The opera singers captivated the audience with their talent and professionalism in the ‘Opera Scenes’ performance.
The singers performed scenes from the works of Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, and Giuseppe Verdi. Preceding each scene, director Anne Marie Ketchum de la Vega provided the audience with a brief summary of the action because many of the performances were sung in Italian.
Opera Scenes opened with “Belle Nuit” from Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffman.” The performance featured a breeches role also known as a pants or trouser role by Luzmaria Vila. A breeches role is when a male character is sung and acted by a female singer. Vila sang the role of the male character Nickalausee opposite Madeleine Adragna as Giuletta.
“You get to step out of your perspective and see the world in a different way while on stage,” Vila said. “I had to study how men act and how to romance a woman.”
In the scenes of Mozart’s “Le Nozze Di Figaro,” twin sisters Madeleine and Melina Adragna played the role of the Countess. Although they played the same character, they both brought their own twist to the role.
“When I was first told that my sister and I would be playing the same role I thought it was brilliant,” Madeleine said. “It fits because we both have the same voice type.”
“Playing the same role inspired me to fill in my sister’s shoes,” Melina added. “Although we had the same role, we wanted people to see that we both had different interpretations of what type of character the Countess was.”
The singers proved that they had the skill to perform the works of famous opera composers.
“It’s great to be able to pull the music of Mozart, Puccini and Verdi and have the students perform it,” Ketchum de la Vega said. “I am so lucky to have the talent that I’ve got up there on stage.”
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