You’re going to the Opera Dress Rehearsal for Schools!
Let's explore the amazing world of opera and discover more about the opera you’re going to see!
Who are we?
Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (BVOF) started in the summer of 2010 when Dieter Kaegi (Artistic Director) and Jennifer O’Connell put on an opera performance on the grounds of Lismore Castle. Over the last 15 years, it has grown to be the week-long festival it is today. The festival runs around the June bank holiday weekend every year. This year it will start on Tuesday the 27 May and will finishonMondaythe2 June. th nd
During the festival, people from across Ireland come to see to opera, listen to classical music in concerts, small performances called recitals, and recently in free open air recitals in parks around the Blackwater Valley area. During the festival you can see and listentoartistsfromacrossthecountryandtheworld.
Today, BVOF is well-known in the classical music and opera world in Ireland and is one of Waterford’s biggest festivals. This year is a particularly important year of the festival, as we it is our 15 birthday! We are so excited to welcome you to the opera on Mondaythe26 ofMaytojoinusinthecelebration! th th
What is opera? So...
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘opera’?
There are many words that are used in opera to describe different parts of the performance and performers. Here are some terms you should know!
Opera Lingo
Aria
The song a singer sings solo, often along to music.
Bel Canto
Interval
Leitmotif
Libretto
Opera Buffa/Seria
It means “beautiful singing” in Italian and is a style of singing from Italy that was created in the 1800s.
This is a break between different acts or parts of the opera (or a play). They ususally last between 15 to 45 minutes.
A musical idea or theme that goes with a certain character in an opera. Whenever the character comes on stage or sings a song, you will hear this musical theme.
This is the “little book” (as it means in Italian) that has all the words and the stage directions for the opera. The person who writes the libretto is called the librettist.
Opera Buffa means “comic opera” where the story is light-hearted and the characters are usually normal people.
On the other hand, Opera Seria, “serious opera”, has a more ‘legend’ or epic storyline where the characters are gods or heroes from long ago.
This is from our production of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (jee-ah-nee skee-kee) in 2021!
The voice and opera
When you breathe, you bring in air throughyournosewhichtravelsdown your windpipe (the ‘Trachea’), through the voice box (the ‘Larynx’) and into your lungs. Because your lungs get bigger when you breathe in, a muscle under your lungs, called the diaphragm, goes down to make more spacefortheair.
Voice Box/Larynx (lahrinks)
Windpipe/Trachea (track-ee-yah)
When you breathe out, your diaphragm pushes up, your lungs get smaller as the air goes out of them and up your windpipe, through your voice box again, and finally, out throughyourmouth.
Vocal folds/cords
Mouth
Lungs
Diaphragm (die-afram)
Nasalpassage/ Nose
The voice and opera Vocal folds/cords
When we breathe out to sing or speak, the air passes through our voice box whichcontainstwovocalfolds(alsoknownasvocalcords).
Thesestretchacrossthevoiceboxlikerubberbandsandareverythinandmade of muscle. When we speak or sing, the air that passes through our voice box makethesecordsvibratewhichmakesasound.
To change how high or low our voice sounds, especially when we sing, the vocal folds are stretchedtighterbythemusclesinourvoicebox.
Like this
Whenwemakealowsound,thevocalcordsare morerelaxedandlonger.Whenwemakeahigher sound,thevocalfoldsarepulledtighterandshorter.
Like this
The voice and opera
When we sing, we use all parts of our breathing system to create the nicest sound. Of course, our lungs and voice box are two important parts to create a sound when we sing but there are other parts that help us create an even better singing voice. For example, we have the ‘resonators’ which are your chest, throat, nasal passage/nose, and your mouth. These can all help help the flow of air and create the tone of your voice. The diaphragm is very important in all singing, especially opera, as it can help us to control how much air flows out of our lungs and through our voice box.
This control is called “vocal support” as it stops our voice getting too tired or sore when we sing. It takes a lot of practice and time to control all these parts and the air you breathe in and out to sing opera, but with time and patience, anyone can learn to sing!
Soprano
This is the highest female voice in singing. E.g. Ariana Grande
Mezzo-soprano
Alto/Contralto
Countertenor
Tenor
Baritone
Mezzo means ‘middle’ in Italian. This voice can’t sing as high as the soprano but can’t sing as low as an alto either. E.g. Adele.
This is the lowest a female voice can sing. E.g. Taylor Swift.
This voice is the highest a male voice can sing and it also falls in the female vocal range because it is so high. E.g. Vitas, Tiny Tim.
This is a high male singing voice. E.g. Ed Sheeran.
This voice can’t sing as high as a tenor and sounds low but can’t sing as low as a bass. E.g. George Ezra.
Bass A bass is the lowest a male voice can sing. E.g. Barry White, Leonard Cohen.
Whynotcheckoutmoreaboutvoicetypesandfindyourownvoicetypehere!
What’stheopera vibe? So...
This is from our production of Handel’s Guilio Cesare in 2024!
What’s the opera vibe?
Most opera performances take place on stage in an “Opera House” - like the Cork Opera House - or in a theatre. It’s ok if you don’t know the language of the opera when you go toseeone,asmostoperahousesand theatres have surtitles/supertitles which are above the stage with the words translated for you to read along.
Here are some things you may notice when you go to the opera.
The scenes and staging of the opera are designed to show the time, place, and personalities of the characters and their story. The opera’s music and libretto give many clues about this which can be used in the scenery on stage to connect the story and characters to the stage and audience.
Staging Lighting Sound Costuming
The costumes in an opera usually give clues about the different characters and their part in the opera’s story. They can also show us the character’s personality, secrets, and their job, through the colours, details, and styles used in their costume. The costumes for each character are carefully designed to show the time in history when and the place where the character lived. The clothes are also used to show the parts of the music that are related to them.
Lighting is used in opera (and other forms of theatre too) to help show and support the emotion of the scene on stage. The music in opera can help us hear emotion, while the lighting can help us see what the characters are feeling through the use of colour, shadows, and lighting certain people or things on the stage. Of course, it also helps us to see the characters’ expressions and actions!
Of course, music is a central part of every opera performance. The composer and librettist create the music and words to express the characters’ different personalities, feelings, and the place in which they are. The music can also introduce us to an idea or plan the characters may have.
Whoworksin opera? So...
This is from our production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale (don pah-skwah-lay) in 2019!
Who works in opera?
On stage Cast
All the singers, actors, and dancers performing in the opera.
Principles
The singers who play the storyline/plot’s main characters.
Supporting character
Theses are smaller roles which support the principles and the telling of their story.
Conductor
They lead the musicians in the orchestra and singers.
These are the musicians who play the music of the opera. The orchestra play from the orchestral pit in front of the stage. Orchestra
Backstage
Artistic Director
They decide which operas will be performed and what the artistic message of the performance will be.
Director Producer Répétiteur (ray-peh-ti-ter)
They help the Artistic Director plan an opera and create the cast. They may have an assistant to help them.
They give the cast instructions on how to perform each scene - where they go, what they do. They work closely with the lighting, costume, prop and staging departments. This all helps to bring the vision of a show to life.
They coach the singers and play piano during rehearsals.
Stage Manager
They help keep the rehearsals and performance running smoothly and on time. They have a few assistants to help them too.
They design the set of the opera. They study the opera a lot to plan their design.
They design and oversee the creation of the cast’s costumes.
They plan when, where, how, and how often the set is lit during a performance.
Set Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Wigs, Hair & Makeup Designer
They plan the hairstyles, makeup, and wigs in an opera.
Stage Crew
They are involved in making and setting up the set, helping the cast change costumes, in changing the lighting, and getting props ready and giving it to the right cast member when they need it during rehearsals and performances.
composed the opera?
Benjamin Britten (1913 -1976) | English composer Britten also wrote the opera’s libretto with Peter Pears.
does the story take place?
The story is set in an enchanted forest outside ancientAthens,Greece. was it written?
Shakespear wrote the play A Midsummer Night’sDream between1594and1596.
Britten made the play into an opera which was first performed on the 11 June 1960 at the Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh in the UK. Therefore,theoperaisa 20 centuryopera. th th
What is 20 Century Opera? th
“Chaotic Neutral” era
Opera written between 1910 and 1960.
Notes in standard music “keys” became unpredictable and random in their order and sound. The voice was used in different ways, such as performers sliding their voices high or low to mimic speech.
Chamber Operas which feature small ensembles of instruments and singers became more popular (Britten was well-known for this too!).
More of a blend between opera and musical theatre.
‘s the story?
First,let’smeetthecharacters...
The Fairies
Oberon | Countertenor
Tytania | Soprano
Puck | Spoken
King of the fairies
Queen of the fairies
A mischievous sprite and servant of Oberon
Cobweb, Mustardseed, Moth,
Peaseblossom | Children’s Chorus
Tytania’s four fairy servants.
The Royals
Lysander | Tenor
Demetrius | Baritone
Hermia | Mezzo-soprano
Helena | Soprano
Theseus | Bass
Hippolyta | Contralto
The Rustics
Bottom | Bass-baritone
Quince | Bass
Flute | Tenor
Snug | Bass
Snout | Tenor
Starveling | Baritone
A weaver who gains a donkey’s head during the story.
Leader of the troupe.
A bellow-mender, excited to act in a play.
A joiner who is shy and a bit silly.
A tinker who is very nervous about acting.
The tailor who plays the part of the moon in the play within a play.
He is in love with Hermia, though she is engaged to Demetrius.
Hermia’s fiancé but he was previously engaged to Helena.
She is in love with Lysander but is Demetrius’ fiancée.
Hermia’s friend who was previously engaged to Demetrius.
The Duke of Athens (who slew the minotaur in Greek legend).
Queen of the Amazons who is in love with Theseus.
So what happens?
Puck, a mischievous fairy, uses a magic flower to make people fall in love with the wrong person, causing even more mix-ups!
So what happens?
In the end, the spells are undone, the humans get married, and the fairies bless them — and everyone lives happily ever after!
If you’d like to learn even more about opera, you can visit these links:
IrishNationalOpera(INO)-DiscoverOpera
IrishNationalOpera(INO)-SchoolsProgramme
TheKennedyCentre-Opera
OperaNorth-Resourcepacks
TheOpera101
MetOpera-IllustratedOperas
MetOpera-EducatorGuides
RoyalOperaHouse(RBO)-ClassroomResources
Glyndebourne-Schools
Check out our Spotify playlist of the festival here! (or double-click the image below!) How did you feel listening to the opera singers?
See you at the opera!
