The Shepherd School of Music’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Falstaff” brought the composer’s final masterpiece to Morrison Theater at Rice University’s Brockman Hall for Opera over three performances in April. Directed by Matt Hune, artistic director and co-founder of Rec Room Arts, the production set the opera’s Shakespearean farce inside a modern country club, a staging choice that sharpened the comedy’s skewering of ego, class and social gamesmanship.
“By updating the story to a contemporary setting, it allowed audiences to relate to Shakespeare’s characters in a different way than when it is set in the original 15th-century period,” said Joshua Winograde, director of opera studies. “The audience investment felt more urgent and immediate because these characters became our friends and neighbors.”
A cast of 33 students performed alongside a 51-piece orchestra, the largest pit ensemble in Brockman Hall’s history, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the school’s distinguished resident director of orchestras. The entirely Houston-based creative team included costume, scenic and lighting designers drawn from the city’s theater community, marking a first for the Shepherd School.
Sung in Italian with English surtitles, “Falstaff” is widely considered one of the most demanding works in the operatic repertoire for both singers and instrumentalists. The production reflected the Shepherd School’s continued commitment to programming that challenges its students at the highest professional level while inviting Houston audiences into the experience.
Learn more about the opera studies program on the Shepherd School’s website.
