Figaro to screen on KET!

Figaro to screen on KET! May 25th!

KET KY to air documentary on ‘Figaro’ production
Collaboration by UofL and Polish academy drew rave response

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – “Figaro! Living in the Moment of a Character,” a feature-length documentary about an opera production by the University of Louisville School of Music and Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, will be aired this month on KET KY television.

FilmbyFrame, an independent film company based in Portland, Ore., followed the rigorous three-month schedule of singers from the two schools and their behind-the-scenes preparation for "The Marriage of Figaro" performances in Louisville and Katowice.

KET selected the film for broadcast statewide on its KET KY channel, 192 on local Insight cable, at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 25; 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 26; and 1 a.m. Saturday, May 29. It will run again this summer at times to be determined.
Mike Ramach, UofL Opera Theatre director, said the opera's production was just as complicated as its plot.
“We’ve had an exchange program since 2003, but the 2007 opera was our most logistically involved project to date,” Ramach said. “Combining two casts from two schools from two countries on two continents and performing in two cities, not to mention two languages, provided a drama of its own.”
Producer Dan Schaefer, a veteran concept artist for Hollywood films and commercials and an instructor at the Art Institute of Portland, followed the adventure step by step as the long-distance “marriage” drew capacity crowds and standing ovations in its final performances in January 2008 in Katowice.
Schaefer edited more than 60 hours of film to capture the spirit as well the voices of the students -- and the director's angst. More than 200 guests viewed the documentary's premiere Feb. 13 at the Margaret Comstock Concert Hall on the Belknap Campus.

Figaro to air on KET!

The documentary film, Figaro: Living in the Moment of a Character will air on Kentucky Educational Television on July 25th at 8:00 pm EDT. The film will be broadcast and available for viewing in 5 regions covering 5 neighboring states.

Upcoming Airdates:

* KETKY: Tuesday, May 25 at 8:00 pm EDT
* KETKY: Wednesday, May 26 at 11:00 am EDT
* KETKY: Saturday, May 29 at 1:00 am EDT

Article as it appeared in the LEO newspaper!

Saturday, Feb. 13
‘Figaro’
Margaret Comstock Concert Hall
U of L’s Belknap Campus
Free; 7:30 p.m.

In 2007, U of L’s Michael Ramach embarked on an ambitious, cross-continental production of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.” The cast and orchestra included Louisville students as well as members of the Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland. Ramach looked to webcams and voice-over Internet protocol to help bridge the gap during rehearsals, and collapsible sets were designed to be more easily whisked through our local UPS hub. Cameras rolled as the two-city opera overcame cultural barriers and a tandem of conductors who didn’t always see eye-to-eye. The result is Dan Shaefer’s “Figaro.” Noting a lack of behind-the-scenes coverage in this performance-focused genre, producer/director Shaefer says he was motivated to show the building of an opera from the ground up. The 1 hour, 50 minute documentary will premiere Saturday at U of L. —J. Christian Walsh

Figaro: Living in the Moment of a Character

It was early in 2007. The idea of going to Kentucky and then Poland to shoot/produce a film about the making of an opera, Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, was unexpected and suddenly very exciting. Now almost 3 years later the film has had it's premiere in Louisville Kentucky and has begun it's new path to reaching an audience. I should have been writing a journal at some point. I think I started one on the way and then begun shooting. At that point the idea of writing stuff down went away as I struggled with the camera in a variety of locations(the bus, back stage in the dark, restaurants, and everyplace the singers would be) and went on to document a truly great event! I'll try to add everything I know and encourage the other participants to comment on this journey that crossed two continents and two languages.