On Nov. 23, the Rowan Opera Company presented the Fall Opera collage, a collection of scenes from many operas. Over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour show in Pfleeger Concert Hall, a variety of composers and languages were represented.

Marian Stieber, Rowan voice faculty member, and director of the ROC, offered program notes between scenes to provide context for audience members. She described characters and settings and gave an overview of each opera’s plot. She also explained where the opera was from and who wrote it.

The opera scenes included subtitles and projected captions above the Pfleeger stage in English of the words being sung in each song. These increase the accessibility of opera by allowing audience members to understand what’s happening throughout the scene. Supertitles are commonplace in professional opera, and this was no different.

The opera collage contained nine scenes, each of which featured Bette Holiday on piano. The first scene was from Suor Angelica by Giacomo Puccini and took place at a nunnery. Performers came on stage dressed in habits and sang of the beauty of a fountain as the sunlight was caught in its water.

The end of Act 1 featured Rowan students Hanna Shein (Hansel) and Amber Miller (Gretel) presenting a scene from Englebert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. This number served as a small taste of what is to come in the spring when the Rowan Opera Company will present Hansel and Gretel in its entirety.

After a 15-minute intermission, audience members came back to a scene from Amahl and the Night Visitors, a contemporary opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, an Italian-American composer and librettist. 

Stieber informed audience members that this scene was chosen to highlight the talent of the various community members who participate in the Rowan Opera Company. Four community members (Anthony Elia, John O’Leary, Alexander Brown, and Jennifer Weir) played the three wise men and a mother who provided them shelter on their journey in the story of Jesus’ birth. 

To close out the night were back-to-back group numbers that highlighted the skill and levity of the entire ensemble. The last scene in particular, Die Fledermaus or, “The Champagne Song” by John Strauss was a favorite among a few of the performers.

“You can’t go wrong with Champagne, it’s such a fun scene,” said Eleanor Dishong, senior vocal music education major and member of the Rowan Opera Company.

In terms of challenges a cast member might face in a collage concert versus a full opera, Dishong says a big one is the costume changes.

“The amount of costume changes you have to do can be intense. I played three different characters in this production, and some of my castmates had even more changes going from different gendered roles or different ages, or even just different periods in general,” said Dishong.

Many singers shared these struggles, with quite a few performing in multiple roles throughout the evening, and each role requiring its own costume. The costumes, designed by Fatima Peters, were grand and often featured wigs.

The ensemble featured 28 people, many of whom were community members. The Rowan Opera Company welcomes not just Rowan voice majors, but the general student population and locals.

Working with people from outside the music program and from the local community can make the experience of a student in the Rowan Opera Company member better.

“You’re always going to have to work with people that the professionals bring in, and honestly it’s really great to be meeting new people outside of where you go to school, so it’s also really really fun,” said Katelyn Lamaina, a freshman vocal music education major.

This marks the completion of the first performance by the Rowan Opera Company this school year. Their next performance will be in the spring as they present Hansel and Gretel. 

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email arts@thewhitonline.com