Score Desk Seats: A Chord On Listening To An Opera Live

If you’ve been to the opera a few times then you’ve seen a brave soul or two sitting at the desk on the top balcony with a little lamp, flipping through the score as the opera paces along. I last night decided to experiment with the score desk experience, when I attended a performance Bizet’s Carmen. For anyone looking for a way to change their entire perspective on the Opera experience, this is the way to do it. I would suggest choosing a Production you have seen before, that you know fairly well. This will allow you to help visualize the opera as you hear it, because from the score desk you have little to no view the stage. The beauty of live score study is that you as an audience member become involved in the music, perceiving the opera with greater depth than you ever have before. For me, I had chose an opera that I loved and had seen twice before and from the score desk, I watched the music come alive off the page. For the first time was able to see and hear how the music drove the story in recurring themes, and other dramatic elements employed through the music. You however, may find it rewarding to do score study with an opera you don’t particularly enjoy and see if maybe the music holds any deeper value that may change your perception. Overall, for the sixteen dollar ticket price, which is the cheapest seat in the house, the score desk experience is something you should try at least once in your Opera-going life if not more.

For those of you readers interested in the score desk seat, here is a step by step overview on getting the tickets:   

•           Go to the Met Opera Guild Website and Go to the Score Desk Section Click Here To Buy Your Ticket
•           Select the Show you wish to attend and then the date you wish to go and purchase your ticket (Don’t forget student rates)
•           After purchasing your ticket, go back to the main page and call the guild office number to request your score to borrow, free of charge
•           The office will arrange to meet you at the Opera House before the performance, or set up a time for you to pick up the score at the Rose Building which is conveniently located across the street at 65^th and Amsterdam
•           Pick up your tickets at the box office any time after 3:30PM
•           Get to the opera on time and enjoy the show!

P.S. You can keep the score for a week but you can just as easily return the score after the show at the Rose Building security desk in the first floor lobby.

Going To The Opera: Does It Have To Break The Bank?

We've all seen it. The scary ticket prices for shows in New York. The $79.00 ticket, the $150.00 ticket, and  the dreaded $300.00 ticket, oh it makes me want to cry. Here's a question for all you singers out there, which has cheaper tickets the Met Opera or Broadway? Give up? It's the Met Opera believe it or not. Unlike the small theatres of Broadway, the Met Opera has over 3,800 seats which means...more balconies and more cheap seats, Yay! Due to the sheer capacity difference the base price for a Met seat is about at least 20-50 dollars cheaper than that of most large Broadway productions. On average the cheapest seats run from $22.50-$40.00 depending on the production. This means you can take a family of four for a little over a $100.00 and that's with all ticket fees and service charges. Compare that to a major show on Broadway at $70.00 a ticket, the difference is staggering!

I know you know now that it's fairly inexpensive to go to the opera but now you are questioning, "What am I going to sacrifice for getting tickets this cheap?" Answer is not a lot. If you're worried about the sound not carrying to the back of the theatre don't worry because it's a non-issue. The Opera House itself is so well-designed acoustically, a properly trained singer with no amplification can be heard from every seat in the house. It's quite impressive the first time you go, to hear every note as if you were in orchestra seating. Of course because of the distance from the stage small details become a little harder to see but for the price of the ticket you really can't complain, and come on I know you've always yearned to whip out those chic little opera glasses that you've had sitting in your room. If it is an opera that is rarely performed and has any new and innovative stagings however, I would consult the ticket office because these seats may only be partial view (example: the most recent production of Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose). Really though, I have seen all but two of my Met opera performances from the $22.00 seats in the Family Circle and they have all been wonderful experiences. Tips for anyone on a budget buying opera tickets, I do recommend you do take advantage of these great prices, but get your tickets early because there is only one Metropolitan Opera House and thousands of people trying to get tickets. That is my chord on going to the Opera on a budget!

Winter Production of The Magic Flute at the Met: Great Performance Chord

This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Met Opera's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) and it was a delight. This singspeil opera in two acts, tells the mythical of a Prince named Termino who after being saved by ladies in the service of the Queen in the Night, is presented a portrait of her daughter Pamina and falls in love, stopping at nothing to be with her. He is accompanied in his journey by the comedic character of Papageno, a bird catcher who throughout the opera proves to be a little less than mentally-gifted. Their quest is complicated when their ally the Queen of the Night is discovered to be evil, trying to steal the sun from the mighty ruler Sarastro. Sarastro reasons with the prince, asking him to join the brotherhood by completing three trials in order marry the Queen's daughter Pamina and defeat the evil Queen. As only Mozart could provide, the ending to this opera is an epic affair under the blessing of the Sun King with full opera chorus praising the reign of wisdom, virtue and courage: good over evil. 

Originally performed in German, the Metropolitan Opera in New York has been producing the opera in English, marketing the show as a family affair. I attended the morning performance last Wednesday with my parents and older sister, who had never seen a Met Production let alone a Mozart Opera. We were all pleasantly surprised to see a large number of young children and families in attendance, which is a rare sight at the Met. This playful atmosphere was perfect in setting the scene for a light-hearted opera such as The Magic Flute. Despite the claims of masonic imagery and undertones, the opera is easy to understand and is appropriate for all ages. Julie Taymor with the help of  George Tsypin and Donald Holder, delivers a masterfully staged production with grand set designs, spectacular costumes and impressive lighting effects. 


Of course beyond the stunning visual production value, the vocal talent was incredible. First I must applaud Erika Miklósa for her stunning performance as the Queen of the Night, delivering the most famous aria in the opera with ease. The leading male Bruce Sledge offered his instrument in the role of Termino with his most pure and smooth tone which was an absolute joy to listen to. Despite the impressive nature of singing talent, his acting could simply not compare to the performance of Nathan Gunn as Papageno, who stole the Met stage with his playful and sometimes even silly interpretation of the character. Also, Susannah Phillips as Pamina and Morris Robinson as Sarastro were wonderful in their performance and did not disappoint. Even though only the leads are listed on the Met website, the supporting cast and opera chorus were excellent as well and must be applauded for their efforts, helping to make this one of my favorite performances at the Met. 


Final words on the opera: See It! Even if you are on a limited budget the more affordable seating still offered a great view of the show and I would hard pressed to find someone that would not enjoy this opera. Also, it has a fairly short run time of an hour and forty minutes so even children won't lose interest. So if you are in town for the next couple days get you and your family down to the Met and see this opera, you won't regret. And with that said, that's today's review chord!

A Chord for Introductions

Hey everyone, I want to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Jay and I am a Voice-Performance Major at one of our fine Big Ten Universities. (I won't say which one to spare the rivalries) I have studied voice privately for over four years now, and currently perform various genres of music from classical to pop, musical theatre to reggae. With my reggae/soul band, I have performed with nationally renowned groups including Catch 22, Supervillains, and Echo Movement. I have also been a member of the All-State, All-Eastern, and All-National Choirs and currently participate in several college choirs. In addition, I have performed in various community theatre productions, and I continue to work with my campus thespian organization performing in fall and spring productions. I recently landed my first operatic role in a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors and I look forward to a bright career in Music! That's pretty much my story and that's today's chord!

First Chord On The Page!

Welcome to my new blog singer's chord, your source for reviews on classical and popular music today, as well as a great place for you to get great tips on becoming a better singer and performer! I hope that once you visit once, you'll keep coming back for all your music news and needs.