An opera class would never be complete without a visit to the opera house…in Syracuse.  Half of the class ventured to the Crouse-Hinds Theater to see Die Zauberflote, or Mozart’s The Magic Flute.  I love how the class is so small, but because there is so much material to cover in a 50-minute class, all of the students never have an opportunity to get to know each other.  That’s nothing that a 1 hour drive can’t solve, and I got to know four of my classmates during our commute.  We come from all different majors, from Math and Engineering to Psychology and English; it’s lovely knowing that music really does transcend and connect to different audiences.

While the Syracuse Opera is not the Met by any means, it was still a treat to dress up and listen to a live opera.  Having studied the Magic Flute in class the previous two weeks, all of us were well-versed with the libretto, so the opera was easy to follow, and we could enjoy the musical ingenuity of Mozart.  The production was light-hearted and comical, a good cap to a prelim/paper heavy week.