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Frank Ohl students learn about opera
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Opera performer Max Pivik (center) sang a selection from Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" during a visit to Frank Ohl intermediate on Feb. 24.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Opera Western Reserve singers, from left, Emily Alcorn, Max Pivik, Lauren Corcoran, and Trevor Coleman closed their Frank Ohl opera, dubbed "The Crazy Doctor's Office," with a group performance.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Lauren Corcoran (center), a singer from Opera Western Reserve, performed a selection from the Italian opera "The Marriage of Figaro" on Feb. 24 and asked Frank Ohl students to guess her mood based on her body language and mannerisms.
By SARAH FOOR
Four singers from Opera Western Reserve hit high notes with the students of Frank Ohl Intermediate on Feb. 24. Baritone Max Pivik told the students he and his colleagues had a very simple goal during their visit.
“We know that opera may seem a lot different than what you usually listen to. But we hope that by the end of our visit today, you’ll think that opera is awesome and that you might even want to try it yourself,” Pivik said.
Pivik, along with fellow singers Lauren Corcoran, Emily Alcorn and Trevor Coleman, taught Frank Ohl students about the art of opera.
The singers explained that operas are primarily written and performed in French, German and Italian languages. The group explained the classification of singing voices, teaching the students important words like soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass, and highlighted the many people in an opera company who help bring the performance to the stage.
To make opera truly come alive, the singers invited the Frank Ohl students to make up their own opera. The Frank Ohl opera, dubbed “The Crazy Doctor’s Office,” had each singer visit a doctor with an odd ailment that had students laughing.
Singer Emily Alcorn appreciated the creativity of the Frank Ohl students during their off-the-cuff opera.
“Their creativity in our ailments was really great. They really made us work,” the singer said with a laugh.
Principal Dennis Rice thanked the group and told his students to spend some more time listening to opera.
“You should be listening to all different kinds of music. I hope you’ll give opera a chance and listen to it a bit more,” he said.