This is it

The final days of my URGO research.

Tomorrow at 2:30PM is when I shall be presenting.
If you are available at that time, do drop by the choir room and watch me perform.

This is my ideal presentation:

In the beginning, my initial goal in my research is to be able to compile books and books of methods written for the style of singing-acting in opera. Since the opera industry has been focusing their productions more into the arts of acting, I wanted to read and learn about these methods, and put them into practice before I head out into the real world. Besides reading, Janet and I have also decided to set up interviews and coaching sessions with the local opera artists to understand the industry's condition a little better.
Surprisingly, there weren't as many books written about the methods of singing-acting for the operatic stage today. Most opera methodology books were written in the 1950-1960. The conditions of the opera industry in these books were not as up to date as our condition today. Seeing this, we realize that our crucial question is no longer "what are the methods?"--because there were none.
Through our many interviews, we became aware of a gap created between the shift in expectations of an opera singer today, and seeing well trained singers-actors performing in operas. The new question is "How and where are opera singers being helped to adapt to the new style of opera singing today?"
With our new question in mind, we eventually shifted our focus to the interview responses for more information.
Opera is a traditional art form. It is high art--"The Olympics of the Voice". It is such a stylized form of art that it takes decades to master the vocal technique on its own. Singers must learn the music theory, the music history and tradition, the opera's background, and the languages in order to be able to "sing well".
Our interviews have shown that it takes more than great singing to make it in the opera industry today. We are required to sing well, act well and natural, look attractive, and have a great personality on stage.
The main factor that has caused this change in the industry is the development in our media. The television and video camera were invented, more operas were being recorded and aired on TVs.
The Metropolitan Opera doesn't even travel and perform internationally as much as they use to. They now have what's called "Met at the Movies", where people could sit and eat popcorn while watching operas in movie theaters for an affordable price.
From the marketing standpoint, this is a strategic move. It makes opera more accessible and friendlier to all common people--those that like operas and those that don't. Their productions are set to fit the needs of the recording cameras and the HD screens.
Because of this, opera productions are now set to satisfy the needs of recording equipments. However, the product set to satisfy technology does not honor the traditional style of opera singing. Opera is the theater of the voice, and when the industry takes this stylize high art form and tries to fit it into the screen, the voice is no longer the main focus. Instead, the looks become a more dominant concern.
The voice and looks may be enough for the recording equipments, but that does not mean that it may be enough to attract the attention of an opera house as big as 3 football fields combined.
Through our interviews, we also found the importance of realism in opera. Audiences want to see real people on the operatic stage. They want singers to look like their character. They want the production to look more believable.
This is another factor that cause this shift. Singers must learn how to be convincing as their character on stage. They cannot just walk on stage thinking that they can win the hearts of listeners without looking "natural" and acting "real". They want to see real characters that they can relate to.
Fifty years ago, opera was all about the singer as themselves. They were known as themselves on stage, they were known for their voices. They did not need to live, walk, and move like their characters on stage. People idolized and adored Callas for Callas, Caballe for Caballe, Carrusso for Carrusso, Pavarotti for Pavarotti and so on.
They were not idolized because of their convincing acting, they convinced audiences through their great stylized singing. They made drama through their voices.
This change is shifting opera to a new style of singing. Singers need to communicate the music's intention through their singing and acting combined.
From what we have seen in the interviews, people are noticing this change. People are admitting that they want to see more acting. People are complaining that opera singers do not know how to act and are not believable enough on stage.
However, it is truly unfortunate that there has not been anyone besides Wesley who has came close to figuring out a method to help future opera singers to adapt to this shift in expectation. The changes wanted in opera requires a change in the training and teaching of this art form.
Institutions and conservatories are still training the voice through the traditional teaching, some are beginning to include acting and body movement classes into their curriculum. But none have been able to teach a method that could hep singers combine the skill of singing-acting as a whole.
If the style of this art form is to change, the training needs to change accordingly. The traditional training of singing and the training of acting cannot satisfy the attributes needed in singer-actors.
We need a method that could train us to combine and balance our singing-acting abilities on stage.