With hip hop and pop recently dominating the radio waves, opera music has become more a thing of the past

SF State's Opera Workshop is now out to prove that opera is not just glass-shattering performances by large women – as cartoons suggest – during a first-time gala benefit on Oct. 28.

“We're trying to get opera a little bit more mainstream in the College of Creative Arts,” said Alissa Deeter, the professor in charge of the workshop. “(The gala) is a really nice way of doing it.”

The performance in Knuth Hall, starting at 8 p.m. and followed by a dessert reception, showcases various arias and small ensembles. It will showcase selections from well-known opera composers, such as Puccini, Verdi, and Mozart.

“If you're at all interested in opera, it's some of the best music in the opera repertoire, without committing to a three-hour opera,” said Deeter. “It's a nice variety, a nice mix of different selections. It's a really nice cross section of the more popular selections from the more popular operas."

The class behind the gala is the Opera Workshop, which holds various performances each semester. For instance, one semester there will be a big opera production, co-produced with the theater department, according to 20-year-old music major, Jonathan Dauermann, who has worked with the workshop for two years.

Other semesters will see a chamber opera, which is smaller in resources and in length. Last semester's full production, although not an opera itself, was “West Side Story,” while this year's production will be Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld," to be produced in the spring.

"It’s really a training ground for singers and actors to hone their crafts in the opera repertoire," Deeter said. "Opera is really growing. I'm really excited about it."

Education is the main goal of the workshop, which is designed to bring together all components that go into a production.

"Some semesters, the workshop focuses on scene study and techniques – how to balance music and drama," Dauermann said.

The performance aspect of the workshop is important, according to SF State alumna and former workshop student, Lauren Morris.

"The idea is to get students comfortable on stage," Morris said, who currently works in the Music and Dance Department's office. "The students do exercises to break out of their daily shell."

For instance, Morris explained, Deeter will assign scenes for various students to perform. She'll then have them work on character analysis, and learning through rehearsal how to deal with staging.

As for the gala itself, it's not only a fundraising event designed to bring in financial support for the department, but also to bring attention to the craft itself.

"October is National Support the Arts month," Morris said. "Music and art departments are in need of attention and exposure."