On Monday, April 3, at the Redfern Arts Center, Keene’s Opera Workshop performed an abridged version of “Speed Dating Tonight!” originally written by Michael Ching.
Opera Workshop is a one semester course taught by Dr. Christina Wright-Ivanova.
The performance consisted of six students ranging in majors and ages, accompanied by pianist Vladimir Odinokikh. Ivanova said, “Speed dating was kind of a hot thing to do…it lends itself perfectly to opera because you can have…four or five minute solos that the students perform for each other and each character has their own very specific…you get a real picture of these different characters in a few minutes.”
Ivanova added, “I have to say not many 18 year olds today know very much about speed dating…this is kind of… the tinder of 20 years ago… it’s about love and loss and acceptance and a lot of themes of humanity that have been in opera since the 1650s…these are human traits that we all have, that we can all relate to. So it’s a great choice, I think for this semester.”
Some performers had taken this course in the past and some were firsttimers. Ivanova described the performers as “a really great mix, and all of them are super excited about having careers on stage in some way… they really just love being on stage… [veterans] really help the ones who haven’t done it before feel more comfortable…they really help the newbies…it’s a really warm and great environment for the people who are coming in for the first time.”
Ivanova explained what goes into choosing a work to perform. “I have to consider each of their instruments…we say fach [range]…so whether they’re a soprano or mezzo or…tenor or baritone, different fachs have different ranges…so I had to consider very carefully what would fit for each student.”
Ivanova added, “I also consulted with our voice chair, Daniel Carberg… Dr. Carberg is teaching a lot of these students so he really helped me make sure that the music was going to fit their instruments.” James Slipp, a sophomore who has been taking Opera Workshop since he was a first-year, explained, “When I took [opera] workshop as a freshman, I had to learn a lot really fast…the freshmen we have right now [are] doing a great job…picking it up and having fun and…learn as fast as they can. We have an earlier concert date than a lot of the other ensembles…a lot of them are…April 30, or something. So it’s definitely a quick turnaround.”
Slipp added, “I honestly think that the best part for the audience is… every song is just a big laugh in its own way. But I think it is special seeing…a younger cast being able to do something that Keene State hasn’t done in quite a while which is…doing…a proper opera.” After their performance, Opera Workshop still has a month of classes in which they will bring guest artists, work on solo repertoire, and prepare for the end of year jury.
Benjamin Martins can be contacted at
bmartins@kscequinox.com
“This is kind of… the tinder of 20 years ago… its about love and loss and acceptance and a lot of themes of humanity that have been in opera since the 1650’s”
DR. CHRISTINA WRIGHT-IVANOVA
OPERA WORKSHOP PROFESSOR
