Students represent HPU in the North Carolina Opera
By Erika Esterline // Staff Writer
On Jan. 24, the North Carolina Opera took the stage to perform “Eugene Onegin.” In the chorus were three High Point University singers; Jay Card, James Porzensk and Laura Hutchins.
The students had previously worked with Dr. Scott MacLeod, an assistant professor of music and co-chair of the HPU vocal division, who is the chorus master for the North Carolina Opera.
“I had the pleasure of working with Dr. MacLeod last year in the musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, and in the Opera Scenes class the last two fall semesters,” Card said. “I volunteered last semester to help out with the auditions for the North Carolina State Opera because I had no idea what the audition process was like, and I wanted to know how good the people auditioning were. After listening to the people auditioning, I knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of. One thing led to another and a couple days later I had an email from the General Director inviting me to join the chorus for Eugene Onegin.”
After studying abroad with Dr. MacLeod, Hutchins also soon found herself involved in the North Carolina Opera. She was one of eight HPU students to study abroad in Prague, Czech Republic with Dr. Macleod where he taught music classes, took the students to operas and gave them private voice lessons.
Still just students in college, performing in a full opera show with an experienced chorus was not something they planned on doing yet.
“I’d hoped that eventually I could do something like this, but it came much sooner than I expected,” Hutchins said. “The chorus members are more experienced and mature singers. Working with them pushes me to work hard to keep up.”
This was something that Card had not anticipated for himself either, as he tends to perform more in musicals.
“A couple of years ago, I would have never expected something like this,” Card said. “I really started getting into opera in the last year and a half or so. I’ve done a lot of musicals, but an opera is on a much different level, it really set the bar high. This was a very special performance because it is my first full opera that I have ever been a part of.”
Both Hutchins and Card agree, however, that the most difficult part of the process was learning to sing in Russian.
“Eugene Onegin was my first time singing in Russian,” Hutchins said.
“It’s a beautiful language, but a beast to learn.”
Since Russian is an unfamiliar language for these students, the rehearsals were intense and demanding. They had to work on pairing the music with the Russian language and the tempo.
“Unlike Madama Butterfly last fall, this production wasn’t staged so we didn’t have to worry about costumes or choreography, we solely were able to concentrate on the music and the language,” Hutchins said.
Continuing to perform with the North Carolina Opera this semester is already in the works for these students as well.
“I am also a chorus member in the next production with the North Carolina Opera,” Card said. “It is the Barber of Seville by Rossini.”