Sharing My Singing Experiences – Pt.3

Singing Opera and Why I Love It

I have been singing for a long time and during my undergraduate career, I sung in opera. It was a lot of fun, a lot of hard work, but I learned how to sing in a classical style. Opera was a wonderful experience because I could be a lot of different characters in a variety of operas. When I was singing, I felt like I was in a great space of self-expression and it built up my confidence to sing on stage. I will share what opera is, what my experiences are and why it’s important to me.

What is Opera?

Opera is a theatrical style of singing, which consists of staging, lights, costumes, makeup and of course, singers! In general, an opera can have anywhere from one act to two acts, a chorus, lead roles and smaller roles. (there are a few operas that have 3 acts) Opera is a more dramatic feel and the sound of music may be heavier sounding. Many people enjoy opera, and others not so much, so it may be an acquired taste, if you will.

Opera originated in Florence, Italy, according to the San Francisco Opera and it’s over 400 years old and it began roughly at the end of the 16th Century.

There are also lighter sounding operas called operettas, where the music is somewhere in between an opera and a musical. Music history is filled with so much rich history and there is a massive variety in musical genres. (I will talk about different genres in my future blogs.) Opera and classical music in one of my favorite genres, but I enjoy almost any kind of music.

Check out this very famous clip of Queen of Night aria below!

My Singing Experiences in Opera

I sung in a variety of full operas and opera scenes of operas during my college years. During my time, I sung in the chorus, sung solo work, small roles and one lead role for another famous opera scene! Here are some photos:

In Spring 2011, here’s our group cast photo of our production of Wolfgang Mozart’s The Magic Flute. I’m in front row wearing a blue dress, I sung in the chorus as a soprano.

In Spring 2014, I sung a soprano solo for a character named Birdie Hubbard from Marc Blitzstein’s, Regina. I sung Birdie’s Aria during opera scenes. This was some of my best singing, too.

In Fall 2016, (one post college performance) I sung a lead role of Adele from Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus for opera scenes. I sung Adele’s Aria. One of my absolute favorite experiences!

Why Opera Is Important to Me

I miss it and I’m going to try and sing opera again one of these days. The reason why opera is important to me is because it is a beautiful art form and is a dying art form. Many schools and professional opera programs, such as the Metropolitan Opera still perform operas, but it’s not as common as it used to be. I’m excited to share my experiences with you and I plan to keep singing and share the importance of the arts!

Want to hear more about my singing experiences and my music business? Please, please subscribe to my website and stay tuned for more blogs. Feel free to follow me on my social medias too! Comment below if you have questions on opera or my singing experiences.

Photo by Giusi Borrasi on Unsplash