Opera on the Go! Photograph courtesy of Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Folks who have studied a bit of Latin are probably aware that the word “opera” literally means “works”; there being no articles in Latin, you can just as easily translate it as “THE works.” It’s an apt translation not just because opera integrates almost all art forms—music, drama, poetry, visual art and dance—but also because opera production is, simply put, a lot of work. However, such work can be a labor of love, and, for the truly dedicated, a lot of fun. On summer nights at Opera Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton or at Union Avenue you can almost feel the warmth and sparkle in the air as casts and crew bustle around before the shows and audiences prepare themselves to feel the electricity of voices and instruments, scenery and costumes, movement and spirited action.
Winter has traditionally been a drier time for opera in the St. Louis area, but, increasingly, offerings from professional companies and academic institutions abound. Take Winter Opera, for example, which was formed by hometown diva Gina Galati for the express purpose of keeping operatic blood coursing through our community's veins during the winter. This year’s productions will include La Traviata in February, with performances at the St. Louis Women’s Club and the Villa Marie Winery in Maryville, Ill., and Cavalleria Rusticana in March at St. Ambrose Catholic Church on the Hill. Prior to that, Winter Opera hosts a Masquerade Ball on October 29 at Dominic’s Trattoria in Clayton, a weekend of Opera Extravaganza beginning on November 12, replete with food and a kaleidoscope of famous arias at the Villa Marie Winery, St. Louis Women's Club and St. Ambrose, and Holidays on the Hill in December at Dominic's on the Hill. Fundraising is part of the reality of opera and all performance enterprises—just ask any arts administrator or would-be impresario—but Winter Opera has woven together holiday cheer, high art, good food and good fun.
Union Avenue Opera, which continues its unstoppable growth under the leadership of Scott Schoonover, offers up an Opera Gala on October 30 at its home location, Union avenue Christian Church. Opera lovers can make it a full weekend between UAO’s Gala and Winter Opera’s Masquerade Ball. UAO also presents Amahl and the Night Visitors on the weekend of December 10, a holiday tradition in cities everywhere, but perhaps particularly so in St. Louis, where a branch of composer Gian-Carlo Menotti’s family resides.
Across town, Opera Theatre of St. Louis invigorates the winter landscape with its acclaimed and innovative educational program, “Opera on the Go!” with performances in November at 21 area schools and the Touhill Center for Performing Arts. In keeping with its commitment to the operas of Mozart, OTSL mounts a special version of The Marriage of Figaro in this season's presentations to students. Understanding that education is key, OTSL’s program not only gives students the privilege of hearing (and seeing) the music, but also enables them to peek into the artists’ lives backstage—applying makeup, awaiting the curtain, etc. Perhaps even more importantly, students are shown how the same drama and emotion of today's popular music can be found in the energizing force of opera.
In addition to its collaboration with OTSL, the Touhill Center also brings in the Gilbert and Sullivan Players from New York for a performance of The Mikado on March 11. The works of Gilbert and Sullivan are experiencing renewed interest, as witnessed by Union Avenue’s production of The Pirates of Penzance this past summer. They’re hugely entertaining, particularly for newcomers to opera and musical theatre, and don't even require translation (well, not most of the time...).
Webster University will stage a series of opera scenes on Jan. 24--another great opportunity for those just developing a taste for opera--and will also present a program of arias at Plaza Frontenac on Nov. 6 as part of the observance of Opera Recognition Week. Washington University will also present a program of opera scenes on December 14 at the Ballroom Theatre at the 560 Trinity Avenue Music Center. The Opera Theatre of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville will continue the tradition of educating and reaching out to young people with a series of performances of John Davies' Jack and the Beanstalk at local elementary schools this fall.
Perhaps what is most meaningful about the array of opera experiences that lies ahead is the diversity of venues, repertoire and format, along with a firm commitment to education. Now more than ever, performers must also assume the mantle of educators. And who better to be entrusted with the task of teaching and outreach than those already active in the field? For this, all those involved in music and its associated arts deserve our respect and support. Moreover, the masala of operatic programming this year is a feast not only for the ears, but for the eyes, the brain and, not to be missed, the palate.
Gary Scott blogs about music, education and life in general at scottmind.blogspot.com.
