stone instruments? Which was your favorite character and why? Did you like the projections, costumes and sets? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Click here if you want to learn more about these operas, the singers in the production, and more! JOIN OUR OPE...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! Many of you attended the final dress rehearsal of Tea: A Mirror of Soul on Wednesday, February 17th. We hope you all enjoyed the experience! YouTube Clip of the Week Now that you've seen the opera, lets look Tan Dun in rehearsal with the Opera Company orchestra and chorus. Imagine the opportunity to be able to work directly with the opera's composer - an unusual luxury in an art form in which the composer has been dead for a century or more! Tan Dun has a unique, almost spiritual presence. He's able to show orchestra and chorus members exactly what he wants and how to get there. Tan Dun Rehearses with the Opera Company of Philadelphia Orchestra Tan Dun Rehearses TEA with the Opera Company of Philadelphia Chorus Get to Know Composer Tan Dun Web Site of the Week If you're new to opera or if you've been to other Opera Company of Philadelphia performances, check out the Opera Company of Philadelp...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! This is the last week for us to look at Tan Dun’s Tea: A Mirror of Soul . Many of you will be attending the final dress rehearsal of the opera on Wednesday, February 17th at 2 PM. We hope you enjoy the experience! YouTube Clip of the Week Opera Company of Philadelphia’s YouTube Channel – Tea: A Mirror of Soul preview Before attending the opera, why not check out our podcast on Tea: A Mirror of Soul on the Opera Company’s website. Web Site of the Week As some of you may already know Sunday the 14th is Chinese New Year. Philadelphia kicks off its 2010 Chinese New Year celebration with a New Years Eve Lion Dance parade and fireworks on Saturday evening, February 13, 2010 at 11:00 p.m. at the China Gate. Call the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation at 215-772-0739 for more information. To find out more about Chinese New Year take a look at Philadelphia’s China Town website ! Opera on the Air On Saturday F...

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 the two remaining cast members of the opera; Kirk Eichelberger and Nancy Maultsby. We will also look at some more compositions by composer Tan Dun - YouTube symphony and portions of the soundtrack from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. YouTube Clip of the Week Symphony No. 1 "Eroica" - for YouTube, conducted by Tan Dun. Tan Dun, Yo Yo Ma - "Farewell" from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Web Site of the Week Bass-baritone Kirk Eichelberger sings the role of the Emperor in Tea: A Mirror of Soul . Mr. Eichelberger is no stranger to the Opera Company of Philadelphia; you may recognize him from this season’s production of Madama Butterfly in which he sang the role of uncle Bonze. He has also performed in our recent productions of Rigoletto and Fidelio . Mezzo- soprano Nancy Maults...

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...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to our Holiday Edition of Opera Online - this week focusing on New Years! YouTube Clip of the Week To celebrate the New Year, we’ll hear famous American soprano Kathleen Battle sing “Voices of Spring” or “ Frühlingsstimmen ” by the “Waltz King” Johann Strauss, Jr. with conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra at the 1987’s New Year Concert. Web Site of the Week To find out more about this renowned American soprano, visit her web site where you will find more information about her life, recent recordings, and upcoming performances. Opera on the Air There’s lots going on over the next week or so on both TV and radio. On January 1st at 11am WRTI radio will broadcast “New Year’s From Vienna 2010” with conductor Georges Pretre and host Julie Andrews ! This is the Vienna Philharmonic's annual concert of music celebrating the New Year, with works by the Strauss family and their contemporaries. If you...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to our Holiday Edition of Opera Online! My name is Aedin Larkin. I am the Community Programs intern with the Opera Company of Philadelphia and I will be taking over the blog entries for the time being. I hope to bring you lots of new and exciting information with updates on the upcoming productions for the 2010 season; but first…. With the holiday season approaching, I wanted to look at some Christmas and Chanukah music to keep us all in good spirits! You Tube Clip of the Week Chanukah is celebrated from December 11th-19th this season. This Jewish tradition has been celebrated for centuries. In our first clip of the week we will see a performance of Chanukah, O Chanukah sung by Marie Betcher. Handel’s Messiah is an extremely popular oratorio that is performed very frequently during the holiday season. Therefore I’m showing you one of the great soprano solos “Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion”. There are two versions; the tradit...

Welcome to Opera Online! This is the last week for us to look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly . Many of you attended the final dress rehearsal of the opera on Wednesday, October 7th. We hope you had a great time! Let us know what you thought of the opera by posting your review here . Good or bad, we'll publish your review as long as you include your first name, school, and grade level. Our Clip of the Week looks at a Broadway play that was inspired by Madama Butterfly : Miss Saigon . The musical is set during the Vietnam War. Chris, an American soldier stationed in Vietnam, falls in love with Kim, a young Vietnamese woman. He returns to America andKim gives birth to thier son. Back in America, Chris marries Ellen. In this sequence, Kim sings of her love for Chris while Ellen sings of her concern over Chris' disturbing dreams. How does this scene remind you of Madame Butterfly ? Website of the Week Now that you know everything there is to know about Ma...

Madama Butterfly - Student Reviews Sounds of Learning Puccini's Madama Butterfly Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at the Academy of Music. Madama Butterfly teaches great lessons about love, faith, honor, and respect. Jun Kaneko's production vividly brought the opera to life it's geometric patterns and string use of color and projections. 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 and why? Which was your favorite character and why? Did you like the projections, costumes and sets? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, school and grade in your post. Click here if you want to learn more about these operas, the singers in the production, an...

Welcome to Opera Online! This is the last week for us to look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly . Many of you will be attending the final dress rehearsal of the opera on Wednesday, October 7th at 2 PM. We hope you enjoy the experience! Our Clip of the Week features the final moments of the opera. Butterfly has lost everything - her mother and relatives, her husband, her child, and even her honor. She has only one option left for her: hari-kari. In this scene Butterfly urges her son, Trouble, to forgive her for abandoning him. She helps restore her honor by doing this dramatic act. For the complete text to the scene, see page 34 of the Sounds of Learning guide. Don't forget to invite your friends to sign up to receive these alerts by emailing their name, school, and age to us at outreach@operaphila.org. Again, if you have suggestions of things you'd like to see, please let me know and I'll find a few clips as well. Enjoy!

What Are Your Thoughts? Pinkerton and Sharpless present two completely different characters. Pinkerton thinks of himself more and Sharpless is compassionate. Both are Americans living in Japan. What does it mean to be an American? Which one of these men show those American qualities more? Why do you think Sharpless didn't do more to prevent the marriage or to make Butterfly realize from the start that the marriage was only temporary? Log your thoughts below by clicking on the "Post a Comment" link below. You don't need to register and can click the Anonymous button, but please include your first name and the school you attend. Thanks!

Welcome to Opera Online! We continue our look at Giacomo Puccini's tragic Madama Butterfly , the first opera in our Sounds of Learning program for the 2009-2010 Season. In our Clip of the Week , we'll skip to the last act of the opera to hear a gorgeous trio and Pinkerton's remorseful aria, Addio fiorito asil. These clips are taken from a film interpretation starring the famous tenor Plá cido Domingo as Lt. Pinkerton with German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig as Suzuki and American baritone Robert Kerns as Sharpless. In the opera at this point, Pinkerton has returned to Japan and has brought his new American wife Kate. They stop by Butterfly's home with the consul, Sharpless. After seeing the how Butterfly has decorated the home for his return, he finally realizes how real Butterfly thought the marriage was. He is filled with remorse and runs out of the home. For the complete text to the scene, see page 32 of the Sounds of Learning guide. Just so you know, the v...