Western’s opera students ditched wigs and castles for sneakers and cityscapes in a bold, contemporary take on Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), one of two full-scale operas staged each year by more than 150 student singers, instrumentalists and crew members in the Don Wright Faculty of Music.
Opera at Western brought new life to Mozart’s final masterpiece in March, reimagining the classic through a modern lens. Award-winning guest director Jennifer Tarver transformed the Paul Davenport Theatre into an urban schoolyard with concrete stairs, skateboard ramps and a basketball hoop replacing the traditional whimsy of forests, palaces and spirits.
In the scene depicted here, soprano Amy Godin, BMus’24, appears as Pamina alongside tenor Andrew Wolf as the flute-playing hero Tamino in a dramatic moment from the final dress rehearsal. Both are currently pursuing their master of music degrees.
In the pivotal scene, Tamino and Pamina face a symbolic trial by water—a test of courage and virtue—guided by the magic flute, with cell phones casting waves of light across the stage to evoke water.
Conducted and directed by professor Simone Luti, the production featured the original score of The Magic Flute and played to sold-out audiences.
