6. Discovering Opera

This summer, I discovered that I have a great love for opera. For some reason I had the idea that I wouldn’t really like it very much. However, I had my first true encounter with the genre this summer when I was in Salzburg during my study abroad. We went to the marionette puppet theater where we saw Mozart’s Magic Flute. Even though it wasn’t a live performance, I was completely enamored. I felt just like a little Austrian kid watching the puppets dance on the stage as I got my first taste of opera. About a week later, we attended Strauss’s Salome at the Vienna State Opera House. This was a very different experience, and it was interesting to compare the production, the plot, and the music of the two shows. With these two being my first true experiences with opera, I felt like the juxtaposition between the two was refreshing. 

When I returned to the States, I spent quite a bit of time listening to opera—just snippets here and there. I had the opportunity to see 2 more operas at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. The first was Puccini’s La bohème with my mom and some family friends. It was such a fun performance, though I may have shed a few tears at the end of the show. The second was Silent Night, a modern opera that I snuck in right before leaving for school. I loved seeing how multiple languages and folk music played a part in the work. 

I spontaneously auditioned for Naz’s Opera Workshop and am so excited to be working on several pieces for our Opera Scenes in October! Now that I’ve been an audience member and stepped into the role of a performer, I’m hoping to maybe venture into the world of an operatic composer. Certainly ambitious, but I’ll build up to it…starting with some new choral and vocal works coming soon!