Personal Experience: A Live Opera

The set used for Vernon God Little was highly symbolic and simplistic; when we walked into the theatre we could visually see that there were flowers, cards and memorable items attached on the audiences seats above our heads, which already created a sombre atmosphere around the theatre.

I’ve adored theatre for as long as I can remember. From writing plays throughout elementary school, to being involved in Drama Club in middle school, to performing in community theatre in high school, and to visiting the theatre as often as I could from the very beginning, theatre has always been a part of my life. Every aspect of it engages me: the directors working to bring their vision of the show’s scenes, choreography, or music to life, the actors transforming into different characters through their expression of dialogue, song, or dance, the costumers and set-builders transporting the audience into the setting and time period with their artistry, the backstage tech and crew working quickly and precisely to keep the show flowing to curtain call, and the orchestra bringing the show to life through music. There is nothing like the experience of live theatre, both as a member of the audience and as a member of the cast and crew.

“Audiences today want a real experience in their live performance, because they can get great script based entertainment at home, through various new media sources. Traditional theatre, which appeals on a mental, and hopefully also emotional level, has not been enough to compete with other media, and audiences have been declining. Physical theatre, by contrast appeals to the audience on a physical and emotional level, providing a much more immediate experience than traditional theatre” ~ (Artmedia Publishing in Zen Zen Zo’s “The Tempest” Teacher’s Notes)

On Friday, July 10th, I chose virtually to attend an online YouTube Symphony Orchestra Concert-2011. Many beautiful pieces were performed by a magnificent orchestra that included more than sixty participants and consisted of instruments such as: flutes, oboes, horn, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, percussions and strings. Concert’s selections varied in length, temperament, mood and dynamics. Orchestra Symphony gave an overpowering, extraordinary presentation and delivery.

Overall, the performance turned out a success. Both the symphony and opera act enhanced the audience with the feeling of warmth and laughter. The symphony made me to realize how each section is structured and in order, while the opera act was simple, yet made it very delightful to listen to. Also, It’s amazing how different the symphony and opera act turned out. The symphony followed a four-movement pattern: fast, slow, minuet/dance, fast, while the opera combined both musical and singing element. In essence, the combination of voice and strings as well as the unstructured nature and freedom of the opera led me to emotionally connect with all three pieces of the

There are advantages and disadvantages with each. But taken together, I like listening to orchestra concert from the front row seats. There is a real pleasure for which there is almost no substitute. I would like to recommend it to you, if you like music, particularly classical music. If I have a chance from now on, I want to go to classical

One of the main magic’s of the theatre is for the audience to go into it unaware of what they will see, and exit with a whole new view in mind. This is still possible in jukebox musicals even if the audience member is familiar with some of the songs. Songs, text, and all literature can be interpreted in different ways based on the individual. Theatre is meant for all different people to enjoy. Some may like going to a show featuring songs that their favorite artists wrote or that speak to a memorable time of their life. It becomes a discussion about how the audience can relate to the characters.

Some lessons that could be taught to the students to prepare them for the concert would be to learn how to identify the instruments, since you cannot actually see the instruments and the orchestra on the stage. The students could listen to see what instruments they could hear while the opera is going on. They can also identify when the music increases or decreases. Some connections to the classroom could be in English and Language Arts since the Opera is based on The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s

My first concert experience turned out to be very different from what I expected. Even though I would not choose to listen to classical music normally, the concert has made me enjoy this type of music more and made me think about how much more there is to music than just lyrics and a

On Sunday, May10 2015, a concert was held in The Broad Stage. The concert was played by Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra, whose conductor is Dr. James Martin. For this concert, I would identify myself as a referential listener at this concert. I say this because I am not an expert in music, therefore it would be hard for me to be a critical listener. I wouldn’t be able to tell what went wrong with a performance even if some incorrect notes were played. I was more of a referential listener because the music was soothing and brought my mind to peaceful thoughts. This essay will tells my experience of the concert in order to persuade my friend to  attend a classical music concert with you in the future.

The concert was performed on the Southam Hall stage at the NAC; this is a large hall with extremely good acoustics. It is a nationally known stage, so the quality of the hall is very good. Generally, the audience was very receptive as it was composed of adults, who were all silent. The acoustics were very good as the hall spread the sound throughout the hall without making it echo. This had a positive effect on the performance, because it was possible for the orchestra to be clearly heard from any point in the entire hall. I was impressed by the large number of students that I saw that night because the show deserved to have been heard by many young people.

No longer was the orchestra the main component to listen to when attending an opera. Librettists and composers worked extremely close to get the right feel for arias and other pieces in the story.

Watching a stage play in person is very helpful for me to leverage what I learned in class and from readings. I think I am a more responsive audience now. Not only I can enjoy the story itself, but also the acting styles of different

On Friday November 3rd I had the pleasure of attending an evening of Opera titled Love Through the Ages with Maria Fortuna and Nancy Townsend at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre. Having never been to an Opera performance I had no idea of what to expect and was looking forward to this new experience. Fortuna was accompanied by multi-faceted pianist Nancy Townsend. These two musicians showed tremendous expertise and were able to keep my attention through the extent of the program.

This semester I have experience many live musical performances. Some of these performances have let me down but for the most part, these performances have been everything I ever expected. My two favorite performances this semester were Festival Vallenato and Ultra Music Festival. Although these two types of music are different in every way possible, the people and the performers are exactly where I feel I am in the right place.