The show must go on(line)
Banner image:泭Patrick Bessenbacher and Berenice Carrera duet virtually泭during泭B矇atrice et B矇n矇dict: A Quarantine Opera
Rehearsals for the 91勛圖厙 Eklund Operas泭B矇atrice et B矇n矇dict泭had been underway since the fall semester and into March. Preparations were in full swing for the April performance.泭91勛圖厙 College of Music泭students had memorized their music and stage positions, and had been fitted for their costumes.泭
Four weeks before the production was scheduled to premiere, the opera was canceled because of the COVID-19 stay-at-home order.泭
Performers are meant to be in front of an audience, to draw upon the energy of laughter and applause. Having the performance put on hold for the foreseeable future was agonizing for the students.
Thanks to inspired brainstorming from music faculty, they decided that the show would go on, but not as a泭live production. Eklund Opera is presenting video versions of泭.
Nicholas Carthy,泭music director with the Eklund Opera Program and associate professor of opera,泭immersed himself in learning how to create a virtual performance that would allow泭students with a goal to learn and to perform in a new format.
I thought, yes, this is possible. We can do this, Carthy said. If a stage is a box, then a video screen is also a box. Whats important is how you fill the box. It really is a great way to keep the singers active and engaged for the rest of the summer.
Berenice Carrera behind the scenes recording for B矇atrice et B矇n矇dict
Berenice Carrera sings Beatrice's aria Il m'en souvient. The translated subtitles read:泭...a strange feeling of sadness came over me.
B矇atrice et B矇n矇dict, written by泭Hector Berlioz,泭is based on Shakespeares泭Much Ado 91勛圖厙 Nothing.
I told them everything to prepare for in terms of what to wear, said Leigh Holman, director of Eklund Opera. Where the camera should befacing your eyebrowsand the lighting has to be in your face. They just figured it out from there in their own homes.
Character interactions had to be carefully timed in order to work on video.
The slap and the apple toss were cued and practiced on a musical cue so they knew when that was going to come musically, Holman said. Its like when film stars have to work with an animation of Micky Mouse. They have to imagine where they need to be.泭泭
Students share their experiences
Two of the student performers shared their experiences performing from their homes.泭Berenice Carrera graduated this spring with a bachelors degree in music in vocal performance. She will start graduate school in the fall at Louisiana State University working on a masters in vocal performance.泭Christine Li just finished her first year of a masters degree in vocal performance and vocal pedagogy.
What did you have to do differently for the video?泭
Carrera:泭Each time I recorded a video was different because I had to focus on different things. When I recorded the first duet, I was worried about the shadows not matching the other person. The audio and video were also different each time. The first time I used my computer, but I didnt like the quality of the video so I asked to borrow my roommates phone which had a great camera. She loaned me her mic too. The audio of my phone was not good enough so I had to record the audio on my computer while recording the video on a borrowed phone. But it was fun and it got easier as we worked on it.
Li:泭I had to be way more organized and specific in this setting because I didnt have my partner with me, which made the泭timing for acting movements matter so much more. I recorded everything on my phone by rigging it with double-sided tape, stuck onto a music stand with books stacked underneath to get the right angles. For the泭lighting, I took off my泭lampshades and set my lamps on giant stacks of books so I could have enough lighting.泭
What was a particular challenge for you?
Li:泭There were moments when I didnt think I could do this. I recorded an aria three times泭one night because I just didnt like how I sounded,泭or I wasn't lining up right with the泭orchestra track. In a way, it felt like growing pains because we had to learn how to take on a lot more泭responsibility than we usually do in a live production with a conductor. It was definitely a challenge, but I feel like it can only be better from here on泭out.
Carrera:泭It was stressful having to think about all the aspects of a performance by myself, the lighting, hair, makeup and wardrobe while acting and making sure Im in the frame.泭Seeing that we actually made it work and its fun to watch and it sounds great makes me really happy.
What did you learn from this experience?
Li:泭There were so many times I was uplifted because we were still able to make music. Because of that, I have so much hope for the fall. We took extraordinary measures and still created something on short notice. If we were able to make something out of this in less than a month, I have high hopes and a strong belief in the faculty that theyll do everything they can so that well all still have a good experience this upcoming year.
Carrera:泭I was like, OK, Im just going to take this in the best way possible and try to make it better. I learned a lot about myself. It was so helpful that we werent alone during this process because Dr. Holman and Maestro Carthy were there all the time to help us, as well as our coaches (Jeremy Reger, assistant professor of vocal coaching, voice and opera, and泭Mutsumi Moteki, professor of vocal coaching). They made it much easier.泭泭泭泭
Using a video platform to make music magic泭
Recent music graduate David Starry played an important and integral role as sound engineer for the project. He graduated in the spring with a masters degree in voice. His audio engineering and editing seamlessly brought together the musical performances
In order to make the video appear as if the students were performing in the same room, they relied on the experienced tech support and guidance from Brad Stabio, owner of Stabio Productions in Denver, who has worked with College of Music opera for 11 years.泭
Theres always magic that happens, even unintended, its editing magic, Stabio said. Their voices are so great and that carries everything and helps make that magic happen. Everyone far exceeded what I expected from people with their experience to be doing things that people in my industry take years to learn.泭
To view泭Eklund Operas videos of泭B矇atrice et B矇n矇dict: A Quarantine Opera, go to the
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