La Salle Opera Company provides new musical perspective

By Hannah Sussman
Collegian Staff
March 22, 2006

Allen Jordan announced some exciting musical theater news with the formation of the La Salle Opera Company. The company’s spokesperson, Jordan said, “Here on campus will be a new, entirely student-run organization dedicated to the composition and performance of our own original, Lasallian opera. No experience is necessary to be a company member. All a person needs is the desire to be involved in an original student opera production, and we will teach you the rest.”

Allen Jordan is spokesperson for La Salle Opera Company, a student-run organization
dedicated to the composition and performance of original Lasallian opera.
Photo taken by Hannah Sussman.

Many positions still need to be filled, including composers, conductors, writers, lyricists, librettists, singers, rappers, actors, choristers, instrumentalists, orchestra, choreographers, dancers, stage designers, costume designers, light and sound technicians.

“We recognize people with different abilities want to be involved, so we have artistic, business and technical positions to meet their interests,” Jordan said. “One of the most creative results is expected to be a fully-notated score written by the composers. The score shows all the music which the conductor will use.”

Creating a score means the conductor, orchestra and others will have to develop and then read a notational system.

“We will show the composers how to write music and create a score,” Jordan said. He expects the productions to generate tremendous enthusiasm from fellow students, faculty and staff as they watch people they know perform in fresh and exciting contexts.

“We will let our aspiring composers explore Hip Hopera, Rock Opera, Comic Opera and Serious Opera,” Jordan said. “Then our conductors will translate their ideas into sound. This means if you play guitar and sing songs or if you write rap lyrics then your music could be heard by a large audience.”

Jordan is confident the Company will be a success. He believes it will fill a musical niche for a diverse group of students. As President of the popular Neo-African Drums group Œn Dance, Jordan has successfully helped guide the group through a fast-growing number of in-demand concerts. He believes his experience with that group will help him get business matters moving quickly with the Company.

“I will be involved with the writing of the Company’s constitution, securing funding and the management of what I expect will be a large and talented group of performers and technicians, all the while guiding the productions to successful performances,” Jordan said.

The culmination of the Company’s work will be an original opera production towards the end of each semester. Jordan is inviting anyone with music, vocal, theater, technical or business interests to attend a meeting on Tuesday, March 28 at 1 p.m. in Olney 105 where positions will be assigned. For more information, contact jordanc1@lasalle.edu.

sussmanh1@lasalle.edu