In Action S.E.E. Program One of the most enjoyable (and challenging) aspects is students’ interacting with four-leggeds, winged ones and standing people. Students meet two ferrets, Pruce & Fawlkes, and a sun conure (parrot), Xhaine aBlaze. The tools students gain – observing without judgment, overcoming fears, taking risks, understanding and supporting the needs of others – can then be applied to their approach to music and the communities from which the songs come. The culminating experience brings together members from the involved schools, along with guest vocalists from the community in A World of Song: A Choral Festival. Ensembles are first given an opportunity to sing before a panel of judges. Competing against a standard instead of other ensembles levels the playing field and truly rewards students for their performances. Participants then rehearse with the other choirs, followed by a joint concert for parents and friends. Participating Schools:
Invited Dress Rehearsals
Tancredi & Madame White Snake allowed the eight invitees to experience cross-gender-bending (female lead playing a male role, then a male lead playing a female role – who thought opera could be soooo juicy?). The invitees all commented on how different it was from what they had expected. One student who experienced both operas, when asked which he liked best, compared it to chocolate cake and chocolate ice-cream – different and equally delicious.
Thanks to Julie House, education director at Boston Lyric Opera, Mssng Lnks was given 20 free tickets to the Sunday matinee performance, as opposed to dress rehearsal passes. I was pleased to have guests from Roxbury, Boston & South Boston, who included elementary, high school and college students and adults. Singing-professionals, singers-in-training, and singer-lovers were all represented.
There are advantages to being affiliated with many different communities. We took this opportunity to invite members of Una Voce, an adult chorus from the Community Music Center of Boston to experience this Boston premiere. For many members, most of whom are senior citizens, this represented their first live-opera experience. I have come to measure the success of these programs based on the willingness of the participants to repeat the experience. So far, the response I have gotten after each performance has been, “So when are we gonna get to do this again?”
It was one of those odd days when reality appears to fold over on itself in a mind-bending attempt to create what should be an alternate universe but, after much self-pinching, is still reality. In conversation with Reverend Mayher, minister at the Congregational Church of Weston, he offered me the possibility of presenting Mssng Lnks at the WWIAG meeting. After I accepted the invitation, he mentioned the special guest, Gunther Schuller. This occurred just a few weeks after Mssng Lnks finalized plans with Opera Boston’s education director, Rachel Adler-Golden, to co-sponsor a four-session residency geared toward junior high students, using Scott Joplin’s opera, Treemonisha, as the base. The connection? Scott Joplin was never to see a full production of Treemonisha. After a failed initial read-through, Treemonisha spent 60 years in obscurity. Gunther Schuller was one of the major forces behind its first production in 1975 by a major opera company, the Houston Grand Opera, which also featured Maestro Schuller’s orchestrations. That cool connection aside, there is just something surreal, yet validating, about seeing one’s name listed on a flier beside that of a world-renowned musician. This is how I found myself opening the evening on Sunday, January 24th with a rendition of A Song Without Words by African-American composer Charles Brown. After we helped ourselves to a potluck meal, Maestro Schuller guided us along his life-path, offering highlights of his musical journey. I personally enjoyed the seemingly random way his journey careened from horn playing at the MET to composition and beyond. After dessert, we had the opportunity to share a little of Mssng Lnks: our mission, goals and progress so far. The evening culminated with a performance of African-American composer John Carter’s Cantata by soprano (and Mssng Lnks student) Anita Murrell and collaborative pianist Alexander Lane. BCCS 2 BoCo I’ve found that I really enjoy making up quirky names for random things, so it’s no wonder that this yearly event would soon succumb to my sideline (maybe I oughta take that up as a side business ;-). Anywhoo, I digress. Ever since I met Dr. Cutter, director of the College Choir at Boston Conservatory (BoCo), in 2004, I have been impressed with his ability to embrace everyone, regardless of age, race or level of education. Since the major aim of Boston Collegiate Charter School (BCCS) is to prepare students to successfully complete a college education, a combined event seemed a perfect way to create a high-stakes performance opportunity for BCCS fifth-graders, award a class for its musical knowledge, allow them to interact with BoCo students pursuing careers in vocal music AND meet a great conductor. The five-week BCCS 2 BoCo Challenge begins in January as four BCCS classes exhibit the 4P’s: posture, pitch, pronunciation & participation. Other challenges include knowing the most songs and gaining a 3 or higher on the class rubric score. This year the competition was steep entering the third week as one class disqualified itself and two others were 3 points apart. Congratulations to the members of UCF (University of Central Florida – BCCS classes are given the names of the colleges their advisor graduated from) who, on Monday March 29, were the honored participants in this year’s BCCS 2 BoCoCheck out these related images! |