By CAITLIN BOWSHIER Staff Writer

A new contemporary opera, “We’ve Got Our Eye on You,” was given its official Midwest premiere by members of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music’s vocal performance program last weekend at the Kleist Center for Art and Drama’s Black Box Theatre.

“We’ve Got Our Eye on You,” written by composer Nkeiru Okoye, first premiered in 2015. BW’s production of this opera, which ran from Feb. 3 through Feb. 6, was the first in the Midwest region.

According to junior vocal performance major Katherine Fisfis, who spoke with The Exponent prior to the run, premiering a new show was a very challenging experience.

“The thing with new works is you don’t have anything to base your performance off of,” Fisfis said. “You’re going from scratch.”

Fisfis noted that it was especially exciting to premiere this work, as it was composed by Okoye, who is a woman of color.

“It’s very rewarding to get to perform pieces that are done by historically underrepresented people,” Fisfis said. “It feels good to be able to take part in that.”

Okoye’s opera is a comedic commentary on modern hookup culture featuring figures from Greek mythology. This includes Perseus, son of Zeus; Pythia, an oracle at Delphi; a chorus of six storytellers; and the three leads of the show, the Graeae sisters.

Sophia Sorrentino, senior vocal performance major, noted that the contemporary style of the opera posed a unique challenge for many cast members.

“This show is not your typical opera at all,” said Sorrentino. “It has definitely put a lot of us out of our comfort zone. But I feel like that’s been a good experience for all of us to have.”

Fisfis said “We’ve Got Our Eye on You” is unlike other operas she is used to singing because it "shares characteristics with lot of different genres," such as jazz, musical theatre and classical opera.

However, Fisfis said that the opera’s wide range of musical influence was not a negative thing. She said that it contributes to the show’s accessibility for a larger audience, along with other factors.

“It’s almost like a gateway drug for opera,” Fisfis said. “It’s only an hour long, it’s in English … It’s very easy to consume.”

Sorrentino said another challenge of this production has been the short time frame for rehearsals, which started only a few weeks ago on Jan. 9. “Trying to put it all together in a month has definitely been an insane experience,” Sorrentino said. “But it has also been a very rewarding experience.”

“This show is not your typical opera at all. It has definitely put a lot of us out of our comfort zone. But I feel like that’s been a good experience for all of us to have.”

The “intense and frequent” rehearsal schedule posed a challenge for Fisfis as well, who said it was difficult

A wide range of ages are represented amongst the members, from nineteen to early sixties. In an atmosphere based on music, membership in the ensemble offers queer individuals the opportunity to experience inclusion and to express their gender identities. The diversity and integration of so many ages allow for the youth to look forward to their futures all the while building connections.

Godsey said: “It’s just a very open and welcoming space. It's also really cool because we have quite a few members of the choir who are older trans people and I can't even express how cool it is to be in close contact with trans people who are well into their adult life. And to just be able to see that and know that it's possible for us to live full lives to older ages.” coming back from break and “immediately having to hit the ground running.”

Grady hopes that a qualified trans individual will take over for her in the coming future.

Prior to Covid-19, the vocalists performed at Pride Cleveland, Pride Youngstown, Pride in The Valley and even walked in the parade for Mansfield Pride. Along with this, they perform annually on Nov. 20 at the United Church of Christ in Shaker Heights for Transgender Day of Remembrance.

First-year vocal performance major Maribell Salazar also said scheduling was a significant obstacle, but otherwise has had a positive experience with the show.

“This is my first opera,” Salazar said. “So far, it’s been really easy to maneuver through everything. They [the show’s directors] have made it very clear on what they want and how to do it.”

Salazar additionally said that the most gratifying parts of the experience were participating in her first sitzprobe – a rehearsal with a full orchestra – and working with her peers on other technical aspects.

“To feel myself singing with the instrumentalists … it was just so amazing. It really made me feel like I’m in a show,” Salazar said. “And seeing ourselves do choreography— that is so fun and so rewarding once it’s finally done.” FOLLOW