Student Blog: Blog

CANDIDE: The best of all possible worlds!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:04:07 GMT

Last Tuesday night was the opening of New York City Opera's Candide, the final work for this spring season. And what a way to finish the year! If you are within 100 miles of the State Theater during the month of April, there is ...

The best of all possible afternoons: my CANDIDE experience

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:01:14 GMT

I walked into school on Monday morning, the morning after I saw New York City Opera's production of Candide, and was greeted by a few of friends who asked how I had liked Candide. I could not think of a response. I stared at them, ...

My review of CANDIDE's opening night

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:04:27 GMT

This past Tuesday, I left after my final class prepared to go see Candide. (My preparation involved meeting up with a dear friend and grabbing dinner.) As we entered the lobby of the theater, I thought back to my experience at Candide's ...

My interview with City Opera choristers

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:00:54 GMT

Recently, I sat down with Katherine Benfer and Beth Pensiero, two of City Opera's chorus members. It was incredibly fun chatting with these two longtime choristers who love their job and had some great things to say. And they ...

City Opera side trips

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:00:38 GMT

After seeing the ad for the New York City Opera Thrift Shop numerous times in the opera playbills, I finally decided to stop by and check out their merchandise. The City Opera's thrift shop, located at 222 E. 23rd Street, offers (but is ...

MADAMA BUTTERFLY: An opera redeems itself with a dazzling new star

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:09:24 GMT

A typical opera-going evening for me begins on the train. I commute down to the city from New Haven, where I go to medical school. It's typically a bum-numbing experience on the Metro-North, where I try to do some reading or catch up on ...

MADAMA BUTTERFLY brings new fans to the opera

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:00:01 GMT

Number one most-performed opera in the US? Madama Butterfly. If this trend keeps up, and the folks at New York City Opera's current production are any indication, Madama Butterfly will continue to bring in new opera aficionados for years ...

FALSTAFF: "Everything on earth is a joke."

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:00:52 GMT

Despite my love of Verdi, I had never really gotten to know his final opera, Falstaff. The day before the performance, I had an impromptu conversation with New York City Opera dramaturg, Cori Ellison, about the events in Verdi's life ...

My CANDIDE sneak preview

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:00:46 GMT

Last week, I got to watch the final rehearsal run-through of Candide, and I am so excited for this production to open! If you couldn't tell by the gushing in my Madama Butterfly entry, I love Candide. It appeals to lovers of both ...

Puccini earns a new fan

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:00:45 GMT

I loved so many things about Tosca; the storyline, music and staging of the opera worked together magically to create an amazing production. And it’s definitely going on my list of favorite tragedies. This night out to the opera ...

Alex Park's experience at City Opera, Part 2

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:00:06 GMT

It was at a Saturday performance of King Arthur that I really figured out the difference between old folks at the Met and old folks at New York City Opera. However, before I get to that, here's a little explanation of what happened during the ...

Alex Park's experience at City Opera

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:48:42 GMT

Early this season, I came down to New York City Opera to sign my contract for this blog. Afterward, Jaime in the marketing office was nice enough to give me a quick tour of the State Theater. It was unbelievable. I got to meet one ...

My experience at MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:00:21 GMT

I will preface this entry by saying that I have an unwarranted but fairly strong aversion to Puccini's music. I went to New York City Opera's production of Madama Butterfly feeling apprehensive about the experience. I wondered how I ...

Bringing a friend to see MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:00:13 GMT

I brought my friend, Michael, a film student, to Madama Butterfly this Sunday. His only previous opera experience was seeing John Adams' Doctor Atomic at the San Francisco Opera when it was first commissioned: he didn't like the music of ...

My trip to see FALSTAFF

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:45:00 GMT

Sir John Falstaff is one of Shakespeare's most beloved and memorable characters. You've got to wonder why; he's a monument to gluttony, has more than a slight penchant for the bottle, and is about as disreputable and dishonest as knights ...

Two newbies at the opera

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:00:43 GMT

Before I start on my first experience at New York City Opera and the production of King Arthur, I'd just like to give everyone a couple of notes about myself. My appreciation of performance art (until now) consisted largely of musical ...

Introducing our student correspondents

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:44:35 GMT

City Opera has invited five students to write about their experiences seeing our spring 2008 productions. Selected both for their love of opera and their individual writing abilities, these correspondents will be featured on ...