Ravinia 2023 Issue 4

COURTESY OPERA FOR THE YOUNG (ILLUSTRATION) “ Don’t be afraid that they won’t understand or relate to opera. Put some music on and see if they like it. ” COURTESY OPERA FOR THE YOUNG (ILLUSTRATION) Based on her years with OFTY, seven of which were spent as a per- former, Frank does not buy into the stereotype that kids are predisposed to not liking opera. “Not to be contrary, but I nd young children are so open to it,” she says. “One of the things I love about Opera for the Young that has kept me with this company is the way students accept our shows and enjoy them. It’s so important for me to see how truly open to the arts most young people are. “Once you get to sixth graders, it can be tricky,” she acknowledges with a laugh. Introducing young people to opera recalls the nature-vs.-nurture debate, a recurring theme in ree Stooges shorts in which the three knuckle- heads were always unsuccessfully groomed for high society. Speaking for myself, growing up, I was steeped in opera and classical music. I just didn’t know it. ere’s a good chance that the rst “operas” I ever heard were the melodrama parodies in Mighty Mouse cartoons. I recognize Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. ” as the song Tom performs in the Oscar-winning Tom & Jerry cartoon Cat Concerto . (Or, as Bugs Bunny says in the cartoon Rhapsody Rabbit : “Franz Liszt? Never heard of him.”) And if you, like me, are of a certain age, then admit it: When you hear “Ride of the Valkyries” from Wag- ner’s Die Walküre , you are moved to sing the words “Kill the wabbit” from Chuck Jones’s masterpiece What’s Opera, Doc? OFTY productions may not be car- toons, but they are animated. For their Martin eatre engagement, they will perform an abridged, kid-friendly adaptation of Gioachino Rossini’s opera e Barber of Seville with that familiar “Figaro” aria. (For me, “Figaro” is less an aria than it is an hilarious nuisance song caterwauled by alley car Sylvester that keeps Elmer Fudd awake in the cartoon Back Alley Oproar , which brings to mind that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine chastises Jerry, “It’s so sad that all your knowledge of high culture comes from Bugs Bunny cartoons.”) e OFTY version, written (as are all their shows) by artistic director Di- ane Garton Edie, transposes the story to the s, complete with a slicked- back Figaro, a poodle skirt–wearing Rosina and plenty of jive talking. e company’s engagement imper- ative goes beyond putting on shows for young audiences to watch. As with their school shows, OFTY has re- cruited local students to perform with them. e OFTY Barber will feature students from Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs in roles ranging from students at Seville High to a confused music teacher. Student involvement is the key, Frank says. “It makes the experience more than just a one-o where they experience a performance and we leave. Seeing their peers perform with professional singers leaves a lasting impression.” OFTY has introduced more than . million children to opera in live performance. Some young audience members were inspired to pursue professional careers in opera, among them, Jeni Houser, who has per- formed with the New York’s Metro- politan Opera and the Los Angeles and Dallas Opera companies. “She saw us when she was in ele- mentary school and it spoke to her,” Frank says. “Whether it was the ulti- mate spark or one of the many sparks that led them toward classical music and opera, it was a positive spark that opera could be accessible and fun.” And not just for children. “Some parents are surprised to see opera that is so accessible,” Frank says. “O en, they’ll recognize a familiar melody and tell us they’ve heard that song their whole life. We’ve had a few shows where parents approach cast members and tell them they wish they had had a program like this when they were kids.” Frank, herself, came to OFTY as a freelance opera singer. She was an en- semble member for seven tours before joining the administration team. She discovered opera as a teenager, when she, along with her high school honor choir, were invited to attend Wauke- sha, WI–based Carroll University’s summer opera program. “I thought it was wonderful,” she says. “It t me and my voice. I loved the acting. It seemed like the perfect combination of my strengths.” As a student at Northwestern, she and her friends took full advantage of a program the Lyric Opera o ered college students. “You could get a season pass for next to nothing,” she says. “We used to go to every show. I quickly became versed in opera.” Unlike lms and TV shows with their spoiler alerts, Frank recommends that parents put in the time to prepare prior to attending an opera. “Tell chil- dren the story and familiarize them with the music,” she says, “so when they are taking it all in, they can focus on what is happening onstage. It will make it more enchanting for them.” Chicago-based utist Rena Urso got a backstage education in classical music growing up. She hails from a musical family. Her father, Santo Urso, was one of the Assistant Con- certmasters of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. (He was also a session musician for Motown on such classics as e Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”). “It was our normal,” she says. Urso had a ipped experience from those who were introduced to classical music through cartoons. While cartoons helped me to appreci- ate the music, she says that it was the music that helped her appreciate the cartoons. She got the musical refer- ences and jokes (Should you meet her, she does a dandy rendition of Bugs Bunny’s “aria” from the cartoon, e Rabbit of Seville : “Welcome to my shop. / Lemme cut yer mop, / Lemme shave yer crop, / Daintily, daintily.”) Urso has performed with the San Francisco and New York opera com- panies. “As long as I can remember, even though I grew up the daughter of a symphony orchestra musician, my dream job has been to play ute in an opera orchestra,” she says. “I could play opera until the cows came home. I like being in the pit where I can be part of something that’s telling the story. I once toured with Madame But- ter y for three months. I knew how it was going to end, but every night, I was in the pit crying my eyes out.” What operas might parents have the best luck in engaging their chil- dren? Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (no, not that one) is a familiar fairy tale, and the music is accessibly appealing. Gilbert and Sul- livan’s e Pirates of Penzance is in En- glish, very funny, and may be familiar from the classic parodies on Family Guy and e Simpsons . Menotti’s e Telephone is also in English and is a breezy one-act (you have to work up to those three-hour-plus run times). But Frank has but one recommen- dation for any parent who wants to introduce their children to opera and classical music. “Step one is to just do it,” she says. “Don’t be afraid that they won’t understand or relate to it. Put some music on and see if they like it.” Donald Liebenson is a Chicago-based entertainment writer. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune , Chicago Sun-Times , Los Angeles Times , and on RogerEbert.com. e rst Ravinia concert he attended without his parents was Procol Harum in . RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE