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Unique Collaboration Between Saint David's and the Metropolitan Opera Begins



Mimi (Liana Guberman), Rodolfo (Victor Starsky), and Musetta (Kirsten Scott) sang for Saint David's fifth graders yesterday in the Otto-Bernstein Performing Arts Theatre, kicking off our school's one-of-a-kind collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera.

As part of the Fifth Grade's year-long exploration of grand opera, the boys are partnering with artists and professionals from the Met to learn about the genre. This is the first-ever workshop style collaboration between the Met and a school, and it will occur over several months.

Yesterday, the group of opera performers and Met professionals, including Director of Education Marsha Drummond, introduced the boys to the music of Puccini and the plot of La Boheme, which will be the class's inspiration as our boys work over several sessions with Met educators and their Saint David's music teachers to compose their own original operatic work.

In addition to the voice demonstrations of what an opera singer sounds like, the professionals discussed the various types of voices, the difference between an aria and a duet, how opera was a popular form of music in Puccini's day, and how La Boheme deals with the pull between poverty and love. The boys also learned from the pianist Laetitia Ruccolo that in rehearsals, the piano mimics the various sections of the orchestra. Following the presentation, boys told their teachers they were surprised by how much they had enjoyed the session and that they were looking forward to today's trip to the Met.

This morning, it was off to the opera house for a private Behind the Scenes Tour, led by the Met's Education Manager, Dan Marshall. The opera house was empty, save for the buzz of workers throughout. Boys began seated in the orchestra section of the theater, where they learned a bit about the Met's history and about the opera house's design and architecture.

In small groups, they then toured several areas including the back stage, dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces, the carpentry shop, and wig and costume shops. Several boys noted how impressed they were by all of the various essential jobs that are involved in opera production.

With their curiosity piqued by these two experiences, the boys will next attend a dress rehearsal of La Boheme at the Met, before they begin their series of workshop sessions at school, culminating in the performance of their work in March.

This is such a phenomenal educational opportunity for our boys that will provide them with a deeper appreciation for the different aspects of opera and an understanding about how composers use music to convey plot and theme.

Throughout our program of studies at Saint David's, we create active signature units that leverage the premier scientific, cultural, and historical institutions of New York City and beyond. Boys work with experts at these institutions over time to gain deeper understanding, ask more probing questions, and extend their classroom learning.

For more information about Saint David's School, visit www.saintdavids.org

To see the full archive of blog posts, please go to: pdavidohalloran.blogspot.com

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