Hi Stephen, a couple questions: 

 

*unedited reply*

Whoa - cowboy - lots of stuff there - I'll try to answer as clearly as possible:

#1: i sang in the chorus of Carmen in 1974/IU Opera - full production in English - I conducted a bus & truck production in English - Texas Opera Theater - 20 performances in 30 nites - 5 performances in French with Anchorage Opera/1999; 2 performances here with David and Holly and Lucy: 2009 - after the floods; it's one of the most popular operas in the repertory - the world premiere in 1875 was opera comique style - sung with spoken dialogue - there were three short sing recits in acts 1&3 here this month - the recits were written by Ernest Guiraud - colleague of Bizet; you need real opera singers with acting chops and good French diction to make it successful and authentic.

 

#2: David asked me to prepare the adult coro - rehearsals began late January through late March - I was unavailable for stagings - usually the chorusmaster is present at all stagings - I was quickly catching up to musical issues with the coro the evening of sitzprobe - I was following full score in case there were issues in the orchestra - there were - my job later that week was to check balance in Reineke and continue to monitor ensemble issues with the coro - I ended up working with the children's coro as well - there were constant issues in early rehearsals with proper operatic diction - i luckily have a superb colleague @ the MET - Maestro Donald Palumbo - who advised me on several musical and diction matters - i offered notes before each performance.

 

#3: when i conduct opera I'm usually present at all staging rehearsals to make sure musical matters remain honest - the 1940 version of this production offered challenges to the coro to remain focused and authentic in their characterization - my job from day one was to create a passion for the text and the drama - we did have several sectionals to slowly routine troublesome passages - as I said - when I'm the conductor - I'm ultimately in charge of musical standards - as a part of the music staff I had to agree with the artistic and musical vision of stage director and conductor.

 

#4: Carmen premiered in 1875 and was a disaster opening nite - the audience hated the spoken dialogue and the non-balletic dancing in act two - I know the two leads were committed to the vision of the composer - according to the great composer/conductor/ pianist Richard Strauss he felt Carmen to be one of the truly great opera scores and recommended others interested in composition to study it thoroughly - it's a revolutionary score for its age - using dance rhythms - wonderfully colorful preludes to each act - deftly drawn and deeply real characters - the reason such great operas such as Aida and La Boheme and Carmen have endured is that they were written by masters at the peak of their artistic powers - yes - many musicals by Sondheim and Rodgers & Hammerstein have fortunately endured - but - you need real operatic talent onstage - in the pit - and on staff to guide the powerful music dramas of Verdi and Puccini and Bizet - Bizet died way too early - Carmen was his last work - I think he died 3 months after its premiere - the story is as vibrant today as it was from its original Merimee short story - I hope this helps - if you need more - stop by this week - ssulich

 

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Interview with Professor Capistran

2. How often are rehearsals? How long are they?

3. How hard is the music?

4. What is the orchestra community like?

5. What is the relationship between the singers and the orchestra like?

6. How has this opera been different than other operas you’ve done

7. Anything else?

8. Paid?

I really enjoy getting the opportunity to perform with professionals in the industry. It gives us a unique opportunity to observe the professional expectations from the rehearsal process to performances.
2. How does singing in the opera define you?
It has given me the opportunity to become a better performer. Technically it makes me a professional singer because I get paid.
3. Do you feel that singing in the opera chorus prepares you for any future careers/endeavors?
Yes. It gives me more performance opportunities with a wide variety of repertoire. It also gives me the chance to perform repertoire that I wouldn’t get a chance to do as an undergraduate. Observing professionals in rehearsal in the sense of how they carry themselves as professionals. It's all about connections.
4. Tell me about how a preliminary music learning rehearsal would have gone. How much of the music learning is independent? How much is expected out of the chorus members?Generally, all of the music learning for the chorus is done in rehearsals, all leads are expected to learn music independently. Music learning depends on the chorus director. 5. What do you feel is your role as a chorus member?
I have worked for the F-M opera in varying capacities for 3 seasons. Everything from chorus member to office intern, so I had maybe more responsibilities than other chorus members. Many people expected me to be the keeper of the chorus in many ways. I did more administrative stuff than other chorus members. I was the liaison between the chorus and administrative staff. Your voice is an important part of the sound. The chorus is essentially another lead, it is very involved, so there is always something to be doing. There was not a lot of time to be hanging out backstage. I also was a named character and was responsible for figuring this out.
6. How do things change when you go from music rehearsals to staging rehearsals?
The expectation is that by the first staging rehearsal that we are out of score. That is not always the reality. We go from working with the chorus master (SS) to working with the maestro (Eric Weimar). We go from less strict to more strict. This was the 1st production where we got a music rehearsal with the maestro before staging. In staging rehearsals there was less singing than expected. Carmen can be very tiring if asked to sing all the time.
7. Do you feel like you impact the F-M area by participating in the opera?
Yes I do. The F-M area has a lot of arts organizations and the opera contributes to that. The F-M opera also does more than just operas, they do outreach programs like sending Young Artists in to elementary schools in the winter. Being a part of the community.