Martina arroyo summer program
Summer program high school students!
It was a warm and humid summer morning on New York City’s Upper East Side, but the air was pleasantly cool on the second floor of the Liederkranz Foundation’s stylish building on 86th street.
Martina arroyo summer program
Matching her stylish surroundings, Martina Arroyo—dressed to the nines—sat surrounded by the cast of her program’s upcoming productions of opera scenes.
Arroyo had convened her twice-weekly role class to delve into the characters the singers were working to portray.
Faced with doing one act each from three different operas, Arroyo had her hands full, with the complete casts of Falstaff, Don Pasquale, and Madama Butterfly in the same room. She worked quickly and efficiently, giving as many singers as possible a chance to participate.
Arroyo asked the singers tough questions: Where is the character they are playing from—what town, time period, and social class?
How old is the character? What in the character’s background drives him or her to the actions of the opera?
Some singers were prep