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The original opera, titled Il sogno di Scipione<\/em>, was written by Mozart with a libretto by Metastasio and is based on the essay, The Dream of Scipio<\/em>, written by Cicero in 146 BCE. In Cicero\u2019s story, Scipio Africanus, a Roman general, travels to Africa to meet an old friend of his grandfather, King Massinissa of Numidia. Their deep discussion of the differences beetween a monarchy and a republic inspires Scipio to have vivid dreams as he considers his future.<\/p>\n Though the story takes place in North Africa, Scipio\u2019s journey throughout the plot occurs in a dream. UNC Opera director Marc Callahan uses this setting of a dream to put a unique spin on his group’s performance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking at the big ideas in this opera\u2019s rather theoretical text and coming up with our own surrealist storylines to add a context that is unique to our students and our time \u2013 complimenting and reimagining the libretto. In a dream anything can happen,\u201d Callahan said. \u201cMuch can be drawn from a title, and we are using this as license for infinite creative thinking for our design.\u201d<\/p>\n In UNC Opera\u2019s production, an all-female cast is featured even though not all of the character\u2019s are female. In dreams, anyone can make an appearance and here we will see everything from astronauts to Mozart himself.<\/p>\n After all, anything can happen in a dream.<\/p>\n Callahan wanted his students to create some props, sets, and costumes themselves.<\/p>\n So, through an Ackland Course Grant he won, his ensemble was able to spend three class periods in the Ackland Art Museum to learn about different topics in art history and brainstorm set ideas. The group received BeAm MakerSpace training, as well, allowing them to use the MakerSpaces on campus to produce objects for the performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a lot of inspiration from television shows from the 1960s, like the Jetsons, and contemporary designers like those who work on Katy Perry\u2019s music videos and on her concert tours,\u201d Callahan said. \u201cSo, we\u2019re looking at art that might be named \u201cretro-futuristic\u201d. We\u2019re looking very much back to the 1960s, the era of the space race, and a dream of what the future might look like.\u201d<\/p>\n UNC Opera will also hold two preview performances of Scipio\u2019s Dream<\/em> at the Ackland on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m.<\/p>\n Callahan coordinated the workshops and performances with Allison Lathrop, the museum\u2019s head of public programs.<\/p>\n Lathrop, a 2011 graduate of the UNC Department of Music\u2019s Ph.D. in musicology program, says it has been about 10 years since the last time UNC Opera performed at the Ackland.<\/p>\n She was a member of the group during its last performance at the museum.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be able to perform in front of a live audience, but without the full pressure \u2026 it was invaluable,\u201d Lathrop said. \u201cI got to get the nerves out and test the ideas that we\u2019d been working on in our rehearsals. So, it\u2019s really exciting to get to be able to do this again.\u201d<\/p>\n UNC Opera will also take part in University Research Week through its Mozart on the Moon series.<\/p>\n The ensemble will have its NASA Day Preview Performance for Scipio\u2019s Dream<\/em> on Nov. 7 at 3:30 p.m. in Hill Hall 107.<\/p>\n Robert Pleasants, associate director for student engagement in the Office for Undergraduate Research, is one of the primary organizers of University Research Week. Pleasants worked with the Department of Music to include UNC Opera in the week\u2019s events.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, unfortunately, a lot of times when students think of research, they think science,\u201d Pleasants said. \u201cThey think STEM. They think laboratories \u2026 So, we were super pleased, in particular, that Mozart on the Moon was an opportunity to showcase the ways in which research can be used for things like performance.\u201d<\/p>\n Students in UNC Opera are also excited to showcase in the week that raises awareness of the research done on campus.<\/p>\n \u201cAs artists, we are always trying to build upon or break away from traditions of the past, consciously, or subconsciously,\u201d senior Melody Zhou said via email. \u201cIt\u2019s always crucial to know the historical background of the composer, libretto, musical style, etc., and that\u2019s done through research.\u201d<\/p>\n There will be artwork on display before UNC Opera\u2019s performance of Scipio\u2019s Dream<\/em>, too.<\/p>\n A first-year seminar led by associate music professor Anne MacNeil, \u201cMusic on Stage and Screen,\u201d will create an exhibit that will be displayed in Hill Hall\u2019s rotunda prior to the showings on Nov. 16 and 17.<\/p>\n MacNeil gave her students the assignment to identify concepts in Cicero\u2019s essay, The Dream of Scipio<\/em>. Then, they had to sketch how the chosen concepts could be visualized.<\/p>\n \u201cThe third step in the process is to then take that design and make it into something 3-D \u2014 both 3-D and interactive \u2014 in a way that communicates to someone else the concept,\u201d MacNeil said.<\/p>\n Her students also received trained MakerSpace training to be able to create their displays.<\/p>\n MacNeil said though she and her students are still discussing how to set up the exhibit, one side of the rotunda will likely represent fortune, while the other represents constancy. The pieces that represent the goddess Fortuna will show an Earth-centric view of the universe; the ones that represent Constancy will represent a heliocentric view.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our central focuses is not only explaining the concepts from Cicero\u2019s text that are also in the opera,\u201d MacNeil said, \u201cbut also introducing audience members to the story that they\u2019re going to see in the opera.\u201d<\/p>\n Are you intrigued yet?<\/p>\n Callahan\u2019s cast will use spaceman costumes, gogo boots, bright-colored wigs, disco balls, and beach balls as part of the production. Whereas traditional operas can be modest in the aesthetic of their sets and costumes, Scipio\u2019s Dream<\/em> is the opposite.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re working with idea constancy as a hangover from the 1950s and 1960s, versus the cultural and risk-taking events of 1969,\u201d Callahan said. \u201cAn exciting time for fortune and the next frontier.\u201d<\/p>\nCollaboration with Ackland Art Museum<\/h4>\n
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Involvement in University Research Week<\/h4>\n
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Scipio\u2019s Dream Exhibit<\/h4>\n
A Production for Opera Lovers and Newcomers Alike<\/h4>\n
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