This semester, Professor Ruben Gallo’s (Spanish and Portuguese) ECS course “Opera: Culture and Politics” introduced students to the history of European opera, focusing on 19th century composers in France, Germany, and Italy, and examined how politics and culture play out in this particular art form. The class took two excursions to New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House, where they saw Carmen by Georges Bizet and Don Giovanni by Mozart. Both performances featured Czech bass-baritone Adam Plachetka, who later joined the class in Princeton to discuss his experiences as a world-class opera singer.
“He was incredibly down-to-earth and genuinely eager to share his stories about preparing for a role, working within the Met, and navigating the world of opera,” said Brianna Dai ’28, of Plachetka’s visit to class. “But moreover, he was curious about our perspectives too. We ended up having this wonderful exchange – my experience as a pianist and composer, in conversation with his as a singer working with contemporary creations.”
ECS 362 students and opera dancers. Photo courtesy of Charlie Milberg
Gallo also arranged for several dancers in Carmen to join the class during its regular Monday afternoon meeting.
“It was such a privilege to have Melissa Rose Anderson and Cemiyon Barber come to speak with us and perform Carmen-inspired dances,” Charlie Milberg ’28 noted. “One of my favorite moments of their presentation was when they improvised while my fellow opera seminar classmates played the piano and guitar.”
Gallo is teaching a new ECS course in the spring, “Don Juan in Literature,” which will explore the major works focusing on the character of Don Juan by authors such as Tirso de Molina, Mozart, Molière, Lord Byron, and Pasolini.
