By Sondra Rodriguez, Student Reporter
Not many classes encourage students to lie on the floor and figure out the best way to relax their backs or actually force them to stop and rest during the day. However, when it comes to the Opera Workshop at ACU, such practices are promoted in order to teach and guide the finest opera performers possible.
The Opera Workshop at ACU is a class that teaches students interested in a career in vocal performance the techniques and procedures recommended for such a vocation. The workshop, also known as the Tri-Collegiate Opera, includes students from ACU, Hardin-Simmons and McMurry, and is directed by Samuel Cook, current artist in residence, associate professor of voice and opera director.
“I teach undergraduate singers the techniques, disciplines, demands, challenges and rewards of the classicalsinging actor,” Cook said. “It teaches a few things about production, but that’s not the focus of the class.”
The workshop is available to vocal performance majors and non-majors and aims to make the actors more comfortable onstage in order to better portray the characters.
The workshop is also recommended for those hoping to work with children and music in the education field.
Students involved in the workshop prepare for two performances, including the presentation of scenes from various operas in the fall and a full-length show in the spring. This year’s spring production is Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” and includes students from all three universities.
“It’s really neat because everyone brings their unique talents together to put on a better show,” said Kristen Bigham, sophomore vocal performance major from Fort Worth, and past workshop participant at Hardin-Simmons. “The more, the merrier; three schools are better than one.”
“What we do as vocal majors day-to-day is just us onstage, so getting the chance to interact with other people is really fun,” said Jessica Lemmons, junior vocal performance major from Abilene.
Those involved hope to expose the city of Abilene to what Bigham called “one of the most creative art forms.”
“It has theatre, voice, dance and visual arts-it’s got it all,” Bigham said.
“There’s a stigma tied to opera of being very boring, and I want to get that out of the way,” Cook said. “I want people to start looking upon opera as something that’s very accessible and very entertaining. Opera is definitely not boring.”
Fall scenes can be seen on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Williams Performing Arts Recital Hall.
