ORCA, I'm guessing ORchestra CAst. I was in the chorus for a university production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, so I should actually know this and say it with confidence. My limited searches don't pop up with a great reference either, so it's possible it's a regional thing.
Yeah, it might be unique to Canada or that particular company. The ORCA rehearsals had full sets/costumes/lighting/orchestra, and were run by the conductor to work out musical issues.
I definitely remember doing those extra rehearsals. Having only been in one operetta, I had no way to know that opera was generally done differently. Part of my confusion came from our use of professionals in several principle roles. They were flown in, and they had their parts down cold. Seeing that I thought oh, hey, I guess this how it works with pros. And, since the university chamber choir was the chorus in the opera, all those rehearsals felt normal, because they done at our usual meeting times. Plus, our program was so small that the orchestra director was also the choir director. Of course he would run the musical rehearsal! In contrast, the theatre dept put on the plays and musicals I was involved in. We had local cast for all those roles. They were rehearsed pretty much a scene at a time, unless there were tricky transitions. The dress rehearsals were a full run through, costumes, tech and full pit band, with other people from the music dept. We didn't stop those rehearsals, unless there was a full-on train wreck.
I'm so glad you wrote about opera. I know my reasons are selfish, but my memories of that time were languishing. The operetta was a highlight, incredibly fun. Thank you.
Yeah, I think one of the major differences between opera singers and actors (besides the singing) is that opera singers are expected to come in already knowing the role and being ready to perform it — they only really have to learn the blocking and whatever other directorial flourishes are wanted. Most opera singers have a repertoire of parts that they could sing on a moment's notice. I'm glad you're enjoying the opera pieces!
ORCA, I'm guessing ORchestra CAst. I was in the chorus for a university production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, so I should actually know this and say it with confidence. My limited searches don't pop up with a great reference either, so it's possible it's a regional thing.
Yeah, it might be unique to Canada or that particular company. The ORCA rehearsals had full sets/costumes/lighting/orchestra, and were run by the conductor to work out musical issues.
I definitely remember doing those extra rehearsals. Having only been in one operetta, I had no way to know that opera was generally done differently. Part of my confusion came from our use of professionals in several principle roles. They were flown in, and they had their parts down cold. Seeing that I thought oh, hey, I guess this how it works with pros. And, since the university chamber choir was the chorus in the opera, all those rehearsals felt normal, because they done at our usual meeting times. Plus, our program was so small that the orchestra director was also the choir director. Of course he would run the musical rehearsal! In contrast, the theatre dept put on the plays and musicals I was involved in. We had local cast for all those roles. They were rehearsed pretty much a scene at a time, unless there were tricky transitions. The dress rehearsals were a full run through, costumes, tech and full pit band, with other people from the music dept. We didn't stop those rehearsals, unless there was a full-on train wreck.
I'm so glad you wrote about opera. I know my reasons are selfish, but my memories of that time were languishing. The operetta was a highlight, incredibly fun. Thank you.
Yeah, I think one of the major differences between opera singers and actors (besides the singing) is that opera singers are expected to come in already knowing the role and being ready to perform it — they only really have to learn the blocking and whatever other directorial flourishes are wanted. Most opera singers have a repertoire of parts that they could sing on a moment's notice. I'm glad you're enjoying the opera pieces!