ector Agredano Sandoval and Joshua Bravo are ready to take their adaptations of Rodolfo and Marcello to the Fresno State stage after seeing “La Bohème” a few weeks ago at one of the most famous opera houses in the world: the Royal Opera House in central London.
Agredano Sandoval and Bravo took a study abroad course with Fresno State, ‘London: A 21st-Century Musical City,” over the 2024-2025 winter session.
There, they had a rare opportunity for opera students like themselves: to see the opera they had been rehearsing all semester, performed by notable tenor Stefan Pop and baritone Mikhail Timoshenko, at the world-renowned Royal Opera House.
Agredano Sandoval saw their production not once, but twice, as he attended a second show on his own.
“For me, it was definitely how professional it was,” said Agredano Sandoval. “The acting, the singing, the energy from the entire cast that I saw, that’s something that I definitely want to bring into my performance here. From going to rehearsals last semester, trying to learn the music, the rhythms, the notes, and then seeing it fully performed in one of the best opera houses in the whole world, just really being inspired by the energy.”
It was producer and professor of voice and opera Dr. Anthony Radford’s idea to get tickets for the students on their trip to London.
“I think just to see it in its entirety played by professionals was good for them, because sometimes when you’re putting on an opera, you don’t have the greatest sense of what it looks like as a whole, unless you’ve seen it performed, and especially seen it performed live, and especially seen it performed by the best in the world,” said Radford.
Fresno State Opera Theatre is joining forces with the Fresno State Symphony Orchestra in accompaniment to take on Giacomo Puccini’s classic tale of love and disease — which will be sung in Italian, with English translation through projected subtitles.
Along with Agredano Sandoval and Bravo’s unique takes on their respective roles, Fresno State’s production introduces another reinventive twist- they have reimagined the original opera, set in the 1830s, to take place in 1950s Paris.
“The role of Musetta is really cool, played like a Marilyn Monroe character,” said Radford. “And she fits into the ’50s theme, of course. But it’s mostly practical, and the fact that ever since ‘Mad Men,’ it’s kind of in style to do things in the ’50s and the ’60s, you know. We kind of get it, and it’s kind of cool.”
That said, this production is sure to be a one-of-a-kind performance, unlike any takes on this classic opera that you’ve ever seen.
“Opera, sometimes I feel like, is like a reflection of self,” said Agredano Sandoval. “You see the drama, you see the good and the bad in the characters. It’s like looking into a mirror. So I hope that people really relate to the characters and the story and love the amazing composer, Puccini. That they love and feel his music and that we do a great job of performing that story and that music as well.”
The production features 55 members of the Fresno State Symphony Orchestra and 18 Opera Theatre performers who will perform for the completely sold out 270-seat Fresno State Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2.
“We don’t have a theater like Covent Garden,” said Radford. “But this space, with this many seats and this many players, what I’m really excited about is for people to experience the power- the energy of the singers, the energy of the players in this intimate setting. That’s what I’m excited about.”
Olivia Pavao is a junior at Fresno State majoring in Broadcast and Multiplatform Journalism. She also works for the award winning student-run newspaper, The Collegian. After partaking in all sorts of performing arts over the years, she now enjoys watching from the sidelines (and writing about it.) She is an intern for The Munro Review. @oliviapavao on social media.