For the first time ever: BLO Exposed!

An intermission conversation series designed to bring you closer to the opera

On November 9 we held the first installment of BLO Exposed, featuring BLO Music Director David Angus in conversation with artists from Macbeth live from the stage. We took questions from the audience, who tweeted us their questions. (@BostLyricOpera)

Talking with Carter Scott (Lady Macbeth)

Tell us a bit about being an opera singer. What does it take to become a real singer?
I went through years of training: voice lessons, coaching, auditions, in addition to school and grad school. I continue to receive coaching and will throughout my career. My voice teacher attended the Final Dress Rehearsal, who was so insightful from dress rehearsal to opening that helped me make many wonderful adjustments to my performance. I've never had a voice teacher so involved before.

What do you think of the color yellow as the representation of hell?
Perhaps it was chosen because it contrasts so much with the red, I’m not sure.

What is the most challenging part of singing the role of Lady Macbeth?

The stamina! In this production, we’ve condensed the first two acts. You can sing an aria, but can you sing the whole show for five performances?

Talking with Kurt Hakansson (Supernumerary)

Supernumeraries (known as supers) are non-singing roles who volunteer to be a part of the show. They do it for nothing! Why?
How can you not love being in a theater like this, being surrounded by people like here? It’s incredible for you to hear, but even more for me to hear being surrounded by 40+ singers. Got started as a super years ago with La Boheme.
How does it feel being onstage with those creepy body bags?
I get to poke out the eyes and carry them around; it’s gruesome and fun.
How many shows have you been in with BLO?
This is my 9^th show. The most challenging moment is the synchronized stomp, watching David in the pit. 

Talking with Marie McCarville (Chorister)
Tell us a bit about your training and background.
I didn’t realize I’d end up living in Boston for so many years. I started at Oberlin in Ohio and then moved back to NY to be near my family. I wanted to sing more, so I applied to NEC and got accepted, which enabled me to audition for BLO. And I have been a proud member of the BLO since ‘07 La Boheme.

Do you think the chorus witches are meant to be undead zombie like creatures?
The director and choreographer told us: this is YOUR show—make YOUR character whomever you want it to be, so I chose to be a sociopath who likes to wear a lot of tribal makeup, but the witch to my left prefers to consider herself to be a zombie.
Tell us about what it is like to be backstage?
It’s way smaller than you think! You look at the stage and you think it’s huge, but it’s not! This is where you really start to bond with your castmates. Especially since you see us all wearing this warm leather and undergarments, I never expected it to be so hot back there, when you have a 38-person chorus ready to jump up on stage, you really need to stay hydrated.

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Thank you for all your fabulous questions! We received so many questions we didn’t have time to answer, so we’ll answer more of them over the next few days here on the blog. We hope you enjoyed the first ever BLO Exposed and look forward to hearing from you at the next intermission conversation!

You can you join the conversation:

1) Tell us YOUR BLO story. We can't wait to hear from you. (yourblo@blo.org)

2) Tweet your questions to @BostLyricOpera using the hashtag #BLOexposed

3) LIKE us on Facebook and post your question there!

Opening Night!

Last Friday night marked the opening of the 2011/2012 season at Boston Lyric Opera. I was honored and excited to be a part of the evening, particularly with the opening of Macbeth at the Shubert Theatre. I think the excitement was indeed infectious as everyone dressed up in their best opera-going and party attire for the occasion.

Macbeth is a new production for BLO as well as the commemorative opening of the 35^th Anniversary Season for the company; so the evening was much anticipated. I could definitely tell that everyone was anxious to start the show and enjoy the opening night festivities over dessert and champagne afterwards at the Four Seasons in Downtown Boston.

Even though I love running a show, the real pay off comes when the curtain comes down and I talk to those who were in the audience and experienced the music and the action on the stage. It was wonderful to be able to talk to fellow opera lovers who attended the social festivities after the Macbeth opening to hear how each person reacted to the juxtaposition of Verdi’s music and story.

However, the good feedback for a stage manager comes when the audience notices the smooth run of a performance. So, not only did the singer/conductor/orchestra do their jobs well, but the stage management staff complemented their work by making sure that they could give a superb performance without distraction. That’s what makes a successful opera and opening night.

There are only three performances left! I hope to see you at the show!

--Claire

BLO Exposed

An intermission conversation series designed to bring you closer to the opera

Join us on November 9 for the first installment featuring BLO Music Director David Angus in conversation with artists from Macbeth live from the stage. No need to go anywhere special—just stay in your seat during intermission and let this insider access come to you. You can even join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

To join the conversation:

1) Tweet your questions to @BostLyricOpera using the hashtag #BLOexposed

2) LIKE us on Facebook and post your question there!

We hope you’ll join us during intermission!

Loving that $3.50 ticket!

With so many great shows playing in the Boston area, and most only playing for a week or so, it’s hard to decide which ones to see and which ones to forgo … what’s a girl to do? On Friday night it came down to two shows for my friend Regina and I, one of them being BLO’s Macbeth. When we saw on BLO’s facebook page that they were selling a limited number of tickets for $3.50 in honor of the 35th Anniversary Season we knew that was a deal that we couldn’t pass up. We arrived at the Shubert at around 6pm, nervous that there were already 35 people in line in front of us–but we made it in time! We were about 10th or so in line and were able to get excellent seats (Orch Row B, seats 9 and 11) … but couldn’t believe we only had to pay $3.50 for a ticket. With our tickets now in hand, we went to grab a quick dinner before the show and arrived at the theatre for the 7:30pm curtain, and were still amazed at how close our seats were. From our seats we were able to appreciate the intricacies of the costumes and set pieces, and really tune in to all of the action onstage. Regina mentioned how much she loved the opportunity to experience the opera at such a great price: “It was an economical, enriching choice for a Friday night and now that I have been, I will definitely attend another show." When given the option of all these great productions it is hard to know if you made the right choice, but you definitely cannot beat awesome seats to such a great production for only $3.50!

--Katie McNamara, Emerson College

Musical men about town

By David Angus, Music Director

Well, tonight’s the opening of Macbeth–very exciting–and we are all winding ourselves up for a high energy performance. The Dress Rehearsal was a big success and the invited audiences were thrilled with it. First Night is always quite a nervous affair, wondering if everything will go right and if the audience will like it, but having such a good Dress Rehearsal sets us up well and means that the nervous excitement should all be positive.

Meanwhile, life goes on, and we are already getting going with the next project–The Lighthouse--in the background. We have been extremely lucky that the composer, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, happens to be in the USA for a short tour at the moment, and is spending nearly 3 days in Boston. He lives on a remote island off the north of Scotland and is 77 years old, so he doesn’t travel to the US very often any more. He will be attending Macbeth tonight, but I spent most of yesterday with him.

We began with a visit to the JFK Memorial Library, where we will perform his Lighthouse, and we showed him around and explained why we had chosen that location. I interviewed him (you will be able to see this on our website) and we caught up with each others' news.  We had worked together many years ago at Glyndebourne Opera and had also crossed paths at the Scottish Chamber Orchestra a few times. We also both studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and both began our careers as music teachers in schools, so we have a lot of common background.

The view of Boston from Smith Hall, our venue for The Lighthouse

 Sir Peter, or “Max” as we all know him, is a remarkably sprightly man with a very alert mind, and he is highly articulate, so talking with him is very stimulating. I found out many new things about the opera, including several very spooky coincidences which you will hear about on the interview. 

We visited the museum while we were there and were taken back in time to our childhood memories by all the history and artifacts of that time. It was a real nostalgia trip. When JFK was assassinated I was an 8-year-old at boarding school in Cambridge, and Max was studying over here at Princeton. We both remembered clearly hearing the awful news.

We travelled back into Boston for a lovely lunch of Scallops at Legal Seafoods, where the waiter turned out to be a Musicology Major from Harvard, who was thrilled to meet Sir Peter–what a coincidence!

The trip ended with a visit to see the set for the Lighthouse under construction in Cambridge, and to have the model explained. Everyone is very excited about the whole concept and it is really going to be a very strong show.

We finished the day with a lovely dinner at the home of Esther Nelson, our General and Artistic Director, with some VIP guests and a delicious meal cooked by her husband, Bernd. All in all, a great way to relax before tonight’s big event!

Turning back the clock on ticket prices!

BOSTON LYRIC OPERA TURNS BACK THE CLOCK ON TICKET PRICES FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY IN CELEBRATION OF 35^TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
WHAT
The first 35 people to arrive at the Shubert Theatre on the evening of Friday, November 4th will enjoy Boston Lyric Opera’s Opening Night performance of Verdi’s Macbeth for only $3.50. In celebration of its 35^th Anniversary Season, the Company is reserving 35 seats and selling them at 1976’s opera ticket prices. Tickets may only be purchased in person and in cash; first come, first served. Macbeth runs through November 13th at the Shubert Theatre.
WHEN
Friday, November 4, 2011 6:00PM – Ticket sales open; 7:30PM – Performance begins
WHERE
Citi Performing Arts Center^SM Shubert Theatre
265 Tremont StreetBoston, MA

Celebrate 35 years of excellent entertainment!

Flying with 200% concentration

Music Director David Angus, photo by Michael Dwyer

David Angus, BLO’s Music Director, on the final rehearsals for Macbeth

Tonight’s the BIG one, where everything comes together for the first time. 

The thing I love about working on opera is the way it grows and grows. We start preparing at home on our own, then we get together and sing it through with piano, begin to sort out the staging, gradually add props, substitute costumes, bits of pretend scenery, and bring in the chorus. The director and designer know what they want it to look like, and I know what I want it to sound like, but we have to get to know each other and work together for several weeks to make a complete picture where everything coordinates and drives the piece forward in an exciting and intelligible way.

On the side, I prepare the orchestra and then we add the singers, but this week is the exciting week, when we first try things out on the actual stage. Tonight is the “Stage and Orchestra” where all the elements are put together and we see our show complete for the first time, with full costumes, wigs and makeup, and, for me, the most exciting element that has been missing, the lighting. It is an old joke in the business–whenever you see a tatty old bit of scenery or costume, someone always says “just wait until it’s lit”, but it’s true–lighting can transform everything, give instant atmosphere, change night into day, excitement into fear, just at the press of a button.

Darren K. Stokes, Carter Scott & Daniel Sutin

Opera is incredibly expensive to put on with all these different departments working so hard, quite apart from the actual performers–soloists, chorus and orchestra, so rehearsal time with everyone together is extremely limited by cost. Tonight I will have just under 3 hours with everyone to race through the entire opera, stopping to fix anything that is wrong in the music, whilst allowing the staging and lighting to run with minimal interference. It is an intense balancing act. I have to get to the end of the opera, but I have to fix things as well, so every time I am aware of anything wrong I have to make an instant analysis of how serious the problem is, whether it will fix itself next time, or if I really have to stop, explain, go back and do it again. Performances are easy in comparison–I just have to do the show, without any analysis or decision-making.

We started planning this show nearly 2 years ago, and tonight it will all come together for the first time, and we will know if we have a great show, just a good show, or a disaster! From all the elements that we have worked on so far, it has the makings of a great show, with wonderful singing and playing, and a very strong visual presentation. In 2 day’s time, we’ll know for sure, when we have the Dress Rehearsal and add the final element, an audience. But for me, tonight is the really exciting one, when I am flying with 200% concentration in a race against time, but also when we really see our show properly. I can’t wait!

(Rehearsal photo by David Angus)

Notes from Tech Week

While the rest of Boston is out donning their Halloween costumes this weekend, the Macbeth production team and cast are busy in the theatre preparing for our own ghostly and murderous event. There's no time for trick-or-treating when we're knee deep into tech week--as Claire, fellow Assistant Stage Manager explained, the most crucial time to prepare the show and bring all the scenic, prop, costume, lighting, and musical elements together.

We start the day with a lighting session dedicated to bringing the right mood to each scene. We have volunteers called lightwalkers who help us by standing in for the different characters while lights are focused. The lightwalkers are the first outsiders that not only get to look at the set, but get to climb around on it!

The evenings are our busiest rehearsals. Although we work with the crew throughout the morning sorting out details, there is a whole new set of logistics to work out once over 50 singers and actors descend on the scene. As stage managers, we are responsible for answering most of the "when," "where," and "how" questions from the cast. While the director and designers are in the seats of the theatre looking at the big picture, Claire and I are backstage relaying information and organizing the most complex moments of the show so that when the audience arrives, it all runs like clockwork!


--Courtney Rizzo, Assistant Stage Manager

Full Speed Ahead

Macbeth rehearsals are moving to the Shubert Theatre! Everyone is busy at work to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle and create our collaborative Macbeth. This morning, I was at the orchestra read with our Maestro, David Angus and our principal cast. Everyone sounds fantastic and the feeling in the air is nothing but excitement for the week that lies ahead …

Loading set pieces in at
the Shubert Theatre

In the performing arts world, we call this “tech week”. Our schedules are packed with on stage rehearsals under lights, adding all of the production elements together: props, costumes, set pieces, and of course, the orchestra. All of the hard work continues as everyone is working together to produce the finished product in time for opening night. Things can get hectic, but in the end it all pays off. It takes a lot of people working very hard behind the scenes to get everything done.

My partner in crime, Courtney Rizzo (your Stage Right ASM), and I will be working to gather information about the show to pass along to the prop and wardrobe departments in order to help them understand the running of the show and which pieces get added and taken away to tell the story. It’s almost like explaining the action of the opera Macbeth to another group of people who haven’t seen what we have during rehearsals. In short, we lay out the details to everyone.

Check back for updates--we’ll be on stage with Wandelprobe tomorrow evening. Wandelprobe is the German word for when the singers “wander” the stage, marking through their staging motions, and sing with the orchestra playing from the pit.

Until then…

Claire

#internupdate4

Tuxedos, floor-length gowns, champagne by the bottle…witch hats? Witches and ghouls (and even Macbeth stage director David Schweizer dressed as a devil!) attended this Saturday’s Hocus Pocus Gala. Located at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel ballroom, the Gala welcomed Boston’s opera enthusiasts--many who embraced the witchy, Halloween theme. Hocus Pocus celebrated BLO, highlighted the 2011/2012 Emerging Artists and instilled the spirit of Halloween. The night was filled with hilariously entertaining musical acts, a delicious three-course meal and most importantly, an inspiring reminder of why we all support the arts, and in particular, opera, which led to half a million dollars in generous donations.

As a BLO intern, I not only got the opportunity to attend (any excuse to wear a fancy dress!), but arrived early to help set-up the ballroom to assist my hard working colleagues. It took a lot of helping hands to transform the ballroom into a spooky, woodsy witch’s lair! Just as the place settings were perfected and final rehearsals were finished, attendees began to arrive for cocktail hour, and I had time to live-tweet the event, as well as chat with some of my BU colleagues--vocalists in the Opera Institute--who were invited to perform at the event with the Emerging Artists. At the end of the night, as the singers toasted to all with their final performance of the ‘Brindisi’ from Macbeth, spirits were high and the event was truly enjoyed by all.

The Hocus Pocus Gala was a success! Now, onto Macbeth (Student Night is only 2 weeks away!)

-- Melanie Burbules, Boston University '14 

SEIZE THE POWER - OK, BUT THEN WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT? (Part 2)

By, BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin

In the end, is what the artist meant important? The production result (not the process or even the intent) is what matters. Good artists work on many levels within themselves and often (thank God) produce work that they may not completely understand. Accepted ambiguity can provide meaning, stimulation, involvement. (It can also, of course, in less skilled hands produce uninteresting muddle.) A group of artists producing an opera on the stage creates a stimulus—the stage production. They need to commit themselves totally to the evolution of that stimulus through discussion, conceptual thinking, research, but they must, in the end, give it over to the recipients, the members of the audience. The artists in a sense lose control, but that is the glory and often the misery of being an artist. You don’t own the piece any more—your audience member now does. Is it possible for an artist to be misunderstood or misinterpreted? This is a question that goes to the heart of the artistic exchange.

Personal anecdotal case study number two: After a performance of Don Giovanni, which I designed, I was accosted by a audience member—red in the face, veins throbbing. I thought, “Oh, great, now I’m going to cause the death of an irate operagoer.” He sputtered, “I didn’t understand ANYTHING that you did in that production. Was Giovanni in a wheelchair because he had syphilis?” He went on and on. After a bit I gently stopped him gently, “Sir, you said you didn’t understand anything, and here you have just give a quite thorough and detailed explanations of what it meant—to you.” “But is that what you meant?” “That makes no difference.” (Actually his explanation of Giovanni’s wheelchair was a completely new thought for me, and in some ways a more interesting interpretation than what the director and I had discussed.) Pause. The furious red drained away. As he walked slowly away, he said, “Maybe I should go back and see this again.”

I had somehow given him permission to have his own thoughts, interpretation, to OWN the production for himself, which was his right... and responsibility. The power to take over and experience a piece in your mind is a joy and a rush. We live in culture which tells us all the time what to think and what things mean—critical reviews, experts’ comments, labels on pictures in museum which explain what to think. Fear of being wrong, fear of appearing stupid, colors people’s reactions and make them passive receptors. We as producers need to make each audience member unafraid, to give the control back to them.

Three Witches

A few guests at our Hocus Pocus Gala got into the spirit of the evening!

In honor of the 2011 production Macbeth, Hocus Pocus Gala and the Halloween season, we present …

MACBETH inspired photo contests!

Want to win a FREE Macbeth t-shirt?

Here’s what you do:

1)      Get a group of three friends together and pose for a picture as the three Weird Sisters from Macbeth

2)      Tweet “Double, double toil and trouble… #Macbeth #BLO” with the picture to @BostLyricOpera

OR

1)      Take a picture posed in a witch Halloween costume

2)      Tweet the picture to @BostLyricOpera and include a short ‘witchy’ phrase, along with #Macbeth #BLO

Not on Twitter? Post one of the above pictures to our Facebook wall along with a ‘witchy’ phrase.

This contest begins on Friday, October 28^th and concludes on November 4^th (opening night of Macbeth!) One entry per person.

Winners will be randomly selected.

Check back on ‘In the Wings’ on Tuesday, November 8^th to find out if you are a winner!

Just for fun

We're counting down the hours until we begin our annual Gala, HOCUS POCUS tonight at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Just last night a few of our singers were preparing for an evening of fine food, performance and spooky fun. This little diddy is just one part of the evening's festivities!

(on screen: David Cushing, Nicole Rodin and Michelle Trainor)

TO THE AUDIENCE--SEIZE THE POWER (Part 1)

By, BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote for Opera America Magazine. I am very interested in the "problem" of how an audience member might approach an opera performance--whether for the first time or the 50^th--whether a standard repertory piece or a new or unfamiliar work. Do you need to "prepare"? .... and if so how?  I'd love to have your feedback on these questions or others raised in the article. Let's get a discussion going here.  Next week, another excerpt.

With the coming of projected supertitles, the somewhat ridiculous notion of having to do “homework” before attending a foreign language opera performance should have receded. In those far-off days before titles, what was one actually supposed to do? Study a detailed but inevitably too generalized synopsis of the action (insufficient) or memorize the libretto’s text by heart (impossible)? The theatrical experience is a moment-to-moment accumulation of words, visual images, sounds, music, narrative action and psychological development given from the stage and received by any given audience member in a detailed and complicated exchange.

But with the growth of opera company education departments (ostensibly a positive development) this notion of homework has, if anything, become more pervasive. I myself have put together a number of programs designed to somehow prepare people for a production. Is this a good thing?

Personal anecdotal case study number one: I attended a performance at English National Opera of Nicholas Hytner’s production of Handel’s Xerxes. I was familiar with Handel’s stage works in general but I didn’t know at that point any of the specifics of this one. I had read no reviews, I deliberately avoided looking at any of the publicity pictures, I didn’t read the synopsis in the program or even look at the cast of characters. I was thrown into the midst of a complicated plot whose character relationships I had to work out as they came up. Plot twists, betrayals, misunderstandings were surprising, unexpected, sometimes shocking. The opera was sung in English and, this being the era before titles, you were compelled to really listen to what they were saying ... at the moment. The design and the staging were complicated, witty and allusive—unexpectedly combining Baroque elements with Assyrian motifs. In other words, there was a lot going on, but the result, rather than one of overwhelming confusion was one of the most compelling (and totally entertaining) evenings of opera I have ever experienced. Much of that engrossing delight and interest was, I think, generated by the unfolding of a surface narrative—a good story that I was receiving and understanding for the first time as it unfolded.

In the American opera world generally, a dearth in the repertory of new operas and the seemingly obsessive dependence on the “standard” repertory has led to loss of the sense of surprise, of a journey into unknown territory, of the excitement of discovery based on unexpected revelations of plot or character or idea. We have so often lost one of the basic attractions and pulls of theater—an attraction and pull that seems to live on the surface but which can draw one in deeper and deeper and lead one beneath that surface into whatever depths are appropriate and available. And this pull is the simple storytelling question—“what’s going to happen next?”

I understand how sharing a bit of the plot line might be useful in selling the opera in a brochure or advertisement, but I believe suspense, curiosity and good old-fashioned dramatic storytelling are time-honored ways of drawing an audience member in. You notice I say “audience member.” I am opposed to thinking of “the audience” as an abstract entity to be educated or performed AT. Each person is different, with a totally different and unique set of emotions, experiences that interact with the stimulus emitted by the stage and the pit to produce a totally unique event.

Confusion sets in when we think of a performance as an event that is prepared and delivered by a group of artists to a more or less passive public that more or less receives it. In the end, a theatrical event doesn’t actually happen on the stage; it happens in the mind and heart and guts of each individual audience member.

The New Girl In Town

Claire Friday, Assistant Stage Manager

Boston! My first time in this big city. So much history, culture, and things to see–but first and foremost, I’m here with Boston Lyric Opera on one contract to Assistant Stage Manage on David Schweizer and John Conklin’s production of Macbeth.

Since I’m the new girl here, I should probably tell you a little bit about myself. I’m from Los Angeles and grew up a Southern California native before moving off to The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to pursue my graduate degree in Stage Management with a concentration in opera stage management. (Yes! There is such a thing.) I knew that I wanted to pursue opera production and management as a career very early on while I was still in college. I currently reside in LA and work in opera stage management at various companies including LA Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Colorado, and San Diego Opera. I grow to love this business more and more each day. I meet so many fascinating people and incredibly talented singers and musicians. Not many people can claim to have those different and creative experiences day after day. I consider it a privilege to be here working in such a unique and beautiful art form. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

But enough about me. Let’s talk about this ghoulish and wicked (don’t you use that word in Boston?) production of Macbeth! I’m really enjoying my first couple of weeks at BLO. Great staff, talented creative team, and fantastic vision for this production on everyone’s part. We are well into rehearsals for the show and the singers and production team are working hard to create a well-thought-out and visually avant-garde interpretation of one of Verdi’s masterpieces. I’m looking forward to collaborating with the team towards a successful production. I’ll keep you updated as we move from the rehearsal room to the stage and fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together into a beautiful, polished opera.

Cheers!

The Assistant Stage Manager on Stage Left,

Claire 

#internupdate3

Fall is slowly but surely starting in Boston. What I love about this season is this stark change that occurs from summer. Like the weather, we can use this new time of the year to make changes. I know most people talk about making changes or trying new things at the beginning of a new calendar year, but what’s stopping us from doing those right now? Now is the perfect time!

Something I love about my generation is the general openness to new experiences, and the desire for change. But, I haven’t seen that same openness into the arts, mainly, opera. When I tell students outside of the College of Fine Arts at BU that I am training to be an opera singer, they react with surprise, mainly because they don’t know what opera is. It’s not that these students don’t want to experience opera, but they have yet to see a production, and you can’t really know what something is until you have experienced it. The general consensus after seeing a classic opera is clear: it is beautiful music, and simply hard not to enjoy. So, try it! What do you have to lose?

If you have things you want to try or change, you can do them. Try the parts of Boston’s immense culture scene, like seeing an opera, going to Symphony Hall or visiting the MFA. If you make it a goal to experience more of Boston (like me), compile a list of places you want to see, grab your T pass and go. Don’t wait to make these changes or try new things until it’s too late; use each day as your inspiration for change!

--Melanie Burbules, Boston University '14

Office space on the road

When one is on the road for auditions, one must find office space wherever it is available ... 

Where do you work when you are on the road?

Spooky start to the season, indeed!

The air is cooling, the leaves are falling and at BLO we are revving up for a spooky start to our season. On Sunday we explored interpretations of Lady Macbeth's madness at the MFA, Boston with our Signature Series and in just a few weeks we hold our annual Gala, Hocus Pocus, An Operatic Trip to the Dark Side. We open our 35th Anniversary Season on November 4 with Verdi's Macbeth. What better way to get in the spirit of the season??

#internupdate2

I am a multi-tasker. However, I find it difficult sometimes to focus on the task at hand and avoid external distractions like Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. The key to the most effective level of concentration is that the focus must be intense yet relaxed. I am a “whistle-while-you-work” type and right now I’m listening to Act II of Verdi’s Macbeth (which is getting me SO excited for the BLO production!) I find that a well-constructed playlist can help get the job done. Furthermore, I think opera and classical instrumental music provides a stimulating balance to ease the stress of project management.

The positive effect classical music has on the brain as one learns is well established and I find it allows me to concentrate on the task at hand. Tonal opera and classical music provides a relaxing atmosphere with the beauty of the composition itself, but does not distract my attention: it is simply an “easy” listen. Whether you are an opera buff familiar with these pieces, or someone who never considered listening to opera while working, check out a few of the pieces I find to be perfect additions of inspiration and beauty for my study playlists and everyday life!

1)      Song to the Moon (from Rusalka)

2)     Meditation (from Thaïs)

3)     Sous le dôme épais (from Lakmé)

4)     Chopin Etude in E Major

5)     Ev’ry Valley (from Handel’s Messiah)

6)     ANY Mozart Piano Concerto (the Allegro from No. 5 is a personal favorite)

7)     Au fond du temple saint (from Les pêcheurs de perles)

8)     Dove sono (from The Marriage of Figaro)

And, maybe when you complete your next big project, or cross off the last item on your to-do list, you can blast the end of “Nessun Dorma” or “Ride of the Valkyries” for some dramatic effect.

--Melanie Burbules, Boston University ‘14

#internupdate

As the New Media Intern for BLO, it is so exciting to be focusing on the promotion of our season through social media and being a Student Ambassador to the community! I am eager to show why I find opera so incredible and to get everyone as excited as I am for the season, one tweet at a time (that’s one small tweet for man, one giant tweet for mankind…)

As I work, I can’t help but be distracted by the tabs I have up on Mozilla: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…basically the standard for any college student who doesn’t want to do their work quite yet. But, Facebook is part of my job! Extended work and updates to social media sites like Facebook will be a big part of what I do here at BLO. For example, this week I added tabs to allow users to access the Boston Lyric Opera YouTube and @BostLyricOpera Twitter accounts from BLO Facebook page. It’s a small task, but it connects three of the leading social media outlets together into one. That’s what this generation is about: connection. These are “gotta-have-it-now” times, and with one click you can have news briefs, links to deals on Groupon, relationship status updates or even numerous videos of cats. The way we get our information is different than say, 30 years ago; it’s quicker, personalized and always readily available. We are constantly connected to information, and most importantly, each other, and I love it!

The need and desire for constant connection is what I think sets us apart from previous generations, and what I’m most looking forward to focusing on as a BLO intern! With access to these amazing social media outlets, what’s our excuse not to be connected? We should be connected to each other just as we feel connected to a dying heroine as she sings her last soaring high note or to solo cello during a heart wrenching interlude.

My posts won’t always be dorky rants and raves about social media, though. As a singer and enthusiastic opera listener, I am so excited to share updates/my thoughts on the BLO season, and read about yours, too! See you all at Macbeth!

-- Melanie Burbules, Boston University, 14

Tell Us a Story

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It certainly takes a village to create meaningful arts experiences for children. Here at Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) we often hear stories about what got people interested in opera. Sometimes it’s a production they attended as a child. Sometimes it’s a moment that comes later, like marrying an opera-lover. Last year at BLO’s annual Open House we put up a giant wall mural with the staff members’ stories and gave guests a place to write their own memories of what got them into opera. Now we want to hear from you. Leave us a comment and tell us about the person, performance, or production that sparked your interest in the arts (opera or otherwise). All those who leave comments will be entered into a random drawing for a free Macbeth t-shirt!

Arts in Education Week

“Whereas art is integral to the lives of United States citizens and essential to the health and vitality of communities and the Nation…”

Happy Arts in Education Week! In July 2010 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution designating the second week of September as “Arts in Education Week.” The resolution (H.Con.Res. 275, excerpted above) was proposed and introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier from California. Representatives from all over the country supported the resolution, and many made comments about why the arts are important to the nation’s children and why they themselves cared so deeply. In light of the economic circumstances in July 2010, this gesture was not a small one, but it still takes action to make things happen.

So, how can you help celebrate Arts in Education Week? The wonderful people at the Arts Education Partnership have put together some ideas and we’d love to hear what you can think of. Leave us a comment below!

How are we celebrating at Boston Lyric Opera? Well, we will have special features on our blog and social media all week. And on Thursday and Friday we will have live updates from our Education & Community Programs Manager, Julie House, who is attending the Arts Education Partnership’s conference in San Francisco to learn about Transforming Urban School Systems Through the Arts.

By the way, if you know of a college or graduate student looking to get some experience in arts education, BLO is looking for an Education & Community Programs Intern to spend the season with us. What better way is there to celebrate?

Happy art-making!

Macbeth Research in Birnam Wood

Our Director of Artistic Operations Nicholas Russell travels quite frequently for research and auditions. This week he is traveling through the UK and had the chance to visit the Birnam oak which dates back to the time of Macbeth (so the story goes). Check out the photos! First reader to name his location wins a Macbeth t-shirt!

Opera Around the World: Das Rheingold

Rob Tedesco, former member of The BLO Bunch and doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland shared his thoughts on a recent production of Wagner's
Das Rheingold.

July 29, 2011

Wagner: Das Rheingold

Auckland Town Hall

On Friday, July 29, 2011, I went to a concert performance of Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold, the prelude opera to Der Ring des Nibelungen.Wagner considered this opera to be a prelude and the remaining three operas the trilogy itself. This was not the first Wagner opera I have ever seen. It was, however, the first opera of the Ring cycle that I had seen live. I now want to see them all!

UPDATE: MACBETH T-shirt Giveaway!

Thank you to all our super-fans who shared what you love about BLO and Macbeth!

Ten lucky winners were randomly selected to win a MACBETH t-shirt.

And the winners are:

Blog alias: AF
Blog alias: Mcbeth
Blog alias: Kym Phelan Meyer
Blog alias: Kat
Blog alias: Loren Lieberman
Twitter handle: Y2000K
Twitter handle: Vnook1
Twitter handle: KnEzmom
Twitter handle: Sean_ct
Twitter handle: 88k8y

Congratulations to all our lucky winners!
Please contact marketing@blo.org to claim your t-shirt!

Stay tuned for more giveaways, contests and more!

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MACBETH T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY!

We produced a fabulous concert in partnership with Boston Landmarks Orchestra at the DCR Hatch Shell, attended by over 7,000 people and want to celebrate with a giveaway of our MACBETH t-shirts, sported by staff and volunteers at the concert! 

Ten lucky fans will win a MACBETH t-shirt.

Here's 2 ways to enter:

1) LIKE us on Facebook and post a comment on this blog with your favorite scene from Macbeth or something you love about BLO!

2) Follow us on Twitter and tweet I love @BostLyricOpera & #Macbeth

You can enter once here on the blog and once a day via twitter Tuesday, August 16th through Thursday, August 18th. Entries must be tweeted by 11:59pm Thursday, August 18 EST. Winners will be chosen using random.org. Check back Friday, August 19th to find out if you are a winner!

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