A team of musicians and artists at Northern Arizona University won first place in the National Opera Association Opera Production Competition with their spring 2018 performance of \u201cDie Zauberfl\u00f6te.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team, led by Lyric Opera director and associate professor of practice\u00a0Eric Gibson<\/strong>, won Division III in the competition, with performances from Texas A&M Commerce and The University of Montana rounding out the top three finishers. Gibson stage-directed and designed the show, including the set, costumes and props; Michele Collins did the lighting design; and Daniel O\u2019Bryant<\/strong>, the director of orchestras in the School of Music, conducted the NAU Symphony during the performance. Students performed the show.<\/p>\n This is the first time an NAU student ensemble has won a national award.<\/p>\n \u201cDie Zauberfl\u00f6te,\u201d German for \u201cThe Magic Flute,\u201d is about a young prince, Tamino, who falls in love with Pamina, the Queen of the Night\u2019s daughter. To prove his worthiness, he undergoes trials of fire and water and returns the land from darkness to sunlight.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I am most proud of is that Mozart\u2019s music is so difficult to sing at all, let alone in German,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a particular style, Singspiel<\/em> (basically comic opera) and the students needed to master not only difficult singing but comedic timing. They did both. What I\u2019m proud of personally is that it was noted in our critique that our opera looked very lush, and the design was beautiful. That\u2019s all us. We don\u2019t have staff to do that, so it was an effort by all the students and me. That feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n