Back in March, I had the wonderful pleasure of singing with the Firebird Light Opera’s production of Johann Strauss II of the German opera, “Die Fledermaus” (dee-fleh-der-maus). In English it translates to “The Bat”. The opera is often known as “The Revenge of the Bat”. It’s a delightful and comical operetta about a practical joke on a friend.
Back in January, I had a quick audition in front of the board members of FLO and they invited me to sing in the chorus of the opera as a soprano, which I was excited to join. It had been a long time since I did an opera production. Feel free to check out my past experiences here.
In 2016, I sung the “Laughing Song” and the “Champagne Song” for the role of Adele, a chamber maid who longs to be an actress, which was a lot of fun, so I knew the music before joining the group.
During the FLO rehearsals of “Die Fledermaus”, they needed an understudy for the role of Adele, so the director asked out to me audition for the part. I agreed to it and after singing the aria, they asked me to be the cover for the role. In another blog, I will talk about what an understudy or a cover is for opera in more detail.
In the rehearsals, we learned the basic steps of the Waltz, which was a lot of work, but an incredible experience. We had to be measured for the costumes, learn the blocking, acting and dancing, rehearsed in the Sitzprobe with the orchestra all in just a few short months, so it was crucial to memorize the music quickly. Check out the photos in the gallery below.
It was a wonderful experience and I’m so glad to have found the organization and to sing in the community. I’m looking forward to more productions in the future!
Photo of the chorus and leads. Photo Credit: Jessi Calvo
A blog by Ashley Melendez
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