Sixty grade-schoolers at Columbia Independent School participated in an abridged version of the opera “Madame Butterfly” Tuesday.
This program was presented to the third- through fifth-grade students by Opera on the Go, an educational program through the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The program is designed to increase accessibility to opera, particularly among young people.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about opera,” said Allison Felter, director of education for the St. Louis-based group. “We want students to hear the real thing, with the best young talent in America and in a setting that’s comfortable.”
Felter said then people can make decisions about whether they like it.
This version of “Madame Butterfly” is different from that done by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis during the 2008 season.
“Unfortunately, not all the stage effects can come,” Felter said, “but the essential elements can easily travel.”
In addition to vocal talent, music and costumes, a special multi-media presentation provides the back-drop. A video showed interviews of the cast from the 2008 production and gave students a look backstage at a professional opera company. The video also provided the scenery, projecting the setting on a screen behind the performers.
Felter said the group wanted to wrap the narrative in a contemporary context to help students connect with the story.
Though they wore kimonos and traditional make-up, the scenes they performed were couched between segments from a fictional newscast, providing essential background information and summarizing the omitted sections of the opera.
“‘Madame Butterfly’ is a classic,” Felter said. “Its themes are as applicable today as in the past.”
Opera on the Go came to Columbia Independent School in 2006, but this was the first time with this format. Before, performers sang selections from a variety of operas, Felter said.
“Our students love this program,” said Barbara Savage, director of the Lower School for Columbia Independent School. She said it was a student who requested the group return.
Savage said the big voices and big emotions attract the kids. “The performers and the story are larger than life,” she said.
The program complements what the students have studied in music class.
“This group synthesizes current culture with history very well,” Savage said. “Current music groups, all the Grammy winners, are singing about love and loss. Opera on the Go combines those ideas with a celebration of art.”
To see a video of the program, visit: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/multimedia/video/2009/02/11/ma/
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