The Dark Side of Orpheus</h1> <article> <h1>The Dark Side of Orpheus</h1> <p>srasmuss — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:14:26 +0000</p> <span>The Dark Side of Orpheus</span> <span><span>srasmuss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-03-07T13:14:26-05:00" title="Thursday, March 7, 2024 - 13:14">Thu, 03/07/2024 - 13:14</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has appeared in art for centuries, in everything from books, to paintings, to music. So why do we keep telling it? That question weighed on <a href="https://www.stephaniehavey.com/">Stephanie Havey’s</a> mind as the stage director began planning for 91ֱ�� Opera Theater’s production of <a href="/artsguide/opera"><em>L’Orfeo</em></a>.</p> <p>“There’s something very relatable in that doubt that Orpheus has,” Havey says about the bard’s quest to rescue his wife from the underworld. “That fear of losing his loved one, and also doubting himself—I think these themes are all very universal.”</p> <p>Written at the turn of the 17th century, Claudio Monteverdi’s <em>L’Orfeo</em> is one of the earliest examples of opera as an art form. But it’s not the only operatic take on Orpheus. Havey, 91ֱ��’s visiting assistant professor of opera theater for 2023-24, has directed the versions by Gluck and Offenbach at other points in her career. But she says Monteverdi’s has a distinct perspective on the dark side to Orpheus’ musical power.</p> <p>“This is not just a story about how he uses his lyre to win, to vanquish gods and beasts,” she says. “There’s something about how he has to vanquish himself.”</p> <p>All of this culminates in a darker, modern-era staging of the tale, which will be <a href="/artsguide/opera">presented on March 14 to 17</a> in Hall Auditorium. Havey doesn’t want to give too much away, saving some surprises for opening night. But she notes that Orpheus’ lyre has been replaced with a “weapon” — one that he hides behind and “sort of symbolizes ego.”</p> <p>Havey credits Alessandro Striggio’s libretto as a key element in exploring the flaws and vulnerabilities behind the Greek hero. The new production is a psychological exploration of Orpheus’ point of view, which is plagued by fear and doubt.</p> <p>The underworld setting, for example, is populated by distorted versions of characters from the opera’s opening wedding scene. “The man who Orpheus saw flirting with his wife at the wedding is now the king of the underworld who’s holding her captive,” Havey explains. “And some beautiful woman who made a toast is now the queen.” This twisted view is supplemented with “larger and exaggerated” choreography (<a href="/holly-handman-lopez">Holly Handman-Lopez</a>) and “otherworldly” lighting (<a href="/jeremy-benjamin">Jeremy K. Benjamin</a>).</p> <p>Creative thought also went into the placement of the orchestra, which will be visible onstage behind the singers. That location poses some logistical challenges for the cast and musicians (cue extra cameras and monitors), but Havey isn’t too worried.</p> <p>“This is very much driven by the text and driven by the performer,” she says. Rather than the singers needing to follow the conductor's exact pattern, “it’s really that the continuo are following the singers and how they want to convey the text.”</p> <p>Conductor <a href="https://www.christiancapocaccia.com/">Christian Capocaccia</a> agrees, adding that the beauty of Monteverdi’s music is tied to the simplicity of the text. “Sometimes the line is a repetition of the same notes,” he says. “But even when there’s almost no melody, it’s the articulation, it’s the elegance, you know—it’s incredibly touching.” </p> <p>The small ensemble of period instruments under Capocaccia’s baton was created in collaboration with the Conservatory’s Historical Performance program. The conductor has been working with the students on creating their own musical interpretations, emphasizing the expressive freedom inherent in the Baroque style.</p> <p>“Interpreting music, it is an expression of an opinion. When you make a choice, people sometimes are afraid to make a statement that is personal,” he says, referencing how musicians can sometimes feel compelled to prioritize ‘perfect’ performances to advance in their careers.</p> <p>He applies the same thought process to opera performances more generally. “Sometimes we are forgetting to tell the stories in a fresh way, and if you don’t do that, people get bored. But if you are engaging and eloquent and you focus on the storytelling, I think it might make a difference.”</p> <p>Capocaccia particularly enjoys working with students for this reason. “I always find it beautiful to work in schools, especially this caliber of school,” he says. The musicians “retain the unjaded quality of people that haven’t had to deal with the profession yet, which is great. They’re still having a blast doing it.”</p> <p>The conductor is also focused on making sure he’s enjoying himself while on the podium. “When people ask me, ‘How do you think it went?’ I say, ‘I wasn’t in the audience, so I don’t know how it sounded. But for me, I think it went great because I had a blast.’ And typically, if I had a blast, I always get good feedback.”</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>TICKET INFORMATION</strong><br> $10 reserved seating ($8 students)<br> Tickets are available online and by phone at 800-371-0178. Patrons may also purchase them in person between noon and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 91ֱ�� College's Central Ticket Service, located at 67 N. Main Street, in the lobby of the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Complex.</p> <p><a href="/tickets/event-details?EventId=11401">Online Box Office</a><br> <br> <strong>PRODUCTION DETAILS</strong><br> Thursday, March 14 - Saturday, March 16 at 8:00 p.m.<br> Sunday, March 17 at 2:00 p.m.<br> 91ֱ�� College Hall Auditorium<br> 67 N. Main Street<br> 91ֱ��, Ohio</p> <p>This production will be available via <a href="https://vimeo.com/event/690987/2eb3338452">livestream</a> on Thursday and Friday, March 13 and 14 only.</p> <p><em>Proudly supported by <a href="https://www.ideastream.org/">Ideastream Public Media</a>, official media partner of 91ֱ��'s Artist Recital Series and Opera Theater productions.</em></p> <hr> <p><em>Stephanie Manning '23 completed her bachelor’s degree in bassoon performance with a dual concentration in arts management and journalism. A 2022 fellow of the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, she has contributed frequently to ClevelandClassical.com and Early Music America. She is currently pursuing a graduate diploma in journalism from Concordia University in Montreal.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">91ֱ�� Opera Theater’s latest production gives a complex, contemporary take on the familiar story of the Greek hero in Monteverdi’s "L’Orfeo."</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-03-07T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/07/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Stephanie Manning '23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3873">91ֱ�� Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3515">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=28886">Historical Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=38696">Historical Instruments</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/holly-handman-lopez" hreflang="und">Holly Handman-Lopez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jeremy-benjamin" hreflang="und">Jeremy Benjamin</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Nick Giammarco</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>2022 Winter Term Recap</h1> <p>ygay — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 20:25:19 +0000</p> <span>2022 Winter Term Recap</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-03-11T15:25:19-05:00" title="Friday, March 11, 2022 - 15:25">Fri, 03/11/2022 - 15:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s <a href="/winter-term/about" target="_blank">Winter Term</a> allows students to participate in on- or off-campus intensive group projects offered by faculty and staff. Students may develop independent study or research projects, complete internships, or undertake rigorous personal development projects. This year, from January 25 to February 17, group projects included such offerings as Practicum in Museum Education to Exploring Marginalized Music to Congressional and hospital internships.</p> <p>In this video we recap some of the projects students explored. Visit <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/collections/72157720412304151/" target="_blank">91ֱ��’s Flickr page</a> for more photos and videos.</p> <hr> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-03-11T12:00:00Z">Fri, 03/11/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than 2,290 students explored projects and research opportunities outside of their normal course of study during Winter Term. In this wrap-up gallery we look back at some of the group projects students performed.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3515">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3797">Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2391">Languages & Literatures</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4861">Neuroscience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25251">Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25246">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25441">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/matt-elrod" hreflang="und">Matthew (Matt) Elrod</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/maureen-peters" hreflang="und">Maureen Peters</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/gunnar-kwakye" hreflang="und">Gunnar Kwakye</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/nancy-darling" hreflang="und">Nancy Darling</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/caroline-jackson-smith" hreflang="und">Caroline Jackson Smith</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/mike-moore" hreflang="und">Michael (Mike) Moore</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/rebecca-landell" hreflang="und">Rebecca Landell</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/kj-cerankowski" hreflang="und">KJ Cerankowski</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ann-cooper-albright" hreflang="und">Ann Cooper Albright</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/neuroscience" hreflang="und">Neuroscience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/theater" hreflang="und">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students in biology professor Mike More’s lab undertake a plant systematics project during Winter Term.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id class="o-flex--video-embed"> <h2>Winter Term 2022</h2> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-vimeo video-embed-field-responsive-video"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� College to Receive $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts</h1> <p>swargo — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 13:31:20 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� College to Receive $10,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts</span> <span><span>swargo</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-06-02T09:31:20-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - 09:31">Wed, 06/02/2021 - 09:31</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The 91ֱ�� College <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" target="_blank">Department of Dance</a> has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts to support Critical Mass: CI @ 50, a five-day international conference that will reflect on the history and significance of <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance/contact-improvisation" target="_blank">Contact Improvisation</a> and 91ֱ�� College’s legacy in its development. </p> <p>Marking the 50th anniversary of Contact Improvisation, the summer 2022 conference hosted by 91ֱ�� College is organized by Professor of Dance <a href="/ann-cooper-albright">Ann Cooper Albright</a> in collaboration with co-curators and the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of The New York Public Library at Lincoln Center. </p> <p>The five-day celebration will feature interviews with founding figures such as Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson, panel discussions, intensive workshops with master teachers, and evening public performances. These will include a reconstruction of Paxton’s Magnesium, facilitated by Jurij Kondar and performed by students from 91ֱ��’s advanced varsity contact class, and Underscore, by Nancy Stark Smith ’74, former co-editor of <em>Contact Quarterly</em>.</p> <p>"It thrills me to be able to host the 50th anniversary celebration of Contact Improvisation, a contemporary dance form with an important legacy at 91ֱ�� College,” says Albright. “When Grand Union—an improvisational collective from New York City—came to 91ֱ�� College in January 1972, Steve Paxton created a dance for 12 men called Magnesium. This piece is seen as a seminal moment in the form's history. Later that summer, Nancy Stark Smith joined Paxton and others in NYC to continue those experiments. Smith, who died in May 2020, was a central figure in the development of Contact and served as co-editor of Contact Quarterly for more than 45 years. We will honor her contributions and the role of 91ֱ�� College in the history of Contact when we gather with hundreds of dancers to celebrate, investigate, and engage with the legacy of this improvisational form."</p> <p>Critical Mass: CI @ 50 is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects for fiscal year 2021.</p> <p>“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations re-engage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”</p> <p>For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit <a href="https://www.arts.gov/news">arts.gov/news</a>. </p> <p><em>About 91ֱ�� </em></p> <p><em>Ranked among the nation’s top liberal arts schools, 91ֱ�� College is known for its exemplary academic and musical pedagogy and its commitment to social justice, sustainability, and creative entrepreneurship. The college, founded in 1833, holds a distinguished place among American colleges and universities as the first to grant bachelor's degrees to women in a coeducational environment and was a leader in the education of African Americans. The Conservatory of Music, a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, was founded in 1865, making it the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-06-02T12:00:00Z">Wed, 06/02/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Scott Wargo</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3515">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ann-cooper-albright" hreflang="und">Ann Cooper Albright</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy Ann Cooper Albright</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Moving Bodies and Social Justice</h1> <p>swargo — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 16:04:37 +0000</p> <span>Moving Bodies and Social Justice</span> <span><span>swargo</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-02-16T11:04:37-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 11:04">Tue, 02/16/2021 - 11:04</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ�� College and the Five Colleges of Ohio present “Moving Bodies and Social Justice,” a series of virtual presentations and workshops developed to explore new curricula and pedagogical approaches that will engage all bodies who want to move within dance communities.</p> <p>With a focus on Kinethics, Body Positivity: Radical Self Love and Social Transformation, and Queer Kinethics, the aim of the program is to redesign curriculum that is intentionally anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-ablist across disciplines and departments within the Five Colleges of Ohio.</p> <p>“This grant has given us the opportunity to shift our annual in-person dance festival into a format that allows us to engage with important artists/scholars from across the country,” says <a href="/ann-cooper-albright">Ann Cooper Albright</a>, professor and chair of dance. “ Like 91ֱ��, the other Ohio-five dance programs are committed to a vision of dance as a form of cultural literacy—one that is not simply about training for different movement techniques, but also about tracing their embodied ideas.”</p> <p>In addition to the featured presentations, there will be faculty discussions about pedagogy and curriculum with each of the guest artists/scholars, as well as student-curated movement and making workshops.</p> <p>“Moving Bodies and Social Justice” is sponsored by the <a href="https://www.ohio5.org">Ohio Five Collaborative Grants Program</a> in conjunction with the dance departments of 91ֱ�� College, The College of Wooster, Kenyon College, Denison University, and Ohio Wesleyan University, with assistance from Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and Title IX programs at 91ֱ��.</p> <p> </p> <p>Upcoming Events:</p> <p>• 7 p.m. February 18 — Naomi Macalalad Bragin will present Black Power of Hip Hop Dance: On Kinethic Politics.</p> <p>• 7 p.m. February 25 — mayfield brooks will present A discourse for de-composing dance and choreographing breath.</p> <p>• 7 p.m.March 18 — A roundtable discussion on Body Positivity: Radical Self-Love and Social Transformation with Sydnie L. Mosley and Sharon Udoh.</p> <p>• 7 p.m. April 15 — Thomas F. DeFrantz will present Making*Queering*Dancing.</p> <p>• 7 p.m. April 22 — Jaamil Olawale Kosoko will present The Transgressive Body Workshop.</p> <p>All events are free and open to the public.</p> <p>For more information, including Zoom links for events see: <a href="https://sites.google.com/oberlin.edu/moving-bodies-social-justice">Moving Bodies and Social Justice</a>.</p> <p><br> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">A New Initiative of the Five Colleges of Ohio</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-02-16T12:00:00Z">Tue, 02/16/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Scott Wargo</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3515">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25331">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ann-cooper-albright" hreflang="und">Ann Cooper Albright</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">John Seyfried</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>