When Janese Pentico stepped onto the stage as Cinderella in North Park鈥檚 spring production of Cendrillon, it took her breath away. 鈥淚 felt as though I was standing on the stage of a traditional old opera house,鈥� says Pentico, a graduate student in music. 鈥淚t was so exciting.鈥�
North Park鈥檚 production of the French-language opera took place in April at the Athenaeum Theatre, one of Chicago鈥檚 oldest and grandest theatres.
鈥淣orth Park was so generous in giving us this wonderful off-campus opportunity to perform on a proscenium stage,鈥� says Nyela Basney, North Park鈥檚 artistic director of opera, referring to the Athenaeum鈥檚 stage, which features a dramatic overhead arch that essentially frames the performance.
What鈥檚 more, the theatre, located in the city鈥檚 Lakeview neighborhood, has excellent acoustics for not-yet-mature voices. 鈥淭he venue is young-singer friendly and didn鈥檛 force us to push and misuse our instruments,鈥� says Kelsey Welch, an opera major who played one of the mean stepsisters (known as 鈥渢he ugly sisters鈥� in this
production). More than 40 North Park musicians performed in this production.
Rehearsals for Cendrillon took place in the newly renovated Hanson Hall, where classrooms were outfitted with new acoustics and climate control, and a new elevator installed as part of a six-month refurbishment that wrapped up in November 2017. A celebration of the renovated Hanson Hall, originally opened in 1947, took place in mid-February.
Renovating Hanson was 鈥渁 huge boost鈥� for the music program at North Park, says School of Music, Art, and Theatre Dean Craig Johnson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a recognition of the historical importance of music and the arts in the North Park community.鈥�
High-profile productions such as Cendrillon, along with the Hanson Hall facelift, will ensure North Park attracts top-tier talent.
鈥淣orth Park is widely considered one of the top opera programs in Chicago,鈥� Basney says. 鈥淲e might not be as large as the other schools, but we provide a wonderful niche where our students receive high-level training with very personal attention from supertalented teachers.鈥�