122010 College of Wooster presents A Gift of Song to area students
By Sharon Haught
December 11, 2010
345
Tri-County Educational Service Center Fine Arts Consultant Gary DeVault never imagined that he would find himself in the role of the producer of an opera but thats essentially the role in which he found himself when the Canton Symphony removed a production from its repertoire critical to meeting one of the curriculum areas for sixth grade students in Ohio.
With having an arts supervisor at the county office weve generated programs over the years to help the music teachers and art teachers with their curriculum course of study, said DeVault.
As part of those efforts for years weve done the fourth grade symphony concert as an introduction to the orchestra. Sixth grade as been an introduction to opera/musical theater and a choral experience before they begin middle school choir, noted DeVault.
Twenty-two years ago Tri-County began a partnership with the Canton Symphony to offer the childrens opera Amahl and the Night Visitors.
In the early years of the collaboration the performance was held at OARDC until it was moved to the Wooster High School Performing Arts Center when the new high school was constructed in the 1990s.
The expensive production, which featured a 22 piece orchestra, was initially funded through a grant from East Ohio Gas. When East Ohio discontinued the grant funding two years ago, the Canton Symphony approached the National Endowment for the Arts, which awarded the symphony grant funding utilizing federal stimulus dollars for last years performance.
When federal stimulus funding grants expired and the Canton Symphony decided in February to remove Amahl and the Night Visitors from its repertoire it appeared that a live opera experience simply wouldnt be feasible for Wayne County students.
I began to have some conversations with a few people about how much I hated to let this experience go for kids, said DeVault noting that for some children the fourth and sixth grade symphony and opera experiences are their only opportunity until they become an adult to see something like this.
Enter Wayne Center for the Arts Bel Canto Chorus director and College of Wooster accompanist Toni Shreve and College of Wooster professor Carrie deLapp-Culver.
Culver, who has a long standing interest in childrens opera, did her doctoral dissertation on composer Mary Elizabeth Caldwell, who ironically drew the inspiration for her own childrens operas from seeing one of the original productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Culver expressed an interest in directing Caldwells A Gift of Song, which centers around the adventures of the son of Silent Night composer Franz Gruber at St. Peters Choir School.
Shreve, who was looking for a unique and challenging performance opportunity for the Bel Canto Chorus was all too happy to supply the Choirboys of St. Peters and the piano accompaniment.
When the college agreed to move its Opera Workshop performance course from spring semester to fall semester Culver had her lead cast members.
Now all she needed was sets and costumes.
According to DeVault when Culver approached the colleges costumer, Charlene Gross, and set designer, Jody Tidwell, both agreed to help with the collaborative project, which also gave College of Wooster theater students the opportunity to gain real world experience in costume and set design and construction.
With everything in place, on December 7 over 1000 sixth grade students from across Wayne County took their seats in McGaw Chapel to see a live opera performance of a very special piece.
Even the timing of the performance of A Gift of Song takes on a special meaning.
It was 50 years ago this year that this opera was first produced, observed DeVault.
