La Boheme - Opera Guild of Rochester

Notes from the Director
One of the world’s favorite operas, La Bohème was composed around the
turn of the 20th century, but was originally set in the 1830’s. The world première
performance was in Turin on February 1, 1896 and was conducted by the young
Arturo Toscanini. Four friends, an aspiring painter, musician, author and philosopher,
live together in a small attic apartment. Their lives revolve around finding
enough money to pay the rent, eat, have fun, and find love, but not necessarily in
that order.
Perhaps more than any other classic opera, La Bohème lends itself to contemporary
interpretation. The opera follows the stories of a circle of young artists
who long for a deeper connection to society. Sound familiar? The same theme
is the basis for the Academy Award winning movie Moonstruck, which uses the
music of the passionately romantic opera throughout as a backdrop for its own
love story; the recent Broadway hit Rent is a version of the story updated to
the current time.
Paris in the 1920’s was the artistic capital of the world, a city where freedom of
self-expression was encouraged and flourished. Among the many creative artists
who lived there were Picasso, Miro, Chagall, Poulenc, Satie, Stravinsky, Milhaud,
Josephine Baker, Isadora Duncan, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce,
Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The new and experimental in both art and
fashion were welcomed; corsets were discarded and replaced by the brassiere,
the flapper dress and the cloche hat were born, the Charleston emerged as the
new dance craze, and the first Surrealist art show was given. Women learned to
be independent, to smoke and drink cocktails. The use of the telephone and the
electric light became widespread. It is during this colorful, lively period – in the
year 1925 – that this production of La Bohème is set.
– Michael Ehrman
Bach Children’s Chorus at Nazareth College
Founded by its current director, Karla Krogstad, in 1989, the BCC maintains a
very busy performance schedule. The children sing with numerous organizations
in the Rochester area, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the
Rochester Chamber Orchestra. The BCC provides unique choral training, with
the opportunity for performance of classical and multi-cultural music.
The children, who always perform from memory, have been repeatedly commended
for their clear diction, musical expression, and remarkable proficiency
in difficult repertoire. The Bach Children’s Chorus members acquire new songs
every year, experiencing a wide range of styles from folk to Baroque to modern.
Every year, the chorus travels to sing and sightsee, often at historic locations.
Auditions take place in the spring of each year for the following season.
Information about the chorus can be found on their website www.bachkidsusa.org
or by calling 585-582-3082.