OCU Faculty-‐Led Study Abroad Program Proposal Program title: “Opera in Italy”
Course: MUS 5323 Opera History (1600-‐1850) Cross listing: MUS 4323 Opera History
Program Director: Cory Gavito
Program description, learning objectives, and international context
This program proposes to combine a 2-‐week course offering on the OCU campus followed by a 3-‐week study abroad program in Florence, Italy for music majors (undergraduate and graduate) during the Summer I semester. This 3-‐credit hour course is currently required of all graduate opera vocal majors at OCU and also serves as an elective for music undergraduates. The main academic goal of this program is to provide students immediate access to the geographical, cultural, social, historical, and artistic
contexts for the production and performance of opera from 1600 to the latter half of the 19th century. During the 2-‐week period on campus, students will engage the subject through reading and writing assignments, class discussion, listening and stylistic exams, and class projects. The central objective of the on-‐campus study period is to provide students with a solid historical background before tackling the more critical and contemporary issues of the operatic tradition abroad. The on-‐campus portion of the program will also emphasize the international traditions of opera outside Italy (as mandated by the present course description and learning objectives). This will allow students during the study abroad period to focus mainly on issues related to the Italian tradition while abroad in Italy. Further, as opera has retained a close association with Italy from the time of its creation in Florence around 1600 up to the present day, Italy serves as an ideal location for exploring the historical and cultural tradition of opera throughout its 400-‐year history.
In Florence, the program will merge the classroom experience with live opera performances and visits to the landmarks that preserve Italy’s rich cultural heritage. With Florence as our learning site, students will have the opportunity to attend four opera performances in the historical opera theaters of Florence, Bologna, and Venice. Encountering opera in Italy is much more than simply witnessing performances in historical spaces. Visiting abroad allows us to explore a wide range of musical, historical, architectural, and cultural topics only remotely available to us here in Oklahoma. Some of these issues include:
• opera theater design and its acoustical and social implications
• politics of display and the role of the opera theater in Italian civic geography • opera and the creation of community and Italian local/national identity
• opera as social and political discourse, public welfare, and ethnic/class/gender consciousness • opera and memory/nostalgia in the Italian imagination
• opera and music in the context of other Italian cultural traditions (art, architecture, religion, dance, literature)
As the “birthplace” of opera, Florence provides a unique setting for experiencing the historical and living tradition of opera. The Medici, who are largely responsible for bringing to life the earliest operas, have left behind an incredibly visceral testimony to their artistic patronage in the city of Florence, including the Palazzo Pitti, home of the first performance of Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini’s L’Euridice (1600), the earliest complete opera for which musical notation survives. Florence is also home to the historic Teatro La Pergola, considered by many to be Italy’s oldest opera house (though reconstructed since its founding in 1656, it has remained in its original location throughout its entire 355-‐year history). Florence also maintains an active operatic season during the months of May and June, with the world-‐renown Fesitval del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in full swing and featuring some of the world’s leading singers, directors, and instrumentalists. Within day trips are Bologna, Rome, Verona, and Venice, all of which boast their own summer opera festivals and specialized contributions to the history of opera.
The learning objectives of the program both at home and broad explore issues of historical, critical, and artistic significance. They include:
• Style: Recognizing aurally and through musical notation the stylistic evolution of opera from 1600 to 1850.
• People/events: Possessing a working knowledge of significant people (composers, librettists, and singers) and events in the history of opera
• Theater: Understanding the historical, cultural, architectural evolution of the opera theater • Dramaturgy: Becoming familiar with the historical conventions of operatic dramaturgy and the
libretto
• Performance: Becoming acquainted with the historical schools of operatic vocal pedagogy/technique and the training of opera composers and instrumentalists
• Context: Recognizing the cultural, political, geographical, and social significance of opera production and performance from 1600 to 1850
• Scholarship: Becoming familiar with the critical and historiographical trends in opera scholarship since the 1960s and engaging this discourse critically
• Contemporary meaning: Comparing and examining the contemporary social, cultural, economic, and artistic significance of opera in Europe vs. the US
Program requirements/pre-‐post trip activities
There are no foreign language requirements for the program, but it is assumed that most students will have some familiarity with the Italian language, as vocal students are required to take Italian diction and translate Italian song and aria texts for recital programs. Much of our exposure to Italian will be through opera libretti and the day-‐to-‐day activities abroad. There will be conversational Italian lessons during our pre-‐program information sessions, as well as an introduction to Italian cultural norms and
expectations. Pre-‐program sessions will also address travel preparations, safety/security/health issues, program costs, and details about the class schedule and procedures. Following the program, students will be invited to participate online in sharing travel blogs and photo galleries, and will also be
experiences abroad. There will be one final meeting on the OCU campus in which students will present a culminating course project.
Instructional/Leadership Background
I bring to this program both experience living as well as teaching in Italy. I co-‐led a similar program during the summer of 2005 while a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin, where I directed an Italian opera seminar for undergraduate and graduate students in a six-‐week program in Castiglion Fiorentino (AR), Italy. This program was partnered with programs in art and architecture history, and I had the opportunity to work with some of the country’s leading Italian Renaissance scholars as we studied and toured the churches and galleries of Florence. I plan to share this experience with students as we tour the major heritage sites of the city; this will eliminate the need of tour guides and lower the cost of the program.
Prior to this program in 2005, I worked as an archival researcher in Bologna, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Reggio Emilia while pursuing my doctoral degree in musicology at UT-‐Austin. Through my previous work in Florence I have contacts with the archival directors of Harvard’s Villa i Tatti (Dr. Kathryn Bosi) and the Biblioteca Riccardiana (Dr. Giovanna Lazzi). I have reading and basic conversational fluency in Italian.
Logistics/Program Site
Florence’s international airport, Amerigo Vespucci (a.k.a.” Peretola,” or FLR) is located just northwest of the city, and provides regular train and bus service to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, the city’s main train station and transportation hub. Travelers who purchase more affordable airfare often arrive in Florence by train from Pisa’s Galileo airport (PSA), where direct trains to Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN) depart five times daily at rates between € 5 and €20. The travel time is about 1 hour from Pisa to Firenze SMN. Florence maintains an excellent and efficient bus system (ATAF) with regular access to all major tourist sites and transportation hubs. University students (local and foreign) under the age of 27 enjoy discounted bus fares for extended periods of study. There is also a brand new tramway system in Florence, with one line currently in operation that connects Firenze SMN to points south and west of the river Arno. Due to Florence’s size (about 350,000 residents), bridges, and relatively compact centro storico (historical city center), most of the main tourist areas (including the Oltrarno, the historical neighborhood on the south side of the Arno) are easily accessible on foot.
Itinerary:
Days 1-‐2: Travel/Introduction to Florence
Depart OKC DFW PSA (Pisa) Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Arrive at Firenze SMN. Walk to Piazza del Duomo (via San Lorenzo; 1 km) Brief tour of the Piazza del Duomo.
Students will immediately recognize the churches of Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo, and the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) as major landmarks of central Florence. Arriving at the Duomo, there will be a brief tour of the Duomo exterior, baptistery doors, and the Campanile di Giotto. We will break for late lunch and reconvene for an informational meeting at the study site before bedtime.
Day 3: Sightseeing day/landmark scavenger hunt
There will be an AM/early afternoon landmark scavenger hunt, exploring the remaining piazzas and main sites of the centro storico, including the Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza della Signoria, Piazza Santa Croce, Cappella Medici, and Ponte Vecchio. The hunt will end at Mercato centrale, where the group will meet for lunch.
Free time (PM)
Day 4: Class day/Palazzo Pitti Class meeting (AM)
Visit to Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens (after lunch). Entrance fee: €7 -‐ €11. Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM)
Day 5: Class day/La Pergola Class meeting (AM)
Visit to Teatro della Pergola (PM). No entrance fee.
Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 6: Uffizi and opera performance
Visit to Gli Uffizi (AM). Entrance fees vary from day to day, at rates between € 6 -‐€15. Performance at Teatro La Pergola (PM)
Day 7: Duomo and Battistero
Tour of the Duomo and Battistero (late AM). No entrance fee to the Duomo. Battistero: €4. Optional cupola climbing fee (463 stairs): €8.
Free/study time (PM)
Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 8: Class day/Santa Maria Novella
Tour of Santa Maria Novella (early PM). Church and museum free entrance for students. Free/study time (PM)
Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 9: Class day/Fiesole
Class meeting (AM)
Excursion to Fiesole (PM). ATAF bus fare. Tour of the Roman theater
Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 10: Day trip to Lucca
Trip to the Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini in Lucca. Train fare: €5-‐€6 (one-‐way, ca. 1 hr 30 min). Museum entrance: €2-‐€3.
Free/study time (PM)
Day 11: Class day/Capelle Medici Class meeting (AM)
Tour of Medici chapels and Laurentian library (PM). Chapel entrance: €6. Library entrance is free. Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM)
Days 12-‐13: Venice (2 days, 1 night)
Train fare: €15-‐€30 (one way, ca. 2 hr 30 min)
Day 12: Arrive in Venice late morning. Tour of Grand Canal, San Cassiano, SS Pietro e Paolo, Piazza San Marco, Teatro Malibran, and La Fenice.
Evening opera performance at La Fenice. Day 13: Visit San Marco
Depart for Florence late afternoon Day 14: Free day
Optional PM (sunset) tour of San Miniato al Monte.
Day 15: Class day/Accademia Class meeting (AM)
Visit L’Accademia and the Cherubini Conservatory Museum of Musical Instruments (PM). Combined entrance fee: €6,50
Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 16: Class day/Riccardiana library
Class meeting (AM)
Private tour (and possible guest lecture) of the Riccardiana library music collection by Dottoressa Giovanna Lazzi (library director). No entrance fee.
Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 17: Class day/Teatro Communale, Teatro Verdi Class meeting (AM)
Visit Teatro Communale and Teatro Verdi. No entrance fees. Optional: Festival Maggio Musicale Fiorentino concert (PM) Day 18: Bologna
Train fare: €10-‐€25 (one way, ca. 45 min)
Arrive in Bologna late morning. Tour of San Petronio, Alma Mater Studiorum (Bologna University), International music museum (entrance fee: €4)
Evening opera performance at the Teatro Communale Depart Bologna around 23:00
Day 19: Class day/Santa Croce Final class meeting (AM)
Visit Santa Croce (tombs of Rossini, Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, among others). Entrance fee: €3 for students.
Day 20: Opera performance Optional morning trip to Arezzo Train fare: €6 (one way, ca. 50 min)
Evening opera performance at Teatro La Pergola Day 21: Depart Florence
Firenze SMN OKC via PSA and DFW
Enrollment/recruitment
The target number of students enrolled in this program stands between 8-‐10. There are currently around 8 students who have expressed interest in participating in this program. The recruitment figures for students in the Bass School of Music look very promising. In the 2010 Study Abroad Survey Report published by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, students from the BSM registered the greatest demand for study abroad opportunities (comprising 31.4 % of total survey participants), with 6% of the total 506 participants specifying Italy as a study site (second only to France as the most popular destination). Although directed primarily at music students, non-‐majors may be admitted under conditions agreed upon by the music school. It is OCU’s policy that students studying abroad must have earned a minimum 3.000 GPA, at least junior standing, and overall good standing at OCU. At this time the program could accommodate no more than 12 students without additional staffing or no less than 4 students before withdrawing the program.
Health/Safety/Security
As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Florence—while a safe city—is home to all of the risks and dangers associated with any major tourist city. Pickpockets can be a problem on buses and areas around the central train station (Firenze SMN), and tourists are often targeted since their attention is easily diverted to the sights and sounds of the city. Nightlife in Florence is generally safe except, again, for areas around Firenze SNM. Students will find that many Italians who work in major museums and places of business in the centro storico speak English. Outside the centro storico it is harder to find English-‐speaking Italians – even in places of business; it is safe to assume that most native Florentines who are not employed by the tourist industry do not speak English. Worker strikes and student protests are common occurrences in Italy, especially in central and north Italy, and we may from time to time experience travel or itinerary delays due to these events (especially bus and train workers’ strikes).
In general Americans are accepted warmly in Italy. In Southern Europe, hostility toward American foreign policy can be perceived as more publicly vocal than in the rest of the European Union. Although American tourists are rarely targeted in these situations, students should be prepared to experience on some level dissatisfaction among Italians and the Italian media with the foreign affairs of the U.S. government. Immigration is currently the hot topic in the Italian media and general political discourse, especially following the wave of displaced persons entering Italy as a result of the ongoing unrest in North Africa. While most students will be recognized as American visitors/tourists and not targeted as
foreign asylum seekers, as “foreigners,” students may detect feelings of annoyance or suspicion from some conservative (usually older) Italians, especially in places beyond the tourist grid, and more commonly in the south than in the north. These potential social/cultural experiences will never put student safety in jeopardy. Compared to the cultural norms of Oklahoma, Italians may come across to students as more direct, vocal, or even confrontational about topics we view as personal or
controversial, such as politics and religion. This may alarm some students but they will be reassured that such experiences are a normal and healthy part of Italian life.
Florence enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate in May and June; temperatures rarely exceed the mid-‐8os (◦F) or drop below 50. Humidity can become an issue for some in Florence during the summer months (like Rome, Florence lies in a river basin) especially while spending time outside, although most find the mosquitos brought on by the humidity more of a nuisance than the comfort level. Indoors however, especially during the evening hours, it is quite confortable even without air conditioning (Italians, in general, believe that air conditioning is unhealthy, so it is likely that most of our time in Florence will be without it). The tap water in Florence, as everywhere in Italy, is not only safe to drink, but is very clean, fresh, and always cold.
Students who develop minor illnesses (allergies, colds, flu, etc.) can find treatment in the numerous local pharmacies (indicated with a large green “+” affixed to the building) around town. It is not uncommon in Italy for pharmacists to solicit customers about their symptoms and prescribe medication accordingly, a practice as old as the Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Europe’s oldest pharmacy (13th c.). Some drugs that require a physician’s prescription in the U.S.—including antibiotics such as penicillin— are available without a prescription in Italian pharmacies. For more serious medical issues, the office of the U.S. Consulate General is conveniently located about 1.5 km south west of Firenze SNM (train station) and can provide American citizens with a suggested list of local physicians (also maintained at
http://italy.usembassy.gov/acs/professionals/doctors/doctors-‐florence.html), many of whom were educated in American medical schools and speak English. Florence maintains an emergency medical response system comparable to that in Oklahoma City; the medical emergency response phone number in Italy is “118”.