The stage is set for the Ball State University Opera Theatre as they present a show that utilizes the best of the arts to bring a classic show to the campus.
Tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. the BSU Opera will be presenting L'Amico Fritz by Pietro Mascagni at Sursa Performance Hall. This is the second of the two operas performed every year.
According to stageagent.com, L'Amico Fritz, composed in 1891, is a story of a wealthy landowner, Fritz Kobus, who has vowed to remain a bachelor. A friend makes a bet with him that he will wed within a year, and Fritz soon finds himself falling for Suzel, the daughter of one of his tenants.
For many the opera is an unfamiliar experience, but according to director and assistant professor of voice Joseph Levitt, it is a very special event and many students have come together to produce it. With seven lead roles, thirty-two singers from the BSU chamber choir and fifty members of the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, there certainly are a lot of people involved.
"Opera itself is different than every other art form in the world. It is the artistic triumvirate of the human voice, the orchestra and stage drama," he said.
He also said that for someone that hasn't seen an opera before it is "like eating a gourmet meal after having existed on fast food."
Levitt said that while the opera is a very special occasion, it is accessible to most people. He said that the stories told are human stories, and that everyone will find characters they can relate to.
Graduate assistant in voice Joseph Diehl, who is playing the part of Fritz Kobus in the Friday show, said he feels that something that makes opera unique is all the different people it brings together.
"It's an amazing combination of art forms, through a lot of hard work," he said.
Graduate student Keisha Cook, who will be playing Suzel in the Saturday show, said that the sometimes overlooked orchestra is beautiful. She also said that Sursa Hall is acoustically and visually pleasing.
Part of this visual appeal comes from the art department working with the opera to craft the set pieces for the show.
Assistant professor of art Scott Anderson, who oversaw the work, said that this is the first time in at least fifteen years that the art department has worked with the opera.
With organization, design and preparation into account, the art students took four months to complete the pieces, they even made the acrylic paint used to paint panels for the show.
Junior Chris Dobbs, thought that this was a great experience for the art students.
"We typically fly solo on our own artwork and rarely work together on a piece," he said.
He also said that using so much paint in this project allowed him to learn how to use different materials.
Dobbs said that it would be a good idea if the two groups work together again.
"When you have opera performers who are passionate about their performance and painting students who are passionate about painting [and] working together, you are guaranteed to create a product of unmatched quality," he said.
For more information on the BSU Opera, check out http://opera.iweb.bsu.edu/
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