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The
Guild Voice
August
2017
In this
issue:
- Word
from our
Summer
Scholars
- Quest
Arias Now
Online
- Background
Projections in
Opera
- Everyone
Wins When You
Renew!
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Scholarships
and Grants Put
to Good Use in
Summer Study
Programs
by
Betty Allen
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What
could be
better for a
college
student than a
lazy summer
day? Studying
opera, of
course! For
eleven U of A
voice
students,
nothing could
be better than
studying
voice, singing
opera, and
learning
singing and
acting skills
under the
tutelage of
world-class
teachers and
opera
directors in
summer
institutes all
over the
world.
>From
Redwoods Opera
Workshop in
California to
Salzburg,
Austria, the
students are
honing their
operatic
skills with
the assistance
of $10,000 in
grants and
scholarships
from the Opera
Guild of
Southern
Arizona.
Although most
of the
students are
still engaged
in their
summer
programs, we
already
received some
letters of
thanks. U of A
Sophomore Emma
Petersen,
recipient of
both a OSGA
Grant and the
OGSA
Undergraduate
Scholarship,
wrote: “I am
filled with
gratitude and
appreciation
for this
scholarship
and for all of
the support
that OGSA
gives students
FFSOM at the
University of
Arizona … I
will be
leaving the
USA for an
opera program
in Salzburg,
Austria! The
scholarship
from OGSA will
help me pay
for my studies
while I’m
there. Thank
you so, so
very much and
I look forward
to performing
for you soon.”
We are also
looking
forward to
hearing more
beautiful
singing from
Emma.
Many
OGSA members
have had the
pleasure of
hearing and
watching
coloratura
soprano
Michelle
Perrier sing
in Quest. Here
is an excerpt
from her
letter: “Thank
you so much
for all your
support over
the four years
I have been
here. One of
my favorite
things at this
school is to
participate in
Quest for the
Best. Your
love, support,
and generosity
continually
inspire me to
do my best and
shoot for my
dreams.”
We hope she
has much
success in her
opera career.
Our
annual budget
for giving
scholarships
and grants
depends on
generous
donations from
our OGSA
members and
friends.
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Quest
Arias Now
Available
Online
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If
you
missed our
14th
annual Quest
for the Best vocal
competition,
find out who
won the
top prizes,
and listen to
and download
all
eight undergraduate
arias and
all nine graduate
student arias.
For
a fuller
experience
of Quest,
see and hear
the first
prize winners
in HD
video.
Top
left: Ariana
Iniguez, soprano,
graduate
division 1st
place
Middle
Left: Antonio
Cruz,
baritone,
undergraduate
division 1st
place (tie)
Bottom
left: Taylor
Trolia-Giron,
soprano, undergraduate
division 1st
place (tie)
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See
them at
Arizona Opera
Next Season
Background
Projections
Have
Illustrious
History
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Arizona
Opera patrons
will see
something new
with the
productions of
Hercules
and the
Vampires and Das
Rheingold: background
projections.
So, what would
Verdi and
Wagner
say? A
little
research
reveals that
they would
heartily
approve;
indeed, they
both wanted to
do something
very
similar--Verdi
for Macbetto and
Wagner for Die
Walkure.
The precursor
for the modern
picture
projector was
the "magic
lantern" or
"phantasmagoria"
(photo at
right), a
large rotating
circular
device
seated between
two projectors
which
allowed for
dissolving
from one image
to another.
It had
been invented
by the 1840s.
Macbetto would
premier in
1847, and as
usual, Verdi
was obsessive
over every
detail.
He
especially
wanted the
lighting
effects for
Act 3,
Macbeth's
scene in the
witches den,
to be
brilliant and
startling, and
so he was
intrigued by
this new
technology and
how it might
be used in the
theatre. He
wanted to
project the
procession of
dead and
future kings
on the cavern
wall.
Verdi
wrote to the
impresario in
charge of the
Florence
premier,
Alessandro
Lanari, that
he had spoken
to the
lighting
technician and
indeed to an
optician as to
the
feasibility of
building such
a device: "By
God, if this
turns out
well...it will
be astonishing
and bring a
flock of
people running
just for that
alone."
Verdi almost
got his wish.
A
phantasmagoria
was
constructed in
Milan and
delivered to
the Pergola,
the theatre in
Florence.
It
worked
technically--the
apparitions
could be seen
clearly and
the effect was
mysterious.
Sadly,
however, the
Florence
authorities
said "no."
The
device
required that
the theater be
in total
darkness for
the
performance.
What
would happen
to public
morals?
What
would the
audience be
getting up to?
Especially
up in the
higher
elevations of
the tiers,
where the
students sat?
No,
no--it was all
very well to
want bloodied
kings
projected on
the wall, that
would be all
right.
But no
dark theaters!
Only 30 years
later, Richard
Wagner thought
that the
phantasmagoria
could project
images of
Valkyries
carrying the
corpses of
dead heroes
onto the
backscreen.
Alas, public
morals were
just as
threatened in
1876 as they
were in 1847.
No
phantasmagoria
allowed.
And so we come
to the 2017-18
season of
Arizona Opera.
It
appears that
Joseph Specter
has captured
the zeitgeist
of these two
composers'
intentions for
their
creations. And
the spirits of
Verdi and
Wagner will be
applauding at
both
productions.
If only they
could have had
the morality
of today....
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Renew Today--It's
a Winning
Strategy!
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Summertime
is renewal
time at the
Opera Guild.
Last year your
support helped
us award over
$20,000 to
local opera
students. But
the students
aren't the
only winners;
everyone wins
when you
become a
member!
- Students
get needed
funds to
continue their
education,
travel to
auditions, and
attend
programs in
the US and
abroad (see
[[article name
on grants and
scholarships]]),
as well as
opportunities
to perform
before a
community
audiences.
- The
UA and Pima CC
benefit from a
robust level
of community
support
through OGSA,
helping them
recruit and
retain
students.
- The
Greater Tucson
community has
access to
unique events
such as Quest
for the Best
and our free
opera
previews.
- OGSA
members enjoy
exclusive
events,
including our
annual member
party, and
master
classes.
With an OGSA
membership,
you are
automatically
a community
member of the
UA Singers's
Club. If you
wish to be on
their mailing
list, contact
Prof. Andrew
Stuckey.
If you
have already
renewed, thank
you! If not,
please renew
now so
EVERYONE WILL
WIN.
Renewing
is easy at our
website.
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