What an incredible experience Stage 6 Italian students experienced last Thursday, 22nd of April!
Students attended a performance of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour by Opera Australia. La Traviata tells the story of the tragic love between the courtesan Violetta and the romantic Alfredo Germont and how far are you willing to go for love. It is one of the world’s most famous operas written by Giuseppe Verdi one of the greatest Italian opera composers. The opera has been performed the world over since 1853.
Students travelled into the city for an experience, which is for some, a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the atmosphere that an opera can bring. Students prior to the excursion, studied elements of the opera to understand the story, the musical terms related to the operatic genre, the language used throughout the opera in Italian and Latin, and structure of the stage which floats on the harbour.
The students dressed the part to attend the event in dapper formal wear and presented themselves as mature and respectable young men which caught the attention of Opera Australia staff and other opera spectators with compliments and enquires about the students.
All the students were able to find positives about the experience which was great to see as some were apprehensive to begin with. Below are some of the reflections which the students thought about the night.
“La Traviata, was a great and positive experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. The overall atmosphere of the area and the mood was fantastic. The seating was great, and we could see everything happening on stage, and the music and the singing was fantastic. I had a great time at La Traviata with my school.”
“La Traviata was a once in a lifetime experience that I will forever cherish and remember. La Traviata was extraordinarily amazing and really encapsulated what I have been learning during my time at St. Dominic’s. The talent displayed during the Opera was exquisite and world class.”
“The Opera that we as a school attended was an extremely exciting experience that I’m sure most, just like myself, won’t forget. By attending the Opera, I was able to experience a large proportion of the Italian culture without actually having to travel to Italy. I was also able to identify the pure talent that is held within the actors/actresses to not only use their voices in such a unique way, but to perform a play whilst doing it. After watching and listening to the Opera, it sparked a sort of interest within the genre as I believe it is an extremely talented action that is quite soothing to listen to.”
I am grateful to Mr Lewis, Ms Laurenzi and Mrs Walsh who accompanied the students and myself to the opera to also partake in the experience and share it with the students. It was quite a late night and quite chilly at times, however, the experience will be remembered for a lifetime.
Mrs Simone Baluch – Languages Coordinator
