As part of Saint David's exciting new collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera, our fifth graders attended the final dress rehearsal for
La Boheme at the opera house yesterday. For most, it was their first experience with grand opera.
After Act II, during their lunch break, the boys engaged in a talk-back with composer and music educator Tom Cabaniss, who asked them what they found interesting about the opera and what they wanted to learn more about. Boys were impressed by the complex staging and large cast, and expressed their curiosity about how different sounds are created. They also discussed how opera is a combination of a variety of art forms: architecture, lighting, visual arts, music, and poetry.
Mr. Cabaniss will meet regularly with the class in January and February in our Otto-Bernstein Theatre, where he will lead workshop sessions with the boys as they compose a mini-production inspired by the Puccini opera.
The arts (aesthetics) is one of the four pillars of a Saint David's education, which is grounded in the classical ideal of "balance in all things." We are fortunate to be able to leverage the unique and enriching learning experiences offered by premier institutions like the Met, enabling our boys to benefit from real-life interactions with world-class artists.
