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AOP Programs
CREATING THE DRAMATIC CHARACTER FOR OPERA
Lauren Flanigan, instructor
Mon. June 16 - July 21, 2008
7 PM - 10 PM
(7-week session, with extra "jam" session Sunday July 20th 3:00-8:00 PM)
SITI Studio, 520 8th Avenue at 36th Street, New York NY
Unique series of Master Classes with acclaimed soprano, Lauren Flanigan to continue throughout summer 2008. Due to the overwhelming response to the past two sessions of CREATING THE DRAMATIC CHARACTER master classes with soprano Lauren Flanigan, American opera Projects is announcing the continuation of the Monday night series beginning June 16, 2008 and continuing through to July 21st.
Lauren Flanigan as Lady MacBeth
“At it’s highest level, great operatic performances transcend individual disciplines and bring together great vocal technique, outstanding musicianship, and innovative acting. To be a dynamic, innovative and original performer we must open ourselves up to new ideas, experiences and ways in which we can articulate our work. Without the right tools, techniques, and training that enable us to articulate the dynamics of a performance, we are not prepared to create great musical art in the 21st century. In the work we do as performers," says Flanigan, "we enter into collaborative relationships with stage directors, designers and other musicians and need a diverse set of tools to build characters appropriate for those projects and build those collaborations. For me, acting and the discipline associated with thorough research and application has been the window through which I have taken on every challenge. I was very very fortunate that my early training at Boston Univertsity, the Manhattan School of Music and at ACT in San Francisco was very detailed, disciplined and rigorous. In the mid 80’s I met and began to work with the great director and educator Anne Bogart who was developing her Viewpoints Training technique for actors and directors. I was very influenced by Anne and the work of her company, SITI. I began to study with SITI whenever I could and throughout the years we have been priviledged to collaborate on a number of operas together. The Viewpoints training has stood me well over the years and the challenges of creating over 100 different characters in my career.”
Since this past January 50 singers were personally selected by Ms. Flanigan (pictured) and AOP to study for 2 six week sessions learning how to build their own individual vocabulary for creating an operatic character. The classes began January 14th and were held at the SITI Studio on 520 8th Avenue at 36th Street.
The first half of each class will be acting exercises from the Viewpoints Training Program led by Lauren Flanigan and a member of the SITI Company. The second half of the class will incorporate research and the Viewpoints training into the interpretation of arias and songs. Singers will work individually in front of the class in the course of the series.
The Viewpoints Training allows actors to function together spontaneously and intuitively and to generate bold, theatrical work. It helps singers, actors and directors develop a theatrical vocabulary they can immediately articulate in preparation and performance and which contributes to increased confidence and ingenuity.
CREATING THE DRAMATIC CHARACTER FOR OPERA
Lauren Flanigan, instructor
Mon. June 16 - July 21, 2008
7 PM - 10 PM
SITI Studio, 520 8th Avenue at 36th Street, New York NY
COST: $420 for 7-week session (with extra "jam" session)
To apply: please email a cover letter with a current resume/bio to echabert@operaprojects.org. Vocal samples will also be accepted through weblinks to downloadable material, mp3s emailed to echabert@operaprojects.org (maximum 9MB) or CDs mailed to American Opera Projects. AOP and Lauren Flanigan will select the 32 participants.
Applications must be received by 2PM on Friday, June 13.
Payments for the workshop may be made to AOP by check or credit card.
Classes must be paid in full in advance of the first class.
Matthew Gray
Projects Manager
American Opera Projects
138 S. Oxford St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
For more information, contact AOP Administrative Apprentice, Emilie Chabert at American Opera Projects: 718-398-4024 or echabert@operaprojects.org.
 ABOUT LAUREN FLANIGAN
Called "the thinking man's diva" by TIME magazine and with a repertoire that extends from the bel canto to Berio, soprano Lauren Flanigan has been lavishly praised for the dynamism and unique approach she brings to a variety of operatic repertoire. "She turns any kind of note spinning into the highest of art" said the San Francisco Chronicle of her performances of the final scene of Salome and Luciano Berio's Epiphanies. Companies she has appeared with include: La Scala, The Metropolitan, Bayerische Staatsoper, Glyndebourne, San Francisco, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro San Carlo, New York City, Santa Fe and Glimmerglass. She has collaborated with Michael Tilson Thomas on projects including Philomel, The Mouse's Tail, Epiphanies, Cantata para America Magica, Time Cycle, and Mahler's Eighth Symphony and has been associated with more than 7 world premieres including Esther, The Ghosts of Versailles, Central Park, A Wedding, Frau Margot, and Marina: A Captive Spirit, produced by American Opera Projects in 2003.
Most recently, Flanigan sang the title role in the 2007 production of Samuel Barber's Vanessa at New York City Opera in a performance that was met with universal acclaim:
The New York Times: "Flanigan... gives a smoldering portrayal of the title role... her singing was vibrant, alluring and powerful. Through sheer vocal and dramatic determination she convinces you that this Vanessa is still a striking, impulsive and sometimes girlish beauty."
Variety: "Lauren Flanigan, widely considered one of the best singing actresses in the business, gives a poignant performance in the title role as a self-deluded, faded beauty whose last chance at happiness promises to be short-lived. Her voice has recently grown in size and thrust, yet she has the rare ability to draw an audience close with the intimacy and naturalness of her portrayals."
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