On a sunny Sunday morning, the music of Mozart fills the upstairs wing of Central Lutheran Church in East Eugene. Inside, a smattering of Pacific Northwest opera singers sit quietly on the perimeter and observe the Cascadia Concert Opera rehearsal for the top of Act 2 of Cosi Fan Tutte. Seated at an electronic piano on the side of the room sits the production’s two accompanists, Christina Yue and Vincent Centreno who share the responsibility of assisting all rehearsals and performances.  Six black music stands are lined up behind a simple set consisting of a small table dressed with a tablecloth and simple props of glasses and plates. Seated at the table, portraying the sister characters of  Fiordiligi and Dorabella, Coral and Jan are being instructed how to flirt and beguile the male sex, based on the teachings from a sharp-witted maid Despina, played by Annie and Allison. The characters Ferrando and Guliglemo, played by Phil and Karl, are watching from the sidelines, where they await their entrances, already donning their headresses which signal they are disguised as the Albanian suitors of the sisters. The scene is briefly interrupted by director Bereniece Jones, who gives the Despinas suggestions for gestures at specific moments during her aria, and reminds the sisters how to react by dropping a prop handkerchief.Cascadia Concert Opera’s production of Mozart’s opera, Cosi Fan Tutte is being performed in English rather than the original Italian, and includes cuts to keep the story moving and to keep the audience’s attention.  Due to the relatively short rehearsal process, as well as performing 2 versions of the opera (a 2 hour “long” program with recitative and selected arias, duets and ensembles, and a one hour “short” version with even more cuts and spoken narration), singers will be using music for most of the program, with a mix of movement and blocking, in addition to a more traditional concert performance where the cast sings from the music stands. The original version of Cosi Fan Tutte was written for only 6 singers and a chorus.  With such a small ensemble, it was decided to double cast the roles for several reasons. While a handful of the cast members live in the Eugene area, many singers also commute from locations including Seattle WA, Portland and Corvallis, and Mount Shasta, CA. Faced with having to coordinate everyone’s work and vacation schedules, having two singers assigned to each role allowed for a consistent, weekly rehearsal schedule.The atmosphere at any given Cosi rehearsal could be described as warm, energetic and supportive. The majority of the cast members have previously worked together or know each other from within the circles of the UO, LCC and OSU music programs, and past Eugene Opera or Cascadia Concert Opera productions. Under the direction of Berenice and assisted by Tara Puyat, Cosi’s stage manager, rehearsals are run efficiently and with realistic expectations.Without being hindered by extravagant sets, lighting, costumes and an orchestra found in bigger opera productions, Cascadia Concert Opera has the ability to take their productions on the road and provide performance opportunities in non-traditional locations whose accessibility can attract a wider audience demographic than what is typically found at the traditional performance halls and large venues. By keeping things simple, Cascadia Concert Opera demonstrates how the composer’s music and librettist’s story of an opera can come to life effectively when performed by a cast whose individual musicality and characterization can more than satisfy the need for an operatic experience, without the flash, glitz and expense of a night at the opera house. Making opera accessible to all audiences is one of Cascadia Concert Opera’s primary missions, as well as to provide local singers more performance opportunities. Most of the performances are free and open to the general public, providing an opportunity to attract an audience of all ages and incomes, who might not have much exposure to traditional opera.

With Cascadia Concert Opera’s first public appearances of Cosi Fan Tutte scheduled to begin this week, the cast is beginning to experience the nervous excitement and eager anticipation admittedly present in most performers as they head into performance mode.

A complete list of performance dates, times and locations can be found on the Cascadia Concert Opera website. We invite you to bring a friend or family member and come to watch one of our delightful productions this summer!

Our Photographer:

Anna Herring graduated from South Eugene High School in June 2011. Photography is her hobby, and she has enjoyed shooting nature, animals, people andlocal events for 4 years. Anna’s photos have won awards and recognition in the Lane County Fair, as well as the Travel Lane County photography contest. Her work has been featured on several local blogs and websites. She will attend Lane Community College in the fall.