
“The Tender Land” Study Guide
Dear Student Night at the Opera guests!
We are so excited to have you with us live, masked and in person at Crowder Hall at 7:30 on Wednesday October 27, 2021. We are offering a 6:45pm pre-show talk as well that we hope you can attend!
Opera is an amazing artform combining sung and orchestral music, theater and design elements all into one extraordinary live experience. We have loved putting together this opera and we know that you are going to have a great time at the performance.
This study guide is designed for you to get ready for your night at the opera. We suggest you first read a great article written by our friends at Santa Barbara Opera. Oh, by the way,
The Tender Land runs under two hours including intermission so it’s not a long evening!
Here is the link
https://www.operasb.org/2018/10/5-things-to-expect-at-your-first-opera/
…
Next, meet the with cast! We have put together video interviews with our singers who will tell you about their voice types (soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, baritone) and a little about the roles they will sing.
Here is the link
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Vw50VhysyDUqvTTiYLjHlMs3nP_IYmux
…
Read a synopsis of the story of the opera, learn about the librettist Everett Horace
(a librettist writes the story of an opera) and the inspiration for The Tender Land.
Here is the link
About the librettist and the inspiration for The Tender Land
…
Learn about the composer Aaron Copland. (A composer writes the music for an opera) and some of his other compositions.
Here is the link
About the composer Aaron Copland
…
Meet our set, and costume designers for The Tender Land as they describe their inspiration for creating the physical production of our show.
Here is the link
Costume and Set Design Information
…
The Tender Land is set during the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression in America. We have included some information for you about what was going on in the world and in America during this time in the 20th century.
Here is the link
What was happening during the 1930’s
…
Want to know more about all of this? Check out Further Exploration Through the Arts
Here is the link
Further Exploration Through the Arts
…
Finally, here is a quick lesson in physics: Can a singer break glass with their voices?
Here is the link
Can singers break glass with their voice_ A lesson in physics
…
Finally, we hope that this evening will be the first of many experiences that we will get to share as a community of performers and audiences. We will keep you updated on all our events and look forward to meeting you all soon!
We will see you at the opera!
Cynthia Stokes, M.F.A.
Opera Theater
Fred Fox School of Music
University of Arizona
(619) 261-2505
cynthiastokes@arizona.edu