麻豆影院

What if there were only black and white films? Only stage plays about medieval kings?

To Leigh Holman, Director of CU Opera, that鈥檚 the big difference between opera and the rest of the performing arts world.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 think twice about telling new stories with film and playwriting,鈥� she muses. 鈥淭here are playwriting competitions鈥攅ntire divisions in theater companies鈥攄evoted to new works. Why should opera be any different?鈥�

But opera, inexplicably, has always been different. Throughout the 20th century, despite producing pieces at prolific rates, new composers were discounted.

鈥淔or so long, we've seen primarily the same masterpieces performed. The same composers. The same audiences,鈥� says Holman.

Even though opera is just another way to tell a story, Holman says听there鈥檚 a difference in perception. 鈥淥pera audiences often expected it to be a certain way, and that drove the market. Companies used to stick with what鈥檚 safe and what they perceived to 'work.'鈥澨�

That鈥檚 why, six years ago, she, Patrick Mason and others at CU-麻豆影院 set out to change that.

A new opera workshop

To the novice, naming an opera that premiered in the last 100 years is probably a challenge. But to professionals in the field today, the most important operas are the ones premiering right now. That鈥檚 the future of the art form.

鈥淣ot just presenting. Creating.鈥� That鈥檚 why Holman says the CU New Opera Workshop, or听CU NOW, is so critical. 鈥淚n the current marketplace, if we didn鈥檛 offer this for our students it could be considered to be malpractice. New audiences want to see new pieces.鈥�

CU NOW is a three-week workshop that introduces vocal and composition students to the leaders in their field鈥攖he Mozarts and the Verdis of the 21st century. It鈥檚 hands-on learning at its best.

鈥淚t means our students can be the first people to ever sing these pieces,鈥� says Holman. 鈥淭hey're coached on how to perform new works. And student composers are coached on how to write for specific voices and singers by established librettists and composers.鈥�

鈥淭hese scores are only in the composers鈥� minds until we bring them to life on stage,鈥� she adds.

Directing this year's performances will be chair of the CU Department of Theatre and Dance, Bud Coleman. This isn't Coleman's first time working with the College of Music鈥攁nd he says it certainly won't be his last. "My involvement with the College of Music goes back further, as former Professor of Music Dennis Jackson and I created the BFA in Musical Theatre degree program, which was approved in 1999.
"The two units recently collaborated on a co-production of Terrence McNally鈥檚 play听Master Class听in 2013, which had students and faculty from both disciplines working alongside of one another," Coleman says. "Just as Renee Fleming appeared this spring on Broadway in the play听Living on Love, we are all enriched by working in different facets of the performing arts."

The professionals joining the program are composer Zach Redler and CU-麻豆影院 alum Mark Campbell. One of the most important and sought-after writers in opera, Campbell's 2012 opera听Silent Night听won the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

He says initiatives like CU NOW are shaping opera today. 鈥淏y creating new operas about the American experience, CU NOW helps ensure that opera remains relevant鈥攁nd that it will have a future."

The opera that students will workshop this year鈥擟ampbell and Redler鈥檚 joint effort听A Song for Susan听厂尘颈迟丑鈥攄igs into the recent past and the psyche of the South Carolina mother who, in 1994, drowned her two sons and lied about the circumstances.

Redler says it was an immersive story for the creators. "I tend to be drawn to characters who exhibit the extremes of the human condition. For me, attempting to understand the 'whys' of these behaviors through portraying them on stage, I hope, helps us all understand ourselves better," he says.

A Song for Susan Smith听is dark. It hits close to home. But then again, so did听La Traviada听in 1853.

鈥淔or some audiences, that could discourage them. It could be too real. But for others, that鈥檚 what attracts them. Even then it makes them cringe,鈥� Holman says.

In the case of听A Song for Susan Smith, the opera is still in development. "The chance for our students to work with celebrated professionals like Zach and Mark during that stage of the process was the biggest reason to bring the piece here," Holman says.

Additionally, Campbell and Redler will mentor five student composers as part of the Composer Fellows鈥� Initiative, in which each composer will write a brief scene to be rehearsed and performed by student singers.

At the end of all the performances, the audience will be invited to offer weigh in with their response to the piece. Education is key.

鈥淭he performance is for the students鈥攏ot really for the audience,鈥� says Holman. 鈥淔eedback from a real audience helps them improve.鈥�

Setting the pace

When it was founded, CU NOW was one of the first university programs to focus on opera from the ground up. Creating truly new experiences for an audience looking for relevance. News reports. Colorado history. World War II. Stories they know.

Now, Holman says, some of the most highly regarded companies in the country鈥攖he Met and the Santa Fe Opera鈥攁re jumping onto the trend that CU NOW helped set.

鈥淭here has to be a commitment to getting a churn going of these newer pieces. The more repetition there is鈥攖he more familiarity there is鈥攖he more audiences will enjoy these operas.鈥�

Because just like black and white films and the plays of Shakespeare, even classical opera was new opera at one point. So teaching students how to perform and write new productions turns the students of opera鈥檚 past into the professionals of opera鈥檚 future.

CU NOW Events

A Song for Susan Smith
Friday, June 12
7:30 p.m.
ATLAS Black Box Theatre

Composer Fellows' Initiative
Saturday, June 13
7:30 p.m.
Imig Music Theatre
This production contains sexually suggestive content.

A Song for Susan Smith
Sunday, June 14
2 p.m.
ATLAS Black Box Theatre