Girls Who Conduct
Kristin shared her advice for how to plan and manage an opera with Girls Who Conduct.
The "the 1st day of school" opening rehearsal is awkward for everyone. Do everything in your power to set everyone at ease.
Conduct the rehearsal pianist as if they are the multifaceted orchestra they are imitating. They are your greatest ally and likely know the opera better than you do.
The stage is working from memory. At the first staging rehearsal of a scene, particularly of ensemble numbers, cue everything and be prepared to prompt the text .
Keep the storyline at the front of your mind always. An interesting musical idea will only work if it serves the story. Be aware of how the story is unfolding moment to moment, and be ready to make changes constantly.
Opera is all about negotiating transitions. Know when to lead, when to follow, how to hand-off smoothly between the stage and podium, how to stop and start and change tempi in every imaginable way.
Breathe with each and every entrance. Listen to the voices - the vibrato and airspeed say so much about how to collaborate with them.
Expect the unexpected. It is live theatre. Something will go wrong. Keep the ship moving forward and have fun!
