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oavre> S 9. uks N3 o [yB mmmmwm i9, 1078 yY T. _ WLU opera‘ w Disproving those old rumours tic and rather unglamorous entertainers. According to Dr. Christine Mathers, dean of music at WLU this couldn‘t be further from the truth and the proof can be found in the university‘s opera workshop. While interest in opera is not new to the Twin Cities, at least three people have committed themselves to helping this form of entertainment grow in popularity and become a delight for local audiences. ‘ What local opera fans need to get the ball rolling is a local supportive organization and UW profesâ€" Cities, at themgelvu grow in p audiences. sors, Edward Reilly and Chris Mateluwicz have provided just that. They are responsible for the reâ€" cent formation of the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Opera The two professors have been working on the idea for the past six months. At inaugural meetings on March 29 and 30th they presented their plans to avid opera fans and performers and received the support they needed to carry on. . _ a _ Dr. Rhodes said they felt the time was ripe to reâ€" vive this organization. _ _ > "It is now recognized that Kitchenerâ€" Waterioo could become a focal point for Canadian opera with the advent of the Arts Centre in 1979â€"80 and the disâ€" tinct possibility of an Opera Company developing out of the opera studio which is currently being operated in conjunction with the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Symphony,*‘ wrote the professors in a press reâ€" lease recently. The guild‘s organizers feel that in terms of human resources, Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo has more than its fair share. Among them are Raffi Armenian, conductor of the Kâ€"W Symphony and musical director of the Canadian opera company, Jacqueline Richard, musical director of the Kâ€"W Centre Opera Studio and instructor at WLU and voice teachers Victor Martens and David Falk. _ Dr. Rhodes says the guild will be a supportive club and not active in staging productions. The chariâ€" table organization will be involved in arranging opera recitals, intimate opera performances, summer openâ€"air opera performances, opera film nights, illustrated lectures and trips to major opera centres in North America and Europe. An ultimate aim will be to help sponsor fully staged productions in the Twin Cities. By Terry James An old rumour has it that opera singers are giganâ€" The guild is not the first of its kind to be started. A former ballet and opera guild goes back to the 1950‘s when Veda Peene of Toronto stimulated interest. The aim of this guild was to sponsor anâ€" nual performances of the National Ballet of Canâ€" ada when they came into the locality. Shortly after the formation of the Canadian Opera Company (C.O.C.) in Toronto the sugges tion was made that the Kâ€"W group become a branch of this mother organization. The local ballet and opera guild was dropped and became the first branch of the C.O.C. Today there are seven branches. DOLAN Men‘* Casvals with A. .. the DOLAN that Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo 578â€"8360 Corner of King & Ontarmo Sts.,. Kitchener small concert groups. Due to the fact there were no local activities in opera, interest gradually waned. went to the parent organization in Toronto. * ‘‘There was nothing to focus on," said the formâ€" er president of the guild. ‘"We just couldn‘t cultiâ€" vate any new enthusiasm. We had to have something to hang our hats on."‘ As of March 28, Dr. Rhodes said the guild was just an idea. . *‘We had to get people willing to work and do something,‘"‘ he said. ‘"We had to have people willing to come forward to build it into a vital orâ€" ganization. There is no way we can do it alone.‘‘ Today Dr. Rhodes said it looks very promising. Thanks to our American friends who telecast live opera productions, Jeff Butler, manager of Membership dropped from 13 to 35 and six years ago the branch disbanded and funds in the treasury Kâ€"W Symphony, said opera has grown in mhmy. ‘‘The telecasts have had a measurable effect on opera in the States. More people are seeing opera at no cost to them and I predict interest will conâ€" tinue to grow."‘ Mr. Butler is watching the growth of the Twin Cities own Centre Opera Studio with interest. Its Eight trained singers are presently gaining exâ€" perience at the studio. Its founders were Raffi Armenian and Jacqueline Richard director. The Symphony manager would like to see opera training and production an integral part of music life in Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo. He said the idea for the opera studio hatched out of discussions on the proposed Centre in the Square. If the facility is to become the opera centre of Canada he said a lot of ground work has to be done. Mr. Butler said that most important in the pursuit of opera, is the development of interest on the part of audiences. The Centre Opera Studio with the coâ€"operation of the Kâ€"W Symphony proâ€" duced Hansel and Gretel and four weeks ago comâ€" pleted the Rape of Lucretia. : ‘‘For economic reasons we could not create auâ€" dience appeal this year,"‘ said Mr. Butler. ‘"Next year we will lean towards productions of well known names such as La Boheme, an all time biggie in opera. These are names people will recognize and we will stand a better chance of attracting auâ€" diences." sponsor, the Kâ€"W Symphony orchestra, gives the centre an organizational base from which to work. The centre experienced its first season last fall. The Opera studio has closed for the season. Mr. Butler said it was too ambitious a project to keep it going year round. Two 10 week periods beâ€" ginning in Oct. ©78 will take next year‘s season into March. The Symphony manager said that Canadian Opera Company productions are sold out when they come to Kiithenerâ€"Waterioo. s ‘‘People in Kâ€"W tend to buy the brand names," he said. "It‘s not that local productions are not good enough. It‘s that they are not recognizable." Mr. Butler said the whole classical music busiâ€" ness has matured very quickly. The Kâ€"W Symphony used to be nomprofessional and today it is of a An English comedy of the sexes set in an exâ€" clusive fur salon in Lonâ€" don is the next producâ€" tion of the Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo Little Theatre. Not Now Darling, written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman,. will be performed Thursday. May 11 through Saturâ€" day. May 13 at 8 pm. at the University of Waterâ€" loo‘s Theatre of the Arts. Comedy of sexes set for Theatre _ "*As soon as you offer musical performances to their expectations people will patronize it," :g enjoy it. He is also sure that the Centre Opera Studio willofferasgoodorbetterprodnctimsmqthe Canadian Opera Company. He describes their music as such that even nonâ€" versities played a big role in inciting interest in the area of opera. WLU has been staging opera performâ€" â€" ances steadily for the past two years and have acâ€" fore that. She said that through student recitals and having opera students perform in public places such as Fairview Mail, people are becoming more aware of opera and realizing that they really do enâ€" jJoy it. > WLU also houses an opera workshop. It got underâ€" way in the Fall of ‘76 under the direction of Jaquelâ€" ine Richard. It is composed mostly of senior level students who have already completed a degree in music. The university also offers a diploma for inâ€" terested graduates who want to spend a year studyâ€" ing opera. The Consul was the first fullâ€"length fully staged opera performed by this workshop, Before this the group performed scenes or one act operas. Long before the Faculty of. Music had been offiâ€" cially established the summer opera workshop was in existence. Last summeér, in coâ€"operation with the UW Arts Centre, they put on a fully staged production. WLU provided the musicians and singâ€" ers and the Arts Centre donated the facilities and The Dean of Music would like people to disâ€" cover opera as being something thoroughly enjoyâ€" able. technicians. ture,"" said Dr. Mathers. ‘‘There is a need for universities to pool their resources. This was an obvious and satisfactory way for us to coâ€"operate." & In 1978 the summer workshop, in coâ€"operation with the UW Arts Centre, will perform the Tales of Hoffman, a popular opera which will hopefully draw a large audience. â€" ‘‘While establishing opera in the community we have to provide operas of standard repertoire as much as we can," said Dr. Mathers. ‘"People know them and love them and at this time we can only afford to do this." ‘"At the moment there is nowhere with all the requirements," she said. ‘"Either we have good equipment and poor acoustics or the opposite is true. This makes an enormous difference."‘ Dr. Rhodes, Dr. Mathers and Mr. Butler agree that interest in opera is beginning to blossom in the Twin Cities but they still have a long row to hoe. Thanks to the opera guild, the Centre Opera Studio and the workshops at WLU they are at Jeast one quarter of the way up that row. As a university Dr. Mathers said their first aim is to train the students. The faculty has to make sure they have the right repertoire to complete this training and this distinguishes university opera workshops from others. ~ Dr. Mathers believes the proposed Centre in the Square, will develop the community‘s interests in all aspects of music. She said performances ‘will be enhanced in these first class facilities. Tickets are $4 and can Mr. Butler is convinced that next season even x5 % is‘ an be purchased at the Little Theatre box ofâ€" fice which is open every weeknight from 7 to 9 pm. at 9 Princess Street E. in Waterloo. Tickets can also be bought at Scribe Bookâ€" stores in the Twin Cities and the University box office. â€" A special free perâ€" formance for senior citizens is set for Wednesâ€" day. May 10 $ * & :