The Computer Kid's Magic Night
by Joann E. Feldman
Friday-March 4, 2016 - 7:30pm
Saturday-March 5, 2016 - 2:00pm
LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA
(925) 943-7469
Tickets on sale now at
There has been a great deal of
discussion, among those in the opera community (Note: I am not addressing
developers of the Opera search engine), about how to interest young people in
the art form. The question is rhetorical, and we all know the answer: “Make
opera relevant to today’s youth.” Easier said than done.
The smallest kids still enjoy
“Hansel und Gretel” (Humperdinck), “Noyes Fludde” (Britten) and “Amahl and the
Night Visitors” (Menotti). There are newer entries to the repertoire: “The
Little Prince” (Portman), “Brundibar” (Krasa) and “Where the Wild Things Are”
(Knussen). What all these pieces have in common is the propensity to limit
thematic material to traditional or classic children’s stories and simple moral
themes. That’s all good, but does modern treatment of an old story make it
modern or relevant? From my perspective, as a parent, writer and singer,
relevance must reside in the subject
matter, not in its treatment.
There can be no more relevant topic
for millennial families than our engagement with technology. Studies have been
done, books have been written, online forums exist about this topic that is so
challenging to the modern family. The term “screen time” sums up our conundrum
with regard to the influence of technology on our kids.
So, I ask you: Has this relevant,
modern topic ever been the subject of an opera?
If your answer is “No,” I am very
happy to be able to reply, “You are wrong!”
As it happens, the subject features
prominently in Joann E. Feldman’s “The Computer Kid’s Magic Night.” If you are
surprised to learn this, you will be equally astonished to learn that this 50
minute opera is listed in OPERA America’s Opera For Youth Directory and that it
had its premier in 1986. That’s no typo, folks.
Full disclosure: I saw the premier
of this opera. My future husband had been cast in the production, offered at
Sonoma State University, so I attended. A show about computers and kids! Wow! I
found the music to be charming and engaging, the story clever and full of fun.
At that time, I was a recent university graduate. I would not own a personal
computer for another 5 years (a second-hand Macintosh Plus); I had typed all my
school papers on an Underwood typewriter. The very thought of computers
becoming ubiquitous, much less more seductive than television, was something I
just couldn’t fathom (mainly because I didn’t play videogames and had had very
little exposure to computers during my university days). But, I remember
thinking, as I watched this show, “How prescient
of the author/composer to have seen that the computer can be promoted as an
educational tool for kids.”
Looking at the story now, with 30
years of computing life behind me and two teens in high school, I see the even
deeper message: Technology is indeed a valuable educational tool, as long as it
isn’t so intrusive that it replaces all other ways of learning, all other types
of interactions, all other activities.
Parents, educators and kids, this is
a wonderful show to spark thought and discussion on this very important topic!
Kudos to Solo Opera for being courageous and cutting-edge in bringing this
very timely and relevant opera to
millennial audiences, with updated technological references and a fine cast of
singers!
~ Elisabeth T. Eliassen is a Bay Area singer (mezzo-soprano),
writer (ASCAP), and parent.
