No Longer New to the Aria

Not every high school student’s midterm consists of belting out Rossini or Mozart.

Students in the Orange County High School of the Arts’ new Opera Conservatory program have a semester’s worth of lectures, master classes and rehearsals under their belt. And if applause and shiny-faced grins are any indicator, these opera neophytes have come a long way since nerve-racking auditions last September.

“I thought they did a great job,” said OCHSA executive director and principal Ralph Opacic of the group’s recent midterm performance in front of a crowd of mostly parents and friends. “I am pleased with this being our first year. It’s a good nucleus for building this program and continuing to expand it.”

The specialized high school–which shares space at Los Alamitos High School, Cal State Long Beach and McAuliffe Middle School in Los Alamitos–offers academics along with musical theater, contemporary dance and instrumental music, to name a few. It added opera to its curriculum last September at the request of students.

“There was no place for 1/8would-be opera singers 3/8 to go,” said opera instructor Jim Ruggirello. “This program is designed to give exceptionally talented students a head start in a pre-professional career.”

Slowly, the 13- to 17-year-olds are evolving from kids with great voices to budding opera singers. For some, diva or leading-man status is a lifelong dream. For others, it’s a discovery.

In the Opera Conservatory’s first class of 13, the key to success, so far, has been striking a balance.

Twice weekly rehearsals must be shoehorned in with homecoming dances, voice lessons, professional gigs (such as Christmas caroling at Knott’s Berry Farm) and, yes, even dreaded calculus classes. One time-strapped soprano ended up dropping volleyball. Something had to give.

“They are totally committed,” Ruggirello said. “This is the cream of the crop of students.”

An observer of their September auditions would see how they’ve grown. Then, tempos frequently got tripped up and nerves were apparent. Since then, the students have learned the realities of performing center stage.

“A couple of them have a very good chance if they have the drive. Success is so tied up in fate … talent, ambition and good fortune,” L.A. Opera tenor Jonathan Mack said.

A select few were critiqued by Mack at a master class in October. Mack–a longtime opera teacher–used flowers and footballs to illustrate key points. Sopranos sniffed roses to open up their sinuses; the breathing exercise helped them learn how to create crescendos at the climaxes of grand arias. And Mack stuck a pigskin between 16-year-old Christopher Smith’s knees to help ground his rich bass voice. The device reminded Smith to keep his focus–and consequently his voice–deep and low.

“It was embarrassing, but it worked,” Smith said at the time.

OCHSA administrators brought in Opera Pacific chorus master Henri Venanzi and marketing expert Maria Simeone to give students insight on everything from musicianship to Italian diction.

Schools such as OCHSA have become increasingly important because California’s music-education programs in the public schools were scaled back in the 1980s after Proposition 13 cut property taxes and diminished school budgets.

Founded in 1987, the tuition-free school offers rigorous academic courses and one-on-one access to arts professionals. Inspired by the New York School for the Performing Arts, it’s unique to Orange County and only one of only a handful in the state. Students talented enough to get in usually continue their arts study in college and go on to careers in entertainment.

So what about grades for our budding opera singers?

Looks like straight A’s. But in the world of opera–grades count for nothing. It’s the next audition that matters.

“We reset now and start over in January,” Ruggirello said. “Everyone has to re-audition for their spot… . It’s going to get very competitive. We’ve done some impressive work here.”

* Auditions will be held at 4 p.m. Jan. 7, at McAuliffe Middle School, 4112 Cerritos Ave., Room 92, Los Alamitos. Call Jim Ruggirello (562) 596-1435, Ext. 570, for information.