Composition / en Undead diva: 老司机直播 opera students mix high art with zombie kitsch /news/undead-diva-u-t-opera-students-mix-high-art-zombie-kitsch <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Undead diva: 老司机直播 opera students mix high art with zombie kitsch</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20170131%20-%20Rebecca%20Gray%20holds%20a%20shovel%20in%20Prima%20Zombie%20%28resized%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mA1NMfRB 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/20170131%20-%20Rebecca%20Gray%20holds%20a%20shovel%20in%20Prima%20Zombie%20%28resized%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=xBV93F3j 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/20170131%20-%20Rebecca%20Gray%20holds%20a%20shovel%20in%20Prima%20Zombie%20%28resized%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=TLInNgAn 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/20170131%20-%20Rebecca%20Gray%20holds%20a%20shovel%20in%20Prima%20Zombie%20%28resized%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mA1NMfRB" alt="photo of student Rebecca Gray onstage"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-02-02T16:00:23-05:00" title="Thursday, February 2, 2017 - 16:00" class="datetime">Thu, 02/02/2017 - 16:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Rebecca Gray, a master's student in opera and an award-winning composer, rehearses the role of the undead Nellie Melba, in 老司机直播 Opera Student Composer Collective's latest production, 鈥淧rima Zombie鈥 (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Geoffrey Vendeville</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-music" hreflang="en">Faculty of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/current-students" hreflang="en">Current Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/opera" hreflang="en">Opera</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/composition" hreflang="en">Composition</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">They researched their parts by watching 鈥淣ight of the Living Dead,鈥 YouTube videos</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Rebecca Gray</strong>&nbsp;had never practiced groaning for an operatic role, until rehearsing for the lead in the University of Toronto Opera composition program鈥檚 20th anniversary production.</p> <p>The master鈥檚 student in opera stars as the un-dead diva Nellie Melba in <em>Prima Zombie: The Diva that just Wouldn鈥檛 Stay Dead</em>, an original work composed by seven students. The libretto was written by the opera program鈥檚 resident stage director,&nbsp;<strong>Michael Patrick Albano</strong>. &nbsp;</p> <p>In the early 20th century, the real Dame Melba regaled audiences from Sydney to Brussels. In the 老司机直播 production, critics pining for the 鈥済olden age鈥 of opera bring the coloratura soprano 鈥 who gave her name to Melba toast and peach Melba 鈥&nbsp;back from the grave using a gypsy curse and a cartoonish electric generator.</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D0ZxzHUk92o"></iframe></p> <p>Safe to say, the role was a departure for Gray, who more recently played Frasquita in <em>Carmen </em>with the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Summer Studio. Although she usually doesn't like to put on much makeup, she is excited to sing in zombie face paint.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚 have really enjoyed being ridiculous, and it has been a chance for me to explore sounds I never knew I could make,鈥 she said during&nbsp;break at a recent rehearsal at&nbsp;老司机直播 Faculty of Music鈥檚 MacMillan Theatre.</p> <p>She researched the part by watching <em>Night of the Living Dead</em> and YouTube-ing videos of 鈥渢eenagers in their bedrooms making zombie noises.鈥</p> <p>For the young composers, too, the piece presented unique challenges. <strong>Stephanie Orlando</strong>, who is pursuing a master鈥檚 in&nbsp;music composition, says she drew on music by Melba鈥檚 historical near-contemporaries (composers like Donizetti, Puccini, Verdi)&nbsp;but added&nbsp;a dark twist.</p> <p>鈥淪he鈥檚 a little distorted now, as a zombie, and so is the music,鈥&nbsp;she said.</p> <p>Each composer wrote their scene individually, and the work was stitched together like 鈥渢he Frankenstein monster of an opera鈥 that it is, said <strong>Liam Ritz</strong>, in the bachelor鈥檚 of composition program.</p> <p>Opera aficionados sometimes take the genre too seriously. &nbsp;But no one would accuse the composers and performers of the irreverent <em>Prima Zombie</em> of that.</p> <p>The production pokes fun of diva worship and music snobs, said <strong>Daevyd Pepper</strong>, who plays theatre critic Addison Witless. It鈥檚 also full of in-jokes like Pepper鈥檚 favourite scene, Melba鈥檚 zombie aria:</p> <p><em>It鈥檚 not enough to give my art<br> My fans demand my heart<br> So take it, take it now!</em></p> <p>At that point, Gray rips a plastic heart out from under her shirt and throws it at the audience.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 a joke about how we have an unrealistic idea of perfection,鈥 Pepper explained. 鈥淧eople expect us to act perfectly, but they also want us to bare our souls and our hearts.鈥</p> <p>Albano has staged over 30 operas at 老司机直播 and written many libretti for 老司机直播 Opera Student Composer Collective, including <em>Rob Ford: The Opera.&nbsp;</em>He&nbsp;says he encouraged students to go wild.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲hen you start breaking the rules, there鈥檚 a great feeling of liberation, almost like anything goes,鈥 he said.</p> <p>And it&nbsp;paid off.</p> <p>鈥淎 lot of the stuff you see successfully working on stage are things the singers thought of themselves,鈥 he said.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/01/22/rob_ford_the_opera_has_packed_crowd_roaring_with_laughter.html">Read about Rob Ford: The Opera in <em>The Toronto Star</em></a></h2> <p><em>Prima Zombie: the Diva that just wouldn鈥檛 stay Dead, directed by Michael Patrick Albano and conducted by <strong>Sandra Horst</strong>, will be <a href="https://music.utoronto.ca/concerts-events.php?eid=1007&amp;cDate=2017-02-05">performed Feb. 5 at 2:30 p.m. at the MacMillan Theatre,</a> 80 Queens Park. &nbsp;</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 02 Feb 2017 21:00:23 +0000 geoff.vendeville 104261 at