OPERA FOR A NEW AUDIENCE

It Takes an Idaho Village to Make a Movie

BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST

When beauty is performed for an audience, something special happens—a joint rapture, which moves through the crowd and transforms us into a part of the whole. You’ve probably felt this at your favorite concert—Taylor Swift or Bruce Springsteen singing directly into your soul. No matter the music, the mutual elation of a live performance creates an unmatched euphoria.

But can opera do that? Honestly, it is probably hard for most of us to know. Opera has a reputation—boring, dull, old, white, and wealthy. At the very least, the audience skews older, even as the art seeks a new kind of spectator.

Imagine then a group of filmmakers connecting with four rising young opera stars over three years to produce something with mass appeal—an authentic human story that challenges our preconceptions about the art form.

“‘Aria’ is about their journeys and challenges, which are so universal. They represent anyone who is trying to achieve something that is seemingly impossible. This film is a stage for stories about discrimination and body shaming and an industry that lacks significant ethnic diversity. It, and opera, is so much more than a three hour performance with a man wearing a horned hat,” laughed Director Karen Day.

Four Voices To Start A Revolution

The film complicates our understanding of opera and opera singers, introducing Soprano Cecilia Violetta Lopez, Mezzo Soprano Tahanee Aluwihare, Baritone Brian Major, and Tenor Ben Gulley who are all navigating an industry that neither has enough jobs for the number of talented singers nor wholeheartedly welcomes diversity. In three acts, the film documents the triumphs, failures, and personal interactions of the four singers redefining the artform.

But there’s drama happening onstage too.

“Opera is like telenovela. There’s comedy, there’s drama, there’s a love triangle, someone dies, the whole gamut. The whole artform—it’s just theater and we’re telling these stories as trained singers, that’s all it is,“ explained Lopez.

Those Who Wish To Sing Always Find A Song

As a reporter in the war zone for “NBC Nightly News,” Day discovered that she had little control over the content once it was produced, which she felt compromised the true humanitarian situations taking place. So she pivoted to film, where she had more say.

Day bills herself as a social justice and humanitarian filmmaker and also works as the publisher of IdaHome Magazine, which is how she learned about Lopez. After hearing her story, which Day describes as ‘deeply unjust’, she knew it deserved to be told in a film. Opera, which Day knew nothing about, offered the specific architecture of the story while the overt discrimination and determination to thrive against the odds made the message of the story universal.

Lead Editor Christen Skinner wasn’t sure she’d get involved. Since her move to Boise, she’d been busy with client work, though she’d held an interest in film from an early age. In Colorado, she’d worked on longer patient profiles for a local hospital, which ignited her interest in human stories.

“These were real people going through real struggles. Most of them have these amazing stories of overcoming insurmountable odds, which was inspiring. And I thought, ‘how do I do more of this?’,” she said.

In Idaho, Skinner connected with a local cinematographer who gave her number to Day. “My name is Karen Day. I’m a director. Do you have time to talk about editing a feature film?,” the text read.

Skinner said that they talked for two hours, but she declined. The next morning, Day asked to take her to coffee. “I knew if I met her in person, I’d be editing the film,” Skinner said.

Changing Their Tune

Skinner had no interest in opera, but was drawn to the project for its human story. Jodie Stackhouse, who worked on motion graphics, editing, and color, and worked with Day on several past films, said that he wasn’t much of an opera guy either. Director of Photography Pierce Klinke echoed his colleagues.

At 24 years old, Klinke admitted he had never listened to opera. “But in the time I’ve spent on this project, my ears have been tuned,” he said. “I’m someone that loves music and I listen to a lot of different genres, so it’s been cool to get exposure to that type of music and to have such privileged access to it.”

Klinke described their stars as world class, and said that he’s honored to see them perform and to share those special backstage moments. “The gravity of that is not lost upon me,” he said.

Each agreed that they’ve learned a lot throughout the project and have gained respect for the physical, mental, and spiritual work that goes into their performances.

“This is a group of cultural catalysts who are fighting a very ancient artform to be able to express themselves and arrive at their art, but it’s just unyielding,” Day said.

Opera Is Italian For Work

Day joked that one person can make a film with ‘a gimbal and a good iPhone’, but she’s the first to acknowledge that making a great film requires a committed crew.

“I’m a storyteller. But it’s collaborative. You can have the idea, but if you don’t have a crew that believes in it as much as you do, it falls flat,” Day said.

Each member of the crew wears a lot of hats, which Klinke said made them all more well rounded.

His filming revolved around performances or rehearsals, often trying to squeeze a camera in the faces of the stars as they prepared for a show, got their makeup done, or lived life on the road. Klinke explained that the impromptu nature of the interviews meant that they were not setting up lights and running sound. “We’re just getting things where we can,” he said.

Stackhouse’s days can vary, but may involve dropping in new audio and recutting a sequence to the beat of new music, or coloring a film segment that is nearly complete.

In past films, Stackhouse noted that the narrative has been more linear, which tends to come together more quickly. “With this film, we’ve got footage from the last two and a half years that we’re bringing together to create a story,” he said.

Skinner and Day work closely together, often sharing a screen as they discuss next steps for the characters they’ve come to love.

“Karen has a vision, and I want to make sure that I bring that to fruition,” Skinner said.

Facing The Music

Skinner likened editing to chipping away at marble until you arrive at the beauty. Her job is to make the viewer fall in love with the opera stars as human beings, so the audience relates to what is at stake. Their struggles are universal to anyone who has ever attempted to pursue a seemingly impossible dream.

“These aren’t actors, and we are controlling what the people watch. There’s a moment where one of the characters is ugly crying because of a decision she made, and people need to see a little bit, but they don’t need to see the whole thing. We don’t want it to come off as contrived, or to take advantage of these people,” Skinner explained. “Our story has changed so many times since we sat down in January, we keep going in these different directions. And every time we make a change, it is so much better.”

Stackhouse, who grew up in New England, attended a school with a robust music and art education program. But working on a film that chronicles the ways in which the commerce sometimes crushes artists has led him to consider the lack of art and music education in the public schools, a discussion the filmmakers hope “Aria” will raise.

Day eagerly anticipates the day “Aria” hits the big screen. “Sitting alone in the back of a theater is magic,” she said. “People are laughing and there are tears and you know that you’ve touched them with this story. It’s the best part about being a director,” she said.

The Show Must Go On

Day said she’s hopeful that “Aria” will help launch the careers of its young stars and bring a new audience to opera, especially in Idaho. The majority of the executive producers—i.e. those who provided the funding—are from this state, including Opera Idaho, which the film shows to be an unlikely cultural champion in the international world of opera.

“The potential for this film to have an impact on future generations is really exciting,” Klinke said. On a recent trip to the Met, he was struck by a more diverse audience and cast in MALCOLM X. “It would be amazing to hear, in 25 years, that someone watched our film as a little kid and believed it was something they could do,” he said.

Even as “Aria” is preparing for submission to film festivals, Day is at work on her next film, called “The Red Line.” Skinner, already an Emmy-winner, is excited to look for new ways to raise the bar for herself.

“It’s been 22 years now. 20 movies later, it’s never easy, but I still feel lucky to have this kind of opportunity. Being a filmmaker is kind of a dangerous blessing,” Day said.