America’s 250 Years of Opera
Written by Olivia Broadrick
Classical Voice is one of the smaller majors at IAA; however the students practice tirelessly to be able to perform in their workshops—a time for students to display their skill sets. Tech week for the Opera students is a week’s worth of late nights and long practices. It's all worth it in the end when their hard work comes together to make one successful show. Dr. Laura Osgood Brown, an opera teacher, directs all of it at the helm.
This show was about sharing many different stories across the American experience since America is coming up on its 250 year anniversary. The show brought up many different facets of the American experience, both good and bad.
There were many impactful songs during the show, bringing up issues such as the Lavender Scare. “Fellow Travelers” by Gregory Spears, is a piece set in 1947 about how many government officials were questioned about their sexuality. They were humiliated and fired if they were suspected of homosexuality.
One particularly impactful song during the show was a piece called “The Consul” by Gian Carlo
Menotti. It portrays an immigration office: cold, sterile, with tired travelers standing shoulder to shoulder. It introduced the idea that even if the situation is dire, the process doesn’t change. The song showed this through the case of a woman desperately trying to get a visa to go see her sick daughter and just being handed paperwork back.
The show also covers themes having to do with child loss during the Revolutionary War. The performance used a piece called “1776, ‘Mama, look sharp’” by Sherman Edwards, which portrayed a soldier calling for his mother. It switched perspectives to the mother, depicting her combing through the sea of bodies for her child, which was customary at the time.
Although, on a happier note, there were also pieces such as “Yours, Yours, Yours!” – also from “1776” – which shows the relationship between John Adams and his wife, using a playful exchange of words back and forth between the two of them to show closeness.
Overall, this was a very successful show, demonstrating the many sides of not only the human experience, but also the American experience.