What’s it all about?
We all know it’s not over until the fat lady sings. But who is this lady? And more importantly, why is she singing?
Opera often seems to be one of the more bizarre art forms to grace the stage today with its ridiculous characters, larger than life costumes and soaring arias – and that’s just the men.
This introductory session will attempt to explore, explain and sing its way through 400 years of western operatic tradition and its relevance in this day and age.
What will we cover?
This class hopes to demystify all aspects of opera: the outrageous plot lines, the music, libretto and most importantly the singing. By listening to excerpts from the popular operatic repertoire, we will explain the difference between operatic and more contemporary styles of singing and the musical styles in vogue during particular periods in various European locations.
We will explore opera as a medium for storytelling and an outlet for emotion and fantasy through the works of Puccini, Bizet and Wagner, and its place in society will be examined. Contemporary opera including recent Australian operatic compositions will be introduced and the mutations the art form has undergone will be discussed. Hopefully this will inspire you to go and experience some in the flesh!
No prior musical knowledge required.
Who will be teaching?
Sascha Kelly is currently completing an Honours degree in conducting at Monash University while Justina Lui has just completed a Graduate Diploma on violin at the Melbourne Conservatorium. They met at the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Writing About Music program in January this year and discovered a shared love of kaftans, a cappella choirs and of course opera.