Program offers students an inside look at opera

Allentown High School students collaborate with Boheme Opera performers (Nov.17)

By: Lauren Burgoon
   UPPER FREEHOLD — The crescendo of arias could be heard in school hallways soon as the district’s yearlong partnership with Boheme Opera New Jersey continues next month with visits from the performers themselves.
   The pairing between opera and student performers has benefits on many levels, organizers say, not least of which is possibly turning out the next generation of opera aficionados.
   The collaboration kicked off earlier this month when 75 Allentown High School students attended a full dress rehearsal for the company’s performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s "Aida." The students, along with Principal Chris Nagy and music teacher Mark Megill, were invited by the opera house to witness the final rehearsal for free so students could get the feel for a professional production, which opened to the public Nov. 4.
   Forty chorus students returned the next day for a field trip that included a back-stage tour, presentations by costumers, make-up artists, singers and the opera company’s founder and maestro, Joseph Pucciatti. The students visited the orchestra pit, got an up-close look at the sets and toured the dressing areas.
   John Nanni, a Four Seasons resident, vice president of the opera’s board of directors and, with his wife Christine, a four-year member of Boheme’s chorus, helped organized the trip. Mr. Nanni hopes the trip and the subsequent activities throughout this school year nurture students’ musical interest.
   "Music wasn’t an option for me (in school.) I didn’t start singing until I was 40 years old, but if I had the opportunity earlier, I could have done more with my voice," said Mr. Nanni, a tenor. "It’s important to me to bring music to the students. It’s so much a part of their everyday lives."
   Mr. Nanni gave himself up as part of the students’ experience. He appeared in full "Aida" costume with half of his face covered in stage makeup. Students watched as he metamorphosed into a fully made-up performer.
   "It was a fun day. The kids had great questions and it was great to have them there. They seemed really interested in everything," he said.
   The tour offered students a chance to compare Verdi’s "Aida" with the newer version by Elton John, which AHS will stage in March. Mr. Megill said his students now can see how different composers conceptualize and stage the story.
   The students also uncovered one of opera’s mysteries.
   "One question they had was about why singers didn’t move around the stage too much. Then one of them tried on a costume. It was so heavy, you can barely stand up and sing, much less move in it," Mr. Megill said.
   The day topped off with an impromptu performance by the AHS singers, who sang four songs from the stage at the Trenton War Memorial. Maestro Pucciatti even conducted one of the songs, Mr. Nanni said. The trip ended with an open invitation for AHS students to audition for Boheme’s apprentice program.
   The partnership between Boheme and the schools will continue next month when performers visit the middle school as part of the Inside Opera program, which brings opera into area schools.
   "We brought an opera program in three years ago for the elementary students and it was a great success. It’s a beautiful art form and we’re happy we can expose students to it from a young age," school board president and opera buff Jeanette Bressi said. "We hope this gives students an open mind about opera. Most hear the word ‘opera’ and cringe, but this gives them a chance to explore the art form."
   The sixth-grade class will spend Dec. 2 with Boheme performers and get tips for the class’ own mini-performance of "Aida." Curtains rise on that production this spring.
   Boheme performers are planning a second Inside Opera day in June after the company’s run of "Susannah" by Carlisle Floyd. Mr. Nanni said teachers will be trained to lead classroom discussions on opera before the performers arrive and the day will cap off with a mini-performance by the company for up to 600 students.
   Beyond exposing students to opera, the collaboration with the schools could help open the doors for a stronger partnership between the district and the Four Seasons active adult community. Relations between the community and district have been strained at times, especially during budget season. After last year’s school board election in which the Four Seasons community flexed their voting bloc muscle and decided the election with a large turnout, the district vowed to get the residents more involved in the school system from the inside. Initiatives this year included bringing in Four Seasons residents as school volunteers.
   Both Mr. Nanni and Ms. Bressi hope the latest partnership, though only involving Four Seasons from the periphery, will further encourage projects between the schools and adult community. Mr. Nanni already plans to ask Four Seasons’ trustees to pay the $2,500 fee for this spring’s Inside Opera day. The middle school PTA will pay the same for the December date.