“… like a moth to a flame …” –William Shakespeare  

THE FLAME!

What I Did for Love

Fiery scenes from the world of opera. Featuring music by Strauss, Mozart, Cimarosa, Sullivan, Massenet, Mussorgsky, and Mascagni!

Directed by Aram Barsamian

• Recital Hall, 800 N State College Blvd, Fullerton
• PERFORMANCES AND TICKETS: Saturday, July 19th, 2025 at 7:30pm
• ADMISSION: Adult $12.00, Child $7.00, Senior 55+ $9.00 and Student $9.00

Victor Hugo once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

A celebrated Fullerton College Professor has a passion for opera, and he recently told me why. Here is my interview with the much-admired former Opera singer himself, Professor Aram Barsamian.

Angela Hatcher with the Fullerton Observer: What inspired you to pursue a music career? 

Aram Barsamian: My mother. Music had always been a part of our lives, both popular and classical music. My mother had been a pop singer in Bulgaria before I was born and toured the country with her band. But she had also been a ballet dancer in school. She was a very good pianist and even a composer! She was the one who introduced me to the music of Beethoven, Mozart, Bellini, and Verdi – all the musical giants. She was the one who handed me a pile of old opera programs she had collected over the years, and reading the synopses of all the different operas ignited an intense curiosity in me about this art form, which I had yet to experience. I listened to different opera excerpts on the radio in Bulgaria, and I got to hearsome fantastic singers, who I later learned were American – Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry, Simon Estes, Marilyn Horne. Once I saw my first live opera, I was absolutely hooked. And, I have been madly in love with this art form for over forty years. In fact, the title of the textbook I use for my Introduction to Opera Class is“A Mad Love!”

Hatcher: Tell us something about your professional strengths and goals for the future of the Fullerton College Opera Studies.

Barsamian: I, myself, am a former opera singer. I began my professional opera career while I was still pursuing my Master’sDegree at USC. I had the opportunity to experience many operas, to sing with many extraordinary singers, and to work with great conductors and stage directors. I am now in the position where I can impart all of this knowledge, experience, and “stage savvy” to my students. Although we perform in a small recital hall, I want them to be ready to perform in the world’s largest opera houses.

Hatcher: Describe your teaching philosophy, particularly as it relates to opera and vocal performances.

Barsamian: Opera is theatre. Although the music is an essential and indispensable component of this genre, opera isn’t and mustn’t be merely about pretty tunes. Ever since Gluck’s Opera Reforms of the 18th Century, the debate has been settled– opera is, and must be, drama. I impress this upon my students daily. They must at all times be present in the drama of their scene. Every sound they make must be a result of the meaning they intend to transmit to the audience; it must not be merely pretty noise and it must carry meaning. When we perform on stage, we must feel that we are in a conversation, in a dialogue with the audience. 

Hatcher: What is your overall approach to specifically teaching opera?

Barsamian: I want to make sure that my students have a clear idea of what this art form is, and I want them to continually develop an appreciation for it. Many of our students have never had the opportunity to go to the opera, so they have nocontext of what the art form is and what the expectations are. We have a wonderful relationship with L.A. Opera; they have offered our students free tickets (a $90 value each!) many times over the years. Just last month, our opera class had the opportunity to see L.A. Opera’s magnificent, thought-provoking production of Rigoletto! Additionally, Fullerton College, being the student-centered institution that it is, has purchased a subscription to Medici TV – so that our students can watch hundreds of operas on video at their convenience. My personal approach to teaching opera is to always begin with the text – with the drama. We must be clear on what story we are going to tell. We must understand the drama and the relationships between the characters. Since we often perform in languages other than English, I prepare for our students’ materials that help them with translation and pronunciation. As a matter of fact, our current production, “The Flame,” includes scenes in five languages – English, Italian, French, German, and Russian! I believe that before there can be variation, there must be theme. We present the scenes in the original time periods, and in the original languages whenever possible. I do not have a philosophical objection to updating productions to different times/locales, but for our students, many who are encountering opera for the first time, presenting the operas in their original time periods and locales will give them a firm foundation for future interpretations. 

Hatcher: What was your vision for this production and how do you see the different elements such as the music, staging, and costumes coming together to create this cohesive experience?

Barsamian: This production, entitled “The Flame” takes the audience on an emotional and intellectual journey. The flame is a metaphor that transforms and is passed on from scene to scene. In “The Mikado”, the flame is amorous passion, suppressed by social mores and laws. In “The Secret Marriage” it is the flame of jealousy and rivalry. In “Esclarmonde”the flame is a metaphor for the sorceress’ powers of enchantment. In “The Magic Flute” the flame is brought onto the stage by three Spirits of the Enlightenment – the very ideology that transformed Europe in the 18thCentury and gave birth to our nation. In “Khovanschina” the flame is a metaphor for faith, but soon it becomes the refiner’s fire that will consume everything and everyone. And, we conclude our program with a resplendent scene from “Iris” where every member of the cast will extend their own flame of compassion, light, warmth, and love to every member of the audience. We are veryfortunate to have a fantastic costume designer in Margaret Tyree and a great lighting designer in Trevor Clayton. Their considerable skills and talents have truly helped fulfill my vision for this extraordinary program. (Please see the photos).

Hatcher: What drew you to this particular piece of music?

Barsamian: We are presenting seven scenes from seven different operas. Our program is quite varied from Viennese operetta to British operetta, to operetta buffa to a French romantic grand opera, toa Mozart Singspiel to a Russian nationalist opera, to an Italian verismo opera! Every single scene has extraordinary music in its own right. I chose these scenes to suit the unique talents of the students who auditioned for us and then fashioned them to fit into a narrative with an emotional arc. 

Hatcher: What were some of the challenges you faced with this production?

Barsamian: The challenges we encountered were the same challenges I was hoping we would encounter – since the way we learn is by overcoming difficulties. I tasked our students with learning a whole program of music in five different languages, four of which are foreign to them. I tasked them with understanding what every word means, with being able to think in these languages, with being able to honestly express these ideas while onstage. In six weeks! And, oh my goodness, the growth I have witnessed is simply extraordinary. Because of this challenge, our students are now better at languages, better as musicians, and better artists altogether.

Hatcher: What aspects and text in “The Flame” are you emphasizing?

Barsamian: The entire program points to our final message, delivered in glorious splendor through our scene from Iris: “My essence is compassion, eternal poetry – Love! Warmth, Light, Love!” These are our parting words to our audience. It all points to this. This is “The Flame”.

Hatcher: How do you work with students to help them develop their characters and interpret their roles?

Barsamian: From the very beginning, I make it clear that “acting” isn’t about artifice. Rather, it is about honesty, vulnerability, and truth. We have sought to understand the words, the relationships, the goals of each character. And then the hard part, from an acting point of view, is having the courage to separate oneself from oneself to see the world through the character’s eyes – to find a sense of empathy with the character and to have the courage to honestly express their truth. 

Hatcher: What is your rehearsal process like?

Barsamian: We rehearse for six weeks. Monday through Thursday, 1 – 4 PM. The first two weeks are devoted to music rehearsals and coaching; the next two weeks to blocking the show. The final two weeks are tech and dress rehearsals. 

Hatcher: How do you make opera come alive for the students, and how do you get them excited about the program? 

Barsamian: I tell them that what they are doing is something that is important, something worthwhile. I tell them that they have something unique and special to say through their individual voices and expression. For example, I spent time with the cast of ‘Esclarmonde”, speaking about the fact that the story we are telling is one of a woman’s liberation. She dares to break the law in order to assert her right to pursue her own happiness. This empowering message resonated strongly with our cast. With the cast of “Khovanshchina”, we spoke at length about what would motivate someone to choose a horrific end like self-immolation as preferable to being forced to live a lie. 

Hatcher: Why do you feel that it is important for students to be actively engaged in Fullerton College’s performing arts programs?

Barsamian: I feel that art is important because through art, we understand who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. Through art, we talk about what it means to be human and to go through life. I want our students to experience the great richness and wisdom great artists have left us, and I want them to pass that on to their children and students one day. 

Hatcher: How would your students describe you?

Barsamian: Passionate, intense, firm, but caring, I hope.

Hatcher: What is your process for working with the technical team such as the lighting, sound, stage, etc?

Barsamian: I could not be more grateful to Ms. Tyree and Mr. Clayton. Without them, my vision for this production and its message would simply not come to life. Their work turns all of our work in the rehearsal studio into a magical experience on the theatrical stage.

Hatcher: What do you believe is the significance of opera within the Fullerton College Music Program?

Barsamian: Opera flexes one’s performing in unique way. It is one thing to sing in a recital, where on is the only character onstage. Being in an opera production, where one is having to act and react to other performers challenges one to engage one’s creativity in a different way. Having this experience and flexing this performance “muscle” in this way renders better artists altogether. 

Hatcher: Lastly, what do you see as the future of opera? 

Barsamian: The future of opera is bright! I love reading my students’ assignments in which they review the operas I have assigned them to watch. I love to talk to them after we attend an L.A. Opera performance. They are enchanted by this art form. They get it! And, they are thirsty for more. Opera is amazing. I have talked to so many former students who have shared with me that watching a certain opera I showed them in class changed the course of their lives! Now it is up to us, music educators, to make sure that our students have the opportunity to experience opera, as audience members and as performers. And so, this has been my life’s mission. THIS is my flame. 

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