The new opera The Red Silk Thread, An Epic Tale of Marco Polo takes us back to the 13th century, but its themes are still relevant today.
Composed by UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Stella Sung, the opera will debut next week at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Sung, director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment, has written about 100 compositions, but this is her first opera 麻豆精品 S� and she says it won 麻豆精品 S檛 be her last.
麻豆精品 S淚n doing the research, I discovered that I could develop a story 麻豆精品 S� based in historical fact or at least what we know of Marco Polo and Kublai Khan 麻豆精品 S� that would make a good opera plot, 麻豆精品 S� she said. 麻豆精品 S淒ashing world traveler plus a young and beautiful princess gives us the love element, but the thrust of the story has two central themes: one of fate and one of transformation, and this is really where the depth of the story is found. 麻豆精品 S�
The tale follows the Italian merchant on his travels to China, where he meets the Mongolian emperor and his daughter. The project took about nine months to complete with librettist Ernest Hilbert.
The story came about because Sung said she wanted to expound on the Chinese proverb that says 麻豆精品 S減eople who are meant to be together will also be connected by an invisible 麻豆精品 S榯hread 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� a feeling of being connected to those whom we are fated to meet. 麻豆精品 S�
The story line also interested her because her parents are from China. They met at UF and still live in Gainesville.
Sung joined UCF in 1987 as a visiting instructor in the Music Department. She soon became a full-time professor, teaching music theory, composition, piano, singing and other courses. In 2006, she became a professor of digital media in the , and in 2007 was named to her current post, where she develops multidisciplinary research-driven initiatives.
Drawing from that multidisciplinary background, she used digital technology to create a virtual set with projections.
麻豆精品 S淥ur set has been designed by a local group from Ninjaneer Studios, a small group of former UCF students who graduated from our character-animation program 麻豆精品 S� Joe Rosa, Heather Knott and Chris Brown, 麻豆精品 S� Sung said. 麻豆精品 S淭hey have worked very diligently to produce some spectacular virtual sets with slight animations, so that the set will feel like a 麻豆精品 S榣iving 麻豆精品 S� set. The ship scene will have some shimmering water, billowing sails, etcetera. I am incredibly excited to see these projected! 麻豆精品 S�
An ensemble cast of performers from the UF Opera Theatre, directed by Beth Greenberg, will be joined by the UF Symphony Orchestra led by Raymond Chobaz. From UCF, Thomas Potter, an associate professor of voice in the Music Department, will play a lead role of Kublai Khan.
Performances for The Red Silk Thread, which will be sung in English, will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17,聽and Saturday, April 19, at Phillips Center on the UF campus.
Tickets range from $25 to $40 and can be purchased from the box office at 352-392-2787.