Classical Opera - An Introduction for High Achievers
In this introductory session, students are introduced to stories from popular operas, and learn about some of the conventions used in what is arguably one of the greatest, most uplifting, most challenging, most rewarding of musical genres.
Leon Conrad
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(229)
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
Opera is exciting - vibrant - alive - energetic - emotional - and DEEP. Often sung in a language other than English, and expensive to attend and produce, it can seem hard to get into. It doesn't have to be that way! This class offers an introduction to the genre and provides an introductory approach to longer classes focused on building an appreciation for the genre and some of the best-known and best-loved operas and the big names associated with it. This class is about classical opera. It does not touch on Operetta (Gilbert and Sullivan) or Musicals (Phantom of the Opera), both of which follow the 'singspiel' or 'sing-talk' tradition of including spoken dialogue alongside sung segments. Opera is (generally) all sung. We cover the following elements: A Potted History of Opera - From Monteverdi to Modern Story and Surprises - Libretto - Language - Themes The Magic of Music - Rhythm - Melody - Harmony - Orchestration - Word Setting Virtuosi Voices - Sopranos - Countertenors - Contraltos - Tenors - Basses - The Fach System Opera's Wow Words - Overture - Aria - Recitative - Cadenza - ABA Form - Duet - Chorus - Finale We touch on the following elements: Set Design and Staging Costume and Make Up Singing and Acting - The Demands of the Form Production Values - Making Opera Relevant - Reinterpreting and Revisiting Themes And most importantly - what makes opera great: Great musicians - Great performers Dressing up in your best clothes to come to the opera (and this opera class) is very much to be encouraged - performers love it (as does this teacher - and if you play along, you'll be rewarded with a special 'easter egg' treat during the course). Photo credit: Almos Bechtold, Unsplash
Learning Goals
Students will gain greater knowledge of and appreciation for opera as a genre.
They will learn how to search for and find libretti and their translations.
They will learn about key elements of the genre (Opera's Wow Words) and about how great opera singers work within and transcend the conventions of the genre to produce some of the greatest examples of artistic achievement human beings can produce live.
Other Details
Supply List
Follow-up resources will be shared with students after this class, which is intended as an introductory class leading to longer classes which give a chance to spend longer focusing on key operas from the classical repertoire and getting to know the stories and music behind them in greater depth.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will refer to on-line sources for libretti in the original and in translation, audio and video clips available on the Internet Archive website, in the public domain, and in the educational and public sections of the websites of international opera houses.
Joined May, 2020
4.9
229reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have the following musical qualifications: GTCM (Hons), LTCL, LRAM.
I have worked as musical director in charge of school workshops for Opera Brava in the UK.
I worked for several years as a repetiteur, vocal coach, and accompanist for opera singers.
I founded the UK's first public speaking consultancy specialising primarily in voice training (The Conrad Voice Consultancy which later became The Academy of Oratory).
I have played for artists such as the Russian mezzo, Irina Arkhipova, English bass, Keel Watson, and worked for several years under the internationally renowned singing teacher, Janice Chapman, and attended numerous voice courses through the British Voice Association, including voice production with the unforgettable Jo Estill, developer of the Estill Voice Training System and Vocal Profile Analysis with voice coach Christina Shewell, author of Voice Work: Art and Science in Changing Voices and voice coach for the Royal Shakespeare Company.Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$10
per classMeets once
45 min
Completed by 14 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
2-8 learners per class
