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A spellbinding production of the fairytale-inspired musical 鈥淚nto the Woods鈥� by 老司机福利网鈥檚 program earned second place in the 鈥檚 annual production competition鈥攖he third time Pacific has placed in the top three for its division in the past six years.

Nearly 90 entries were submitted, which are divided by undergraduate and graduate levels, production size and budget. Pacific tied for second with Queens College in New York in Division III.

鈥淲e put so much work into this show, and to see it get recognized was amazing,鈥� said Jordan Yang 鈥�24, a voice performance major who played the role of Cinderella. 鈥淭he professors and students are so passionate about what we do, and I think that love for the craft goes a long way into how well a production does.鈥�

Twenty-three students performed under the direction of Professor of Opera James Haffner and Associate Professor of Voice Eric Dudley along with Assistant Music Director Carl Pantle and Production Manager James Gonzales. Watch behind the scenes video of the spring production.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud of our students for stepping up and giving us their best,鈥� Haffner said, pointing to the Act Two performance of the song 鈥淵our Fault鈥� as one of the show鈥檚 highlights.

鈥淵ou have to choreograph it down to the note and the staging is very intricate,鈥� Haffner said. 鈥淚t took us exactly seven minutes to stage it because the students knew the music and scene inside and out. I was able to achieve a level of collaboration with the students where we truly were 50/50. As a teacher, it鈥檚 exceptionally rewarding.鈥�

As part of an immersive new professional practice initiative, students in the Music Industry Studies and Music Management programs recorded the performance, which was used as the entry submission to the National Opera Association.

鈥淭hey filmed with five cameras, and we had high-quality audio recording as well,鈥� said Associate Professor of Practice Bruce Chrisp, who worked with students on the production. 鈥淭hey went to several rehearsals and practiced recording those, and then we recorded all four of the performances.鈥�

After selecting which performance to submit, students did extensive work editing audio and video together, selecting shots and color correcting the video. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like on-the-job training,鈥� Chrisp said. 鈥淚t gives them real-world experience.鈥�

Pacific Opera Theatre is preparing for its spring production, 鈥淎lcina鈥� by George Handel. The opera, about a sorceress who lives on an enchanted island, will be performed March 21-24, 2024, at Faye Spanos Concert Hall. 

Alumnus excels in National Opera Association competition

Pacific alumna Taylor Carnes 鈥�19 also achieved success in this year鈥檚 competition. Carnes was the stage director for 鈥淎 Streetcar Named Desire鈥� at the University of North Texas which won first place in Division VII. Carnes worked on the production as her final project for a certificate program at the university.

鈥淭he show was absolutely phenomenal,鈥� said Haffner, who saw the production while teaching a workshop in the area. 鈥淚t was very well directed, the design choices that she and the team made were brilliant for the space.鈥�

Haffner worked closely with Carnes when she was a student at Pacific. 

鈥淧rofessor Hafner is the best mentor I could possibly ask for. And he continues to mentor me. I talk to him about once a month,鈥� Carnes said. 鈥淚 feel really honored to be on the same list (opera association competition winners) as somebody who I admire and has taught me so much.鈥�

Carnes now works with companies as a freelancer. Most recently she finished a production of 鈥淏arber of Seville鈥� with the LA Opera where she was the assistant director.