MOORHEAD – For the first time since the implementation of the opera program at Concordia, an opera will be performed on the Frances Frazier Comstock Theater main-stage, a feat for the budding collaboration between the music and Theatre Art departments. Concordia’s operas have traditionally been performed in the Centrum, a space which is not designed for performing and was not ideal for the orchestra or vocalists, according to the director of the opera program and “The Three Bears”, Robin Griffeath.
“I spent three fourths of last year kind of negotiating with everybody in the music department and the Theatre Art department to try to set up a collaboration where we all could be successful. So now, all future musicals and operas will be produced on the theater’s main stage,” Griffeath said. “To put on an opera truly takes an army, and we have that army now, which is really exciting. And I think this is going to be by far the best production that’s ever been done at Concordia.”
As the departments work together, students and faculty from both are learning new skills about how to work together and on different projects. For example, a stage manager was hired to assist in the production process, a position that has not been filled in several years.
“I feel like I have less of an involved role in the opera than I do the theatre, which I know I can’t apply to like every opera, because this is the only opera I’ve ever worked on,” Dovre said. “Something that’s also different is that (the opera process) is a lot quicker paced. I have found in my personal experience another difference to be that music directors tend to be a lot more intense than theater directors, because I feel like, in music, people get their material with less advance. So, there’s a, there’s a bit of a cultural difference, I’d say, between the music discipline and the theatrical discipline,” Dovre said.
There are two casts for the opera, as singing for long periods of time can cause vocal strain and is hard work for student performers.
“We got our scripts back in October, and we were told to come prepared with our notes and rhythms learned for rehearsals. And we started rehearsals about a week ago, and this week was all music rehearsals and then next week is all blocking and then the next week we’re starting to run it and put things together. And then the next week is like, I think performances. So, it’s been fun, but it’s been fast and high energy,” sophomore and opera cast member, Jacob Schlueter, said.
“The Three Bears” is a short 30–45-minute production, which makes it more accessible to those who have never divulged in an opera or who may find opera to be intimidating, according to Griffeath. The opera is a fun-filled adaptation of the classic tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears that will be performed in English, factors that contribute to the approachability of the show. However, as the program evolves, Griffeath hopes to eventually put on full-length operas.
“One of the things that I’m trying to do is educate, you know, and say ‘you don’t need to be scared of (opera). This is just like musicals, and everything you like about musicals is still here. And I think that was a part of this year’s project. I wanted something that was funny, that would appeal to a family. So, this is very geared towards storytelling and young students and has catchy tunes,” Griffeath said.
The performance of “The Three Bears,” which will be held on February 13 at 8 p.m., will be the premier of new orchestrations written by the composer of the opera, Johnathan Stinson, also a good friend of Griffeath’s. Concordia commissioned the orchestration, made possible by the larger budget granted to the opera program this year. Additionally, Stinson will be doing a ten-day residency during the last week of rehearsals to work with the student performers.
“Opera is such a beautiful art form that throughout the past years many people have lost respect for, I believe, and it’s important that we keep this tradition of opera alive by bringing these productions like “The Three Bears” to younger generations,” Schlueter said. “Opera inspired me when I was young to become a singer, and I am looking forward to playing a part in this opera that hopefully will inspire some other young singers,”
