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October 26th, 2006
PALMETTO - It wasn't rap music, rock and roll or rhythm and blues that had students at Tillman Elementary tapping their feet and erupting in applause recently - it was Opera.
Performers from the Sarasota Opera paid a visit to Tillman on Thursday, October 26th and turned the school's cafetorium into a den of high culture.
“It was very entertaining,” said fourth-grader Kavonte Packer. “I liked it because of the deep voices they had and because of the characters they played.”
Kavonte's classmate, Joquista Mazon, liked the visit for another reason.
“I really liked the piano,” Joquista said. “It makes me want to play the piano.”
Accompanied on the piano by Tyson Deaton, Sarasota Opera singers Chad Johnson, Julia Benzinger, Sean Anderson and Reyna Carguill captivated the young audience with selections from Gioacchino Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Mozart's Magic Flute, Georges Bizet's Carmen and Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto.
Before each selection, the singers explained the story behind each song so that the students could understand the emotions being expressed. In addition, the performers talked about the different styles of voices used in Opera such as soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.
“This was a great opportunity for our kids because a lot of our students don't really know that Opera exists,” said principal Debbie Houston. “This lets them know that they can use and develop their talents for a whole other art form that is out there.”
After the singers finished singing, they took questions from the students. They explained how it takes years to develop their voices and lots of practice to keep in prime singing shape. One of the students asked the performers, “Why do you sing?”
“I sing Opera because I think it's the most fun thing you can do,” said singer Chad Johnson. “Plus, singing Opera takes me all over the world where I meet all kinds of interesting people.”
A Night at the Opera