Preview: Mozart’s School of Love

by Paolo Carrion

On Thursday, April 20, Cedarville’s Opera Ensemble will present their concert: Mozart’s School of Love.

The group of nine students will present parts of two of Mozart’s operas, The Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi Fan Tutte (So Do They All). Both operas are comedies and have been translated into English from the original Italian.

“I hope people come, because it’s really funny in English,” Kaitlin Kohler, a freshman vocal performance major, said.

Cedarville’s Concert Chorale will also sing some pieces throughout the performance.

The Opera Ensemble is a class of nine students, taught by Dr. Mark Spencer. They have been preparing for the concert, the main project for the class, since the beginning of the semester.

Opera is unique in that it tells a story while possessing a unique style of music.

“You can think of it like a play, essentially,” Josiah Kenniv, a junior worship ministry and vocal performance double-major, said. “So there are characters and there’s plot development through song, so there’s no spoken dialogue—it’s all sung.” Kenniv said that opera is characterized by being grandiose and dramatic, even more so than theater.

During a rehearsal, Spencer, who is in charge of the event, reminded the performers “to stay in character” while they sing.

“The students really rose to the occasion and learned some really difficult music,” Spencer said.

The Opera Ensemble presents Mozart’s School of Love on Thursday, April 20, at 7pm in the DMC Recital Hall; admission is free.

Paolo Carrion is a freshman journalism major and writer for Cedars. He enjoys drinking hot chocolate, reading comic books and making animal crackers watch as he devours their family.