Everyone has their own reason for watching the Super Bowl—to
eat Subway sandwiches and gorge oneself on chips and dip while spending time
with friends and family, to watch the million dollar commercials, or probably
to actually watch the football. However, I will be tuning in to hear Renée
Fleming, arguably the most acclaimed and renowned opera singer currently sing
the national anthem before kickoff. This is the first time an opera singer has
ever performed at the Super Bowl, showing the true celebrity factor of Renée’s
opera success. I am interested to see what national audiences think of hearing
The Star-Spangled Banner performed in an opera style. Will having millions of
viewers hear a beautiful voice encourage more Americans to listen to classical
music? While classical music used to be the most popular genre, it is now the
genre that is most at threat for extinction. Opera has already tried to use
technology to get more viewers and become more accessible. The Metropolitan
Opera House does live broadcasts of their operas that stream live to movie
theaters in the country. However, I believe bringing Renée Fleming into the
homes of millions of Americans in the most watched event on television is the
key to revitalizing the classical music and opera genres.
It is interesting to ponder what part of operas challenge lies in media (getting opera on television) and what part lies in musical style. This would be an interesting angle to pursue in terms of "media is the message." Perhaps opera is more like "reading culture" and demands more attention than we are trained to give to music today?
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