Sounds of Learning

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. As we are between seasons at the Opera Company of Philadelphia I thought I would spend the next few weeks taking about the different voice types beginning this week with Sopranos! I will be adding on an additional aspect to the blog during this summer session titled “The Documentary” where we will be viewing a seven part BBC documentary What Makes a Great Tenor? The great tenor Rolando Villazon takes us inside the world of the sexiest and most risky of all operatic voices. It's a journey which includes some of the great names of the past, such as Caruso and Lanza, and some of the brightest stars performing today, like Domingo, Alagna and Florez. We hear how they tackle their most famous roles and what the risks and rewards are! The Documentary What Makes a Great Tenore? - Part 1 Website of the week There are five main Categories of Soprano - Coloratura, Soubrette, Lyric, Spinto and Dramatic sopranos. Find out more about The Soprano ...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. You Tube Clip of the Week Star Spangled Banner Movietone 1944 World War 2 News Reel with Merrill Miller , American operatic baritone. Website of the week With the 4th of July just around the corner I thought it would be the perfect time to introduce you to usopera.com , a web resource dedicated to opera by American composers. Opera has been a part of American musical life for over 150 years, but only today are American works beginning to recieve the recognition they deserve. To learn more about American opera, click here . Opera on Air On Saturday, July 3rd at 1pm WRTI Radio will broadcast the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Hector Berlioz's La damnation de Faust conducted by Sir Andrew Davis starring Paul Groves as Faust, Susan Graham as Marguerite and John Relyea as Méphistophélès. Don't forget to invite your friends to sign up to receive these alerts by emailing their name, school, ...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. I hope you all enjoyed Orphée et Eurydice last week. Remember to post your reviews online and let us know what you thought of the opera! We're going to finish up with Orphée et Eurydice this week, taking a last look at the composer and the ballet section of the opera. You Tube Clip of the Week We'll see a performance of the famous Dance of the Blessed Spirits which opens the second act of the opera. In this brief ballet, the spirits dance serenely in the Elysian Fields in the Underworld. This clip is from a production of Orpheus and Eurydice at the Palais Garnier in Paris in 2008. How is the choreography different or the same from the choreography you saw in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's production? Website of the week Lets look at the man behind the music; Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck (1714-1787). He was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gl...

Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts 7:00 p.m. Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice on Tuesday, June15, 2010 at the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Orphée et Eurydice is the profound story of loss and love that has inspired thousands of works of art since the time of the ancient Greeks. 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 costumes and sets? Who had the best and most impressive singing voice? Your review should be at least 50 words or more. Please include your first name, home school or organization name and grade in your post. JOIN OUR OPERA EMAIL LIST! Email education@operaphila.org and we...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will look at Elizabeth Reiter who sings the role of Amour in this opera. You Tube Clip of the Week Amour's arias sung by Patricia Petibon - "Si les doux accord de ta lyre ... Soumis au silence" from Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice. Elizabeth Reiter makes her Opera Company of Philadelphia debut as Amour in Orphée at Eurydice . Next season she sings the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen with Curtis Opera Theatre and Aphrodite in Hans Werner Henze's Phaedra at OCP. to find out more about it young up and coming singer visit her website . Opera on the Air On Saturday, June 19 at 1pm WRTI Radio will broadcast the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Gaetano Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore conducted by Bruno Campanella and starring Nicole Cabell as Adina, Giuseppe Filianoti as Nemorino and Alessandro Corbelli as Dulcamara. Don't forget to invite your friends to sign up to receive these ale...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will look at Maureen McKay who plays the role of Eurydice. You Tube Clip of the Week Eurydice aria with chorus "Cet asile aimable et tranquille" from Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice In this haven So pleasant and tranquil We live contented, It is the smiling abode of joy. Nothing here troubles the soul. A sweet rapture affords To all the senses a calm pleasure. All sombre sadness is banished In this safe place. Maureen McKay will be seen as Eurydice in this opera. She made her debut with the opera company two seasons ago as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel . To find out more about this soprano visit her website . Opera on the Air Why not check out something new and listen to King FM online . This is a listener-supported Seattle based classical radio station. Just flow the link above, click on "listen online" at the top of the web page and there is a drop down menu to the Opera...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will begin to look at the singers behind the roles in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice ; starting with mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose who will play the role of Orphée. You Tube Clip of the Week The famous lamentation aria of Orpheus from Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice ,"J'ai perdu mon Eurydice" performed by the marvellous Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Vesselina Kasarova. Just after being reunited with Eurydice, Orpheus is not allowed to look at her. If he does, she will be whisked away back to the nether world. Frustrated by Eurydice's fears that he will not look at her, he impulsively turns around and sees his wife as she is sent back to Hades. Orpheus has lost her forever. He pours out his heart in this lament. It's unique in that it's scored in musical key of C major which is usually thought of as a "happy" key signature. Do you think the aria is moving and sad? Do you think it sounds too happy? L...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. This week we will continue to look at the Opera Company of Philadelphia's new production of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice paying most attention to the "Trouser Role"!! Web Site of the Week In our opera, the role of the tragic Orpheus is sung by a mezzo-soprano. The composer originally intended the role sung by a castrato. This version of the score was revised by French composer Hector Berlioz for mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot . Still, the use of the female voice for the male role reflects an occasionally used operatic convention known as the "trouser" role. For those of you who have downloaded the study guide you can read more about the trousers role on page 27. To find out more about it visit this website . YouTube Clip of the Week The Trouser role We will be looking at Orphée's arias in the coming week so I have three other examples of the famous trouser roles that are performed today. The role of Cherubin...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online. Beginning May 7th the Opera Company of Philadelphia presents their new production of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice . Over the next few weeks we will look at the story behind Orphée et Eurydice , the cast, Gluck and the music. YouTube Clip of the Week The Overture and the chorus's opening piece Ah! dans ce bois tranquille et sombre (A quiet, secluded grove) sets the mood of the beginning of the opera where Orphée is morning the death of his beloved wife. In this version we have tenor, Richard Croft, playing the role of Orphée instead of a mezzo - soprano. Web Site of the Week Why not find out more about Orpheus and his back ground? Follow the link below to start you off on your discovery. The Legend of Orpheus Opera on the Air Charles Gounod's Faust "Wealth! Power! Youth! Love! Faust wants it all--and Mephistopheles lets him have it in return for his immortal soul. When you deal with the devil, everyone loses--as Faust soon...

Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! This week, before we start talking about Gluck’s Orphee & Eurydice I thought we might take a minute to appreciate Operatic Mothers; after all, it was mother’s day last Sunday! Web Site of the Week On Operatic Mothers Who do you think are some of the nastiest and some of the nicest operatic mothers? YouTube Clip of the Week The Good Mother VS. the Bad Mother I have nominated Rosa Mamai from the opera L’Arlesiana , by composer Francesco Cilea as the Good mother. Esser madre E’un Inferno sung by Renata Tebaldi I have nominated Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ Elektra as the Bad mother. Ich habe keine gute nächte sung by Astrid Varnay. Opera on the Air Affectionately known as "Cav and Pag," Cavalleria rusticana (premiere 1890) and Pagliacci (premiere 1892) are two of the most popular examples of the "verismo style" in opera - focusing on ordinary people from working classes. "Cav and Pag" present the si...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! Many of you attended the final dress rehearsal of La traviata on Wednesday, May 5th . We hope you all enjoyed the experience! If you saw La traviata as part of Sounds of Learning, don't forget to leave your student reviews here . Please leave your first name, school and grade in order to have your review published! YouTube Clip of the Week With the 2010-2011 season just around the corner , the Opera at the Academy Series features three highly theatrical operas in our grand scale home; Verdi's Otello , Gounod's Romeo & Juliet and Puccini's Tosca . If you're a teacher interested in bringing your students to the opera next season, click here to register for the 2010-2011 Sounds of Learning Season today! Our YouTube clip is the Brindisi from Otello featuring Carlos Alvarez and Stephen Costello who will be singing the title role in Romeo & Juliet next February! Web Site of the Week Cost...

Verdi's La traviata Wednesday, May 5, 2010 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 Verdi's La traviata on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at the Academy of Music. La traviata is a monumental love story that has touched millions of people since its premiere in 1853 - even Julia Roberts' character in the film Pretty Woman ! 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 costumes and sets? Did you like that the opera was set in the 1920s? Who 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. Click here if you want to learn more about these operas, the singers in the production, and more! JOIN OUR OPERA EMA...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! This is our last week to review La traviata before the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production which premiers on Friday May 7th with the Student dress rehearsal as soon as this coming Wednesday, May 5th! YouTube Clip of the Week As it's our last week we have two great clips of the week! On Saturday, April 24th, the Opera Company of Philadelphia teamed up with the Reading Terminal Market Italian Festival for a large-scale " Flash Opera " event! Over 30 members of the Opera Company of Philadelphia Chorus and principal cast members of La traviata performed the famed "Brindisi" in the aisles of Reading Terminal Market, entertaining hundreds of Philadelphians, and proving that the perfect accompaniment for all things Italian is a little Verdi! If you missed out on this historical event check out the video below! Clips from San Francisco’s production of La traviata Similar to The Opera Compa...

Allison Sanders , soprano Today, we bring you the Adopt a Singer Program! This blog is written by one of the cast members of Traviata , Allison Sanders . Allison is a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and plays the role of Flora in the opera. Allison's Blog April 12th, Today was our meet and greet for the opera Traviata . I haven’t been feeling well but I wanted to come to the meet and greet to see my cast mates and attempt to sing. Something must be in the air because two people of the cast were out because of illness. Robert Driver didn’t skip a beat, so instead of doing the first act, which was on the schedule, he moved to the second act of the opera. This will give us all about two days to try and get better. Time for a lot of rest and fluids! Allison Sanders April 15th, I just got home from a Meet the Artist event at the Bellevue Hotel, where the cast members in the opera, meet donors and their friends. This is my fifth show with the opera compan...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! With only a few weeks to go we will look at the last of our main cast members; Mark Stone who plays Germont in the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata . YouTube Clip of the Week Baritone Giorgio Zancanaro singing one of the most famous baritone's aria: "Di provenza il mar, il suol?" from La traviata . Mark Stone will be singing this aria in The Opera Company of Philadelphia production. Web Site of the Week A native of England in the United Kingdom, baritone Mark Stone returns to Philadelphia to play the role of Germont in the Opera Company’s production of La traviata ! Mr. Stone has sung with some of the greatest opera companies in Europe and throughout the world. Visit his website to find out more about his life, roles and his up coming performances. Opera on the Air This week we have two great operas to watch and listen to... On Saturday, April 24th WRTI ...

Welcome to Opera-Online! Welcome students and teachers to Opera Online! Continuing to look at the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata . This week we will take a closer look at the man behind the role of Alfredo Germont - Charles Castronovo . YouTube Clip of the Week In this clip, Placido Domingo sings Alfredo's Act II aria De' miei bollenti spiriti from Franco Zeffirelli's La traviata movie. The text of the aria can be found on page 23 of the Sounds of Learning guide. Web Site of the Week A New York native, tenor Charles Castronovo sings the role of Alfredo Germont, Violetta's lover, in the Opera Company’s production of La traviata . To find out more about this world renowned tenor visit his website ! Opera on the Air Why not take a listen to La traviata live from the Metropolitan Opera House on Saturday, April 17rd at 1pm on WRTI Radio . Conducted by Yves Abel the all star cast includes Angela Gheorghiu as Violetta Val...

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...