by Hank Brockett
2/12/03
“...and the moon is the only light we’ll see.”
Behind those temporary walls, hundreds of elementary school students readied for similar sentiments. Its lyrics included tales of skies hung heavy with stars, but this musical appreciation lesson came far removed from popular radio or MTV.
One diaphragm-aided, let’s-test-how-strong-these-walls-are note proved that difference.
With a single aria, Juliane Gorretta turned the Reed-Custer High School auditorium that school day afternoon into a crowded performance hall. With any luck, when Gorretta and the rest of the Opera Look-In troupe were through, these Braidwood kids would scamper back to the buses with new melodies humming in their heads.
The performance lesson came as part of the program’s tour of schools throughout the state. In the 40-minute program, a handful of University of Illinois graduate students became the teachers of a sometimes-maligned subject.
“Most of the time, [kids] are not going to turn on the classical music station.” said troupe narrator Carla Hilderbrand.
Michael York, after turns in segments as the devil in Faust and the comically insane title character in The Barber of Seville, said the program offers a chance for kids to see beyond the operatic stereotypes of the fat lady in Viking attire.
In fostering an appreciation born in pop culture bursts like Elmer Fudd singing Kill Da Wabbit, the baritone-voiced singer said children can experience the benefits of musical involvement and strong character traits.
“Like anything you want to do in life if you want to become good at it you’ve got to practice,” York said to a combination of Custer Park Elementary and Braidwood Elementary students.
The program — as part of the U of I Youth Opera Preparation & Education Program directed by Professor Nicholas Di Virgilio — gave teachers at both schools a chance to integrate classical works into the music curriculum.
“I was surprised,” said Ron Steinacher, elementary music director for both schools. “The younger they were, the more interested they were ... the more open their minds.”
Understanding opera, though, means fighting through both vernacular and sometimes language barriers. While the art form uses its own complex terminology (see sidebar), children must understand that some of the most acclaimed works aren’t in English.
To combat these possible turn-offs, the troupe gives a simple tour through the opera world (and a reminder that a translation screen accompanies foreign works). Each musical selection is given its context within the story, and each description is given its context within more familiar subjects.
“Just as a football player has to warm up before a game, an opera singer has to warm up their voice before performing,” said Gorretta before a selection from La Boheme.
While musicals remain a focal point for school productions, opera can suffer in the eyes of adolescents with discriminating tastes and without access to big-city productions. In reaching out, though, the troupe hopes for horizon expansions.
“I think it boils down to generally just music in schools,” said tenor Darren Anderson. “We’re just showing what’s out there.”
Because for most of the troupe, they identify with the children sitting still with wide eyes and attentive ears. In a question-and-answer session after the performances, each performer told of a similar progression: Early musical interest fostered by parents, the school choir, voice lessons, high school musicals, more voice lessons, performances, even more voice lessons ...
A few questions in, the difference between some morning shower karaoke and a professional singing career became abundantly clear.
Earlier in the performance, the baritone, tenor and soprano singers stood shoulder to shoulder, giving an aural perspective on the range of the human voice. Seconds after York boomed his low, lusty notes, Gorretta belted out the type of note that can make a child bolt upright in attention.
“I hate a showoff,” York joked to the crowd.
This starved audience wanted more of the high notes. But such requests aren’t granted so easily. York explained that to reach those upper reaches again would be like asking a football player to run a few more 100-yard dashes for show.
In other words, the vocal chords needed some downtime.
Graduate students in voice aren’t always afforded that option. While studying (and attending those voice lessons), they seek out productions on which to build a career. While that means Braidwood on a February day, it also means stays across the country for a successful show.
In visiting schools, however, the members of the Look-In troupe eye horizons of their own.
“These are the audiences of the future,” said Hilderbrand.