Sounds of Learning

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! To celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday we are dedicating this week's webisode to the feasts of opera! Video Clips of the Week! Our first video clip comes from the most famous dinner scene in all of opera, the Brindisi from Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata . The Brindisi, or drinking song, takes place at a lavish dinner party in early 18th century Paris. Tenor Placido Domingo plays Alfredo, who is in love with the hostess of the party and proposes a toast to love. Violetta ( Teresa Stratas ), the woman Alfredo is in love with, tries to thwart his advances by calling love folly. Our last clip comes from the Metropolitan Opera production of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel . After becoming hopelessly lost in the woods, hungry and tired Hansel and Gretel fall asleep. In this production, the children dream of a feast catered by fish and a dozen chefs. Opera on the Air! On Saturday, November 19th at 1 PM radio...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Today marks the world premiere of Nico Muhly's opera Dark Sisters in New York City which will be coming to Philadelphia in June. To celebrate this exciting premiere, we take a look this week at the works of young American composer, Nico Muhly. Video Clips of the Week! Nico Muhly was born in Vermont, Muhly received his bachelor's degree in English from Columbia University and his masters degree in music composition from the Julliard School. Only 30 years old, Muhly has already composed over 50 pieces and has written music for everything, from electric violin to movie scores. The first video clip is an example of Muhly's modern music style, a percussive piano piece performed by Nico Muhly himself called "Skip Town". "Skip Town" performed by Nico Muhly Muhly has been especially praised for his choral works. Growing up as a boy chorister, Muhly fell in love with choral music. The next clip is a choral piece call...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! From October 29th to November 6th people all over the country are celebrating National Opera Week. This week we take a look opera in your community! Video Clips of the Week! Our first video clip is from the National Opera Week last year. On October 30th, 650 people gathered at Macy's in downtown Philadelphia to perform Handel's " Hallelujah Chorus " in a Random Act of Culture . This huge surprise received national recognition and has had over 7 million hits on YouTube. Our next video clip is from a 2010 Random Act of Culture at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Singers from the OCP Chorus surprised hundreds of market shoppers in this stirring rendition of " Brindisi " from Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata . Our final surprise performance comes from this year. On April 2nd members of the Keystone State Boychoir surprised parents and children alike with the street children's chorus from Carmen at t...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Opera gets a dose of reality this week as we look at popular shows around the world that feature opera! Video Clips of the Week! Our first clip is from the United Kingdom hit tv show Popstar to Operastar . Like Dancing with the Stars, the show takes pop singers at the top of their career and trains them to sing opera. In this clip, former member of the Pussycat Dolls and solo artist, Melody Thornton sings the seductive " Habanera" from Carmen . See if you agree with the judges on her performance! Our second clip comes from the show America's Got Talent . Talent shows like America's Got Talent bring in aspiring stars from all walks of life. This audition features store clerk, John singing " Largo al factotum " from the opera The Barber of Seville . In 2002 the English National Opera Company searched the English countryside to find the next great opera singer. Their goal was to find a non-professional singer w...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! This week's webisode features opera in the movies! Opera has been used for years in the movie, as part of soundtracks and even as part of the plot! This week we'll take a look at some of the most famous opera "cameos" in the movies! Video Clips of the Week! The first video clip comes from the newest Jame Bond film, Quantum of Solace . In the movie Bond sneaks in to a modern production of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca in order to spy on the villian's meeting. Ironically, the opera scene playing during the meeting is "Te Deum", in which the villain in Tosca , Scarpia, reveals his evil scheme. Quantum of Solace: Tosca, Te Deum Here is a clip of the whole "Te Deum" from the opera. Scarpia is played by bariton Sherrill Milnes . Often times movies will use opera songs as back ground soundtracks to the story. This next clip uses the famous " Flower Duet " from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé . The ...

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. This week we are focusing on operas similar to Carmen. If you liked Carmen check out these opera! Video Clips of the Week! If you loved the music of Carmen ... Check out Georges Bizet's other big opera hit, The Pearl Fishers . The opera tells the story of a treacherous love triangle between two fishermen and a beautiful priestess. The first clip is a duet from the beginning of the opera. Two the two fishermen, best friends Zurga and Nadir recall when they both fell in love with the same woman and pledge to never let a woman come between them. This clip comes from the Opera Company of Philadelphia production of The Pearl Fishers in 2004 and features baritone Nathan Gunn and tenor William Braden. If you were inspired by Carmen's independence.....

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. Video Clips of the Week! We have a very exciting treat this week! Our video clips of the week come from personal interviews with the Director, Conductor and Cast of Carmen! Our first two videos are interviewswith Rinat Shaham and David Pomeroy, the mezzo-soprano who played Carmen and the tenor who played Don Jose. How do the opera stars picture their own characters? Is it similar to your own perception of Carmen and Don Jose? Interview with Rinat Shaham Interview with David Pomeroy Ever wonder what the stars of Carmen love about Philadelphia or what music do they have on their ipod? Our last two clips interview with Music Director Corrado Rovaris, Ailyn Perez (Micaela), Jonathan Beyer (Escamillo), Rinat Shaham (Carmen), Director David Gately, and D...

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...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Only two more episodes of our summer webisodes. This week we will look at three of the most popular magical operas, Mozart 's The Magic Flute , Gaetano Donizetti 's Elixir of Love , and Engelbert Humperdinck 's Hansel and Gretel . Video Clips of the Week! Mozart's magical comedy The Magic Flute tells the story of Tamino, a handsome prince who must face several trials to win the hand and heart of his princess. In the first video clip we are introduced to Papageno, a bird catcher who helps Tamino on his trecherous journey. Gaetano Donizetti's Elixir of Love follows Nemorino, a simple peasant who is convinced that a love potion will win him the heart of the landowner's beautiful daughter, Adina. The second video clip is the most famous tenor aria from the opera, "Una furtiva lagrima". Played by Rolando Villazon , Nemorino sings about spying a "furtive tear" from Adina, which is proof that...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! Continuing with our top 10 most popular operas, this week we will take a look at Giacomo Puccini's top two operas, Tosca and La Boheme . Video Clips of the Week!! While he was still alive and composing, Puccini was known for creating some of the most beautiful melodies in opera. It's no wonder that two of his operas still make the top 10 list today! Our first video clip is from Puccini's beautifully tragic opera Tosca . The opera follows a beautiful opera singer, Floria Tosca, who is forced by a corrupt chief of police to chose between her boyfriend's life or her honor. If you saw the Opera Company of Philadelphia production of Tosca this spring, you may recognize the popular aria in this video clip. The clip features tenor Placido Domingo as Cavaradossi, Tosca's love. The aria, "E lucevan Le stelle" (The stars shone brightly) takes place moments before Cavaradossi is scheduled to be executed. He...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Continuing with our summer webisode The ABC's of Opera over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at the Top 10 Most performed operas in the United States. Kicking off the list are two of the most popular comedic operas: The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini and The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . Video Clips of the Week! Although The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro were written by two different composers in two very different time periods, the stories are actually taken from a trilogy of plays with mostly the same characters (It's like two different directors making movies out of the books Twilight and Eclipse, and having the Eclipse movie released first). The first part of the story is The Barber of Seville . The Barber of Seville The story of The Barber of Seville follows a crafty barber, Figaro, and his former master Count Almaviva. Looking to find a woman who will fall in love with...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! This week we will take a look at the two lowest voice types. For the women we have the impressive contralto voice and for the men we have the basso-profundo! Video Clips of the Week!! Our first video clip is of one of the most famous singers from Philadelphia; contralto Marian Anderson . Although she did not perform on the opera stage, Marian Anderson loved operatic arias and would sing several of them in her concerts and recitals. This recording of her singing " Plasir d'amour " by Jean Paul Martini shows off the depth of the contralto voice. Our second video clip is of one of the most popular basso profundo roles in opera; Sarastro from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute . In this clip basso profundo Kurt Moll plays the High Priest of the Sun, Sarastro. In the aria "In deisen heil'gen hallen" Sarastro confronts and comforts the conflicted Tamina, who has been ordered by her mother to kill Sarast...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Continuing with our "ABC's of Opera" summer webisodes we'll venture into the rare voice types in opera. This week we'll take a look at one of the rarest male voice types- the countertenor. Videos of the Week! The countertenor is the highest male voice type in opera. Listening to recordings of countertenors can be a bit confusing because they are often mistaken for women. This is because the comfortable singing range for a countertenor lies within what would normally be considered a soprano or mezzo-soprano range. The countertenor voice is normally heard in very early opera or more contemporary works. Our first clip is from a modernized production of an old opera favorite. Countertenor Christophe Dumaux plays Tolomeo in Handel 's Julius Ceasar . Tolomeo, the reigning Pharoah of Eygpt, has just had the Emperor Pompey murdered and has taken Pompey's wife, Cornelia, captive. Upon first seeing Cornelia he falls i...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! Continuing with our series "The ABC's of Opera", this week we will be focusing on the voice type of the dramatic voice. Video Clips of the Week! The dramatic voice can be recognized by its' dark and powerful quality. Dramatic voice types often thought of as the stereotypical voice of an opera singer. These singers have enough volume to cut through a full orchestra. Our first video demonstrates the power behind dramatic voices. Featuring dramatic mezzo-sopranos, contraltos, and sopranos the "Ride of the Valkyries" from Richard Wagner's opera Die Walküre is one of the most famous opera pieces in the world. The Valkyries , daughters of the god Wotan, are in charge of bringing hereos killed in battle to Valhalla , the land of the Gods. The clip comes from the Bayreuth Festival in Germany. The second video is from the 2006 production of George Bizet's Carmen at Covent Garden in London. Dramatic tenor Jon...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! To honor our national day of independence, this week we will focus on the American vocal tradition. We will feature some of the greatest American opera singers performing American folk songs and patriotic tunes. Video Clips of the Week!! This week we travel back in time to hear some of the great American opera singers of the past. The first video is a recording of American baritone Robert Merrill singing "America, the Beautiful" with the London Festival Orchestra in 1974. The second video is of one of the most famous American contraltos. Philadelphia native Marian Anderson sings the beautiful American folk song "Carry me Back to Old Virginny". Another famous singer with Philadelphia connections, Paul Robeson , sings the traditional "Shenandoah". Continuing in a patriotic mode, legendary soprano Leontyne Price , in stunning form, sings the unofficial Philadelphia Flyer's theme song, Irving Berlin's ...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! For our second week of The ABC's of Opera we will be focusing on the fach, or voice type, of the lyric voice. Video Clip of the Week! The lyric voice is classified by a light or bright quality to the voice. Although the lyric voice may have a large range, they have a smaller range than a coloratura voice. The first video clip is of one of the most famous lyric tenors Luciano Pavarotti . In this 1981 production of Rigoletto Pavarotti sings the famous aria " La donna e mobile ". The Duke (Pavarotti) sings about how fickle women are. The second video clip is of lyric soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa singing the classic Puccini aria "Si, mi chiamano Mimi" from La Boheme . In the aria Mimi (Kanawa) introduces herself to the poet Rodolfo who has fallen in love with her at first sight. The story of La Boheme was modernized in the 1990's to become the plot of the hit musical RENT . Luciano Pavarotti "La donna e mobi...

Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! This week we are starting our summer webisode series The ABC's of Opera . Ever wonder what the difference is between a coloratura soprano and a lyric soprano? What is a countertenor? What are the most popular opera in America? This summer we will answer your questions and introduce you to the great singers of opera! This week we will focus on the coloratura. Video Clips of the Week! The term coloratura actually has two different meanings. Coloratura can describe a type of music or a voice type. Opera singers and opera experts sometimes describe music as having "coloratura passages". In this case coloratura means a fast passage or piece with many vocal runs. In our first video tenor Juan Diego Florez and bass-baritone Mark S. Doss demonstrates vocal coloratura in the duet "Se inclinassi a prender moglie" from Gioachino Rossini's The Italian Girl in Algiers . In this comic duet King Mustafa (Doss) is trying to c...