Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Zoo Opera

Over the weekend I had a chance to play bass clarinet for an exciting new opera company, On Site Opera.  Their concept is that opera can be performed in non-traditional places and doesn't always have to be in a "stuffy" opera house.  I was able to be a part of their very first production, The Tale of the Silly Baby Mouse.  It is a very short (about 13 minutes) opera by Shostakovich about a little baby mouse who won't go to sleep.  It was performed by a small group of singers with animal puppets and 7 instruments for the orchestra.  We played 4 performances over the weekend at the Bronx Zoo in a little outdoor space.  Each performance was filled with children, in full attention (which I now know is a rare thing!).  In a day where the arts are having such a hard time, it's nice to see a company thinking outside the box and reaching audiences in new and creative ways.  Here is a picture from the show. Clink on it to go read the great review we got in the New York Times today!