The School of Music and Theatre Professions presented a double bill of French, one-act works for the stage in January in Roussel Hall.
The Loyola Opera Theatre performed Debussy's “L’enfant prodigue” and Ravel’s “L’enfant et les sortilèges” – both about children and the lessons they must learn – in its annual, fully-staged opera production, said Carol Rausch, director of the school’s Opera Workshop.
The operas were double-cast, meaning a different set of students took to the stage at each performance. Rausch said the 95-minute production featured 28 students participating in the Opera Workshop.
Many of the students did not have previous knowledge of the operas, Rausch said, noting that introducing her students to new music is one of her favorite things to do as an educator.
“When we announced the operas we would be performing, you could see people kind of glaze over,” Rausch said, laughing. “The most rewarding part of the job for me is seeing the kids spark to the music and fall in love with it.”
Debussy’s “L’enfant prodigue,” first performed in 1884, is a setting of the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son, with a beautiful and exotic score best known for the poignant aria of Lia, the Mother. Ravel’s ”L’enfant et les sortilèges,” which premiered in 1925, features a naughty child who is punished for his behavior when the objects in his room come to life and seek to teach him a lesson.
The estate of James Maher III, a Loyola Law School graduate, gifted the University with an endowment to enhance the annual opera production beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, said his daughter, Colleen Maher Bond.
The Dreux Montegut Endowment for Opera also will go toward refurbishing the second-floor choral room, said Bond, who is the music director at Holy Name of Jesus Church. Further, the estate provided a cash gift for the current school year to start that enhancement now, she said.
