
Last weekend, Wilfrid Laurier Universityโs Faculty of Music, in collaboration with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, brought together over 150 music students, delivering a series of polished and brilliant performances of Georges Bizetโs Carmen, an โopรฉra comiqueโ โ and one of the best known in the world.
ย ย ย There were two concert version performances โ meaning it presented with little to no staging, sets or costumes โ the first of which was Friday, Jan. 11 and the final was Saturday, Jan. 12.
Amongst the singers were three recent graduates and one current student of the Music program, one of the voice instructors and the choir โ which was comprised of four different Laurier choirs: the Laurier Concert Choir, the Maureen Forrester Singers, the Laurier Singers and the Laurier Opera Chorus.
ย ย Because I am the farthest thing from a performance, music or opera critique, I will not endeavour to evaluate the value or quality of the opera that this collective put forward.
ย ย ย I will, however, speak to the effort required to conceive of such a production.
Orchestrating โ no pun intended โ such a large collection of individuals is no meagre feat. Bringing together two very distinct ideologies of singing groups โ the professional versus the educational โ brought about its own set of unique and daunting challenges.
โItโs interesting โ what the public sees is a very polished and finished product โฆ [But] the behind-the-scenes complexities are enormous,โ said Glen Carruthers, dean of Laurierโs Faculty of Music.
The role and function of a professional arts organization, like the Symphony and the role and function of an arts education institution, like the Facility of Music, are very different. On one hand, the Faculty of Music puts a much heavier emphasis on the learning process and its importance.
โItโs about helping young people to understand the various components necessary for a successful a career in music โฆ Whatโs essential, in our case, is that the learning process [is] front and centre for the students throughout the preparation,โ Carruthers said.
In contrast, professional musicians such as the Symphony tend to be less concerned about the process, focussing instead on creating a finalized, efficient, smooth result.
โSo you somehow have to find a middle-ground between process and product โฆ That being said: we [still] need[ed] a superb product as well in the end, which we did have,โ Carruthers said.
There is a colossal effort that goes into organizing all the various choirs, students and professionals necessary for a performance like this. Carruthers explained that the logistics behind it are quite similar to putting together lego: โyouโve got all the component parts and you hope it will fit together and make a complete whole,โ he said.
The performance sold out on both nights, which is not unusual for the Faculty. However, given the conversations that Carruthers had with a number of others, the โartistic standardโ of the performance was still quite โhighโ โ which sounds good enough for me.
But what about the value that music holds in our lives, especially as it becomes more fundamental to our experiences and personalities with each passing year?
โI think that music has, clearly, an aesthetic value, period. We donโt need to justify the existence of the art form [that way] โฆ That being said, we live in exceedingly complicated times,โ Carruthers said.
โIโm certain that arts and culture are going to play an increasingly important role in our society as the complexities unfold โฆ These art-forms and others like them are crucial to the health and wellbeing of our society.โ
However, music โ and performances like these โ also play a pivotal role in the lives of a number of students in Laurierโs Faculty of Music.
โI think it was nice to come together in a big group [and] professional setting and work with an experienced conductor, an experienced orchestra, collaborate and make really beautiful music,โ said Sabrina Di Battista, a student in Laurierโs Music program.
โI want to be an opera singer myself and Iโm currently in the opera at school. Itโs the biggest part of my life, itโs what I want to do for a living.โ
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