“The Marriage of Figaro” A Beginner’s Guide [] LIFELONG LEARNING

Instructor: Phillip Silver

February 6  | 10-12, 1-3 p.m.  NOTE TIME–Morning AND Afternoon 

Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunches to avoid delays using restaurants.

With some of the most glorious music ever written, The Marriage of Figaro is one of the most frequently performed (and banned) operas in the repertoire.  In this introduction to the opera, we’ll discuss opera in general and the life and revolutionary times of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  We’ll play detective as we analyze the somewhat complicated plot, while enjoying some of the musical highlights of the “mad day” of Figaro’s wedding to Susanna, including the Count’s attempt to thwart the marriage, the Countess’s heartbreak and the many twists which other colorful characters add to the chaos.​

The class is the perfect preparation for you to enjoy the Pro Musica San Miguel presentation of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro on February 7 and 8, 2025.

The class is in two parts, morning and afternoon. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunches to avoid delays using restaurants.

Tickets for performances of the opera can be purchased on the Pro Musica San Miguel website.  https://www.promusicasma.org/tickets-and-events

Phillip Silver is a Canadian designer of scenery, costume, and lighting for opera, theatre, and dance, with close to 300 productions to his credit (including two productions of The Marriage of Figaro).  His work has been seen across Canada, in the U.S., and in the West End. He taught design at York University in Toronto and served there as Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. His approach to design builds on a strong understanding of the storyline as the genesis for the action, the words and the music in opera, spoken theatre and musical theatre. In 2008, he was honored with induction to the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts.  He has previously taught LLP courses on opera, on stage design, on the history of clothing and on Jewish fashion designers.