WORT 89.9FM Madison
Melanie Cain Haunted Fireside Tales
Even more exciting though, next weekend, Thursday the 26th and Saturday, the 28th Fresco Opera Theater presents their show at the end of Picnic Point that is haunted fireside tales. And here to tell us what is going on with that is Singer. I'm getting this all mixed up. Singer, voice teacher, co-founder, and artistic director of Fresco Opera Theater, Dr. Melanie Kane, Melanie. Welcome back to the show. - Thank you, nice to be here. So glad you're here. So I always love this show that you all put on. Before we talk about the show, first set the stage for us. Remind us about the setting out at the end of Picnic Point. - Yeah, so we stumbled upon the beautiful fire pit at the end of Picnic Point a couple years back and we're like, you know, good to a show here. So that's what we did. And so you'll come across it. We'll have the fire going. There's places to sit. You're welcome to bring your own chair as well. And we, this year we're doing classic campfire tales. And so we tell the tale and then we have chosen an aria or an ensemble to pair with that particular storyline. And so they will come out and sing that around the fire for you. - Awesome. All right, so let's dig into the program. So tell us a little bit more about that. - Well, we have lots of different opera. We have Verdi, Massone, Mozart, Handel, Bellini. So lots of different composers. We also are doing a dance to the dance macabre with a violinist. - Wow. - So that's kind of an upgrade this year. We have a piano that we bring out there, a keyboard. We also have an awesome narrator, Andrew Ravenscroft. - Oh, you've had him before. - Yes, and we will bring you through all of these stories and set you up for these aria's and these ensembles. - Well, that's amazing. - Yeah. - And your singers. Tell us a little bit about your singers. - Oh, we have five. I'm one of them. We also have Aaron Bryan, Aaron Sura, Dana Carlson, and Jesse Harrison. And then Stacey Raghir is our accompanist. So five very strong women vocalists for this event. And we're just ready to creep you out. - That is the best kickoff to, you know, a spooky season. - Yes, yes. So we need that temperature to come down. - Come down a little, but not too much. - Oh, okay. - Not too much, right? I'm ready for a fall. We would want to be like freezing cold. No, no. - Nice, nice. Well, that sounds really wonderful. Is there anything else you want to tell us that I did have on our wonderful partner here? Would you like to fill in anything? - This is a hot mic. Okay, great. - Yes, it is a hot mic. You're good morning, everyone. - Good morning. - Yeah, so, you know, for me, it's just a delight to be able to see the community come together under a canopy of stars, you know, around a fire and be able to experience both, you know, this wonderful art form, which we love opera with the elements. So we just get super excited about that. And we, you know, once those stories and areas are done, then we set you off in the dark to go back to where you came from, and hopefully you don't get snatched up by anything scary. So, yeah, it's a really magical time for us. The community loves it, and you know, right now, we're just getting prepped and set and rehearsals, and our home is filled with glitter and glue sticks right now, so, and we'll continue to find that glitter throughout the season after the show is done. So, we're super excited for everybody to come out there and experience, you know, what we think is one of those Madison gems, so. - Well, and I think just Fesco Opera Theater, everything that you do is really, you make opera accessible, you make it fun, you relate it to modern times, you set it in these very creative settings, and you're part of what makes the music scene here really wonderful. - Thank you, we have fun. - Thank you for all of your work, and I should credit, so Frank Kane is the other half of Fesco Opera Theater, capable artist and executive director and business supporter, part of what makes that all that programming possible. - Absolutely, yeah, I just do whatever Melanie tells me to do, so, and that keeps me going. - And that works out. - Exactly. - We'll keep them around for a while. - For a while, awesome. Well, thank you both so much for coming in today. - Thank you. - Thank you. - So, if you're just joining, we are speaking with Frank and Melanie Kane, the co-founders of Fesco Opera Theater, they will be presenting Haunted Fireside Tales, out at the end of Picnic Point, that's Thursday, September 26th, and Saturday, September 28th, that's at 7 p.m., just, you know, make your preparations. Get your chair, it is a one mile walk, there are no restrooms, you can prepare yourself, if you haven't been out there before, it's a beautiful setting, and it becomes more and more popular every year, so, check that out. Part of what we're gonna hear to kick off the show here is an aria, and I just have to cue that up, if I can do this, okay, so Melanie mentioned, we have a couple, you're gonna do McBeth again, sorry to come back in. - Which is chorus. - Which is chorus, and that says an ensemble. Okay, so we have the McBeth, which is chorus, and then we're gonna hear the Dance Macabre by Camille Sansel, and that is the story of death coming back to have a celebration, you hear the 12 times, you hear a lot of dancing that builds and builds and builds, and then you have the oboe, which is like, oh, the rooster crows, it's morning. - I love it. - Time to go back in your graves. You can find more information at frescoopera.com. [BLANK_AUDIO]
Ava Borelli talks to Melanie Cain about Haunted Fireside Tales on Classical Jukebox 9-19-24