Freshman to Perform in “Carmen” with the Pittsburgh Opera
Avani, a freshman at Sewickley Academy, is scheduled to perform as a member of the children’s ensemble in the Pittsburgh Opera’s production of Carmen. She will be playing a street urchin.
The Pittsburgh Opera contacted the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus (PYC), an organization Avani is a member of, to audition for the show, and she was among a select group of singers who were chosen to perform. “Prior to the audition, I was required to learn and memorize an excerpt from the opera as well as the proper way to pronounce the words, as it was written in French,” she explained. “On the day of the audition, the director of PYC recorded me singing the excerpt and sent it to the music director for the opera, so he could select the people he felt would play the role best.”
To prepare for the show, Avani rehearsed approximately two to four days a week for one to four hours. She values working with performers who have more experience than she does. “I most enjoy working with the adult ensemble because they are always very kind to us and encouraging us to take risks and try new things,” she said.
Carmen, set in Seville, Spain, in 1830, is “full of magnetic melodies, colorful costumes, and tragic twists,” according to the Pittsburgh Opera’s website. “My favorite scene in the production is Act IV when all the kids are watching a bullfight and making fun of the mayor,” Avani shared.
You can see Avani during Carmen’s run at the Benedum Center on March 28 and 31 and on April 3 and 5, 2020. You can purchase tickets at https://www.pittsburghopera.org/show/carmen.
