Staging Italian Opera

The final objective of the course is to learn hands-on how to stage an “opera-pastiche”, which will be composed of works (arias, duets and ensembles) taken from famous Italian Operas, written by different composers, as Händel, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, etc, from the 17th to the 20th century. The music performed will be chosen according to its connection with a topic chosen by the teachers every semester. The arias and the ensembles will be chosen according to the voice types and the vocal ranges of the students. We will focus on music style, musical form and structure of the pieces, words and diction, acting and staging. The course will culminate in the performance of the opera pastiche at the end of the semester. The course is open to all students and does not require acceptance into the Music Program. Students will also work to create a critical/analytical text on the pastiche, to be presented in the form of program notes for the final performance. With the collaboration of the teachers of other courses (Voice, History, Ensemble), the vocal cast will be prepared to perform in a final performance which will take place in Milan. The “opera-pastiche” will be performed with piano and other accompanying instruments, if necessary.