Bella Cadirola
Arts Scholar
Pentathalon Semester 1
As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during my first semester. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.
Django on Netflix
September 19, 2020, my dorm
I watched a notable movie of the Quentin Tarantino franchise. It was very interesting because all his movies have some sort of historical aspect with an action packed fictional plot. The ending isn't expected at all and it was a very entertaining movie. This doesn't connect with my major but I do enjoy these movies. #film
How an Art Forger Tricked a Nazi (TED Talk)
October 3, 2020
I watched a Ted Talk on how a Dutch artist tricked Göring into buying a fake Verneer painting. He worked for six years in private; perfecting his painting techniques, researching Vermeer's style and materials, and even panted the painted with a certain type of resin, then baking it so the painting would appear authentic. Vermeer would've be put in the electric chair had he not proved to Bleding that all of his paintings that made a lot of money, were in fact fake. This doesn't apply to my major at all, but I thought it'd be an interesting story! #presentation
Met Opera on Demand: Le Nozze di Figaro
October 22, 2020
I watched the Met Opera's production of the Marriage of Figaro from 2014. I had never seen the opera in its entirety up until this point. It's one of my top three operas now. It's comedic, and romantic. I've sung a couple of duets, and arias for my degree so it was cool to see the song in context. #theater
Bach Cantata: Ich Hatte Viel Bekümmernis
October 15, 2020
I watched the Bach Cantata performance on livestream. The performance itself was in person and socially distanced with less instrumentation and choristers. It was a big deal because it was the first in person School of Music hosted event in COVID times. As part of my Choral Activities internship, I got to help out with the marketing for this event. I made the program, flyers, and helped send information from the conductor to people who needed it. It was nice to see music being made from Dekelbaum again, and my friend got to be a soloist! #music
Pomodoro Study Session
December 12, 2020
I attended a Pomodoro study session with Gabrielle. I studied for 45 mins and then had a 5 min break in between, where Gabrielle taught some dance stretches to Dua Lipa's new rules. I had already heard of the Pomodoro technique prior to this session. However I think having it in a group session made me feel more accountable and I had a goal to reach by the end of the session. #artsscholars #dance
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Pentathalon Semester 2
Follow along this semester as I document my arts experiences this semester.
Lucia di Lammermoor
January 31, 2021
I watched the famous Donizetti opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, for my pentathlon. It is a tragic opera by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist, Salvadore Cammarano, wrote it based on Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor. Written in 1835, this opera was before the peak of Donizetti’s fame. Nowadays, Lucia di Lammermoor is seen as the most reputable opera of Donizetti. The story is similar to that of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; Lucia is caught in a feud between her own family and that of the Ravenswoods. The setting is the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland in the 17th century. For me, I haven’t listened to much of Donizetti’s work, I prefer Bellini as a composer (who was another notable composer during that time period). I wanted to watch this production of Lucia di Lammermoor because this version has Natalie Dessay in it, and this is her most famous role. Someday, I’d really like to perform as Lucia and sing her awesome mad scene arias (pictured). This content relates to my major because I’m pursuing a dual degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education. Donizetti’s music is notoriously difficult to perform and sing well. This experience was unique because I never thought I’d be able to watch operas online. Although the opportunity is nice, I think online operas undermine the beauty of the music #theater
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Pentathalon Semester 2
(continued)
The Help
February 25, 2021
I watched The Help on Netflix. It’s a period drama film based on the book by Kathryn Stockett. The story in itself is fictional but it’s based on real historical context. Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, the movie is about the relationship between black maids (which were referred to as the help during this time) and white children. Skeeter, a white journalist, decides to write a book from the point of view of the maids, exposing the racism they are faced with as they work for white families. The film amassed $216 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics. Most of the women in the cast received academy award nominations for their acting, however the film has also been critiqued as being a white savior narrative story.
This movie doesn’t relate to my major in any way, but I decided to watch it because I had heard many good reviews about it. It shows a glimpse of what black women had to go through in a way but definitely not up to the degree I’d expect in reality. I was wondering while watching the film, how did the help deal with getting fired and moving to help with a new family? In the film, it definitely shows how the women had practically raised the white children instead of their actual mothers. In fact, the author of the book, Kathryn Stockett, wrote this book because she was also close to a black domestic worker, like Skeeter. I think this motion picture shows a good fictional interpretation of the power of journalism and the art of writing. The expose was very risky for the black people of the town but because the writing was so captivating, the white public felt more inclined to read the book from cover to cover. Thus creating an awareness that they needed to treat the help better, instead of punishing whoever wrote and contributing to the book. It was a great movie that combined many emotions and features of comedy, drama, and suspense. #film
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Spring Break, 2021
Over spring break, it was hard to really step back and relax from the first half of the semester. I decided I wanted to do an art therapy project for my pentathlon and I painted this canvas. It took a couple days but I basically just utilized a bunch of colors and different types of flowers. I outlined the flowers with sharpie after I had finished the general shape of them, and then I painted the background. It was very simple but I really enjoyed it because it required me to slow down and concentrate on it solely so that I could achieve the outcome I wanted. I learned that patience is essential in painting. As I mentioned before, this took a couple of days but I really wanted to get it done in one. I was too impatient at the beginning of this process so the colors of the middle color turned a little brown toned from over mixing and not waiting for the paint to dry. I was surprised that I had to wait as long as I did, especially considering this was acrylic paint and not watercolor or oil. I had a great time painting this, and I hope I have more time to paint over the semester when it's time to step back and relax. #visualart
Pentathlon 4: OperaTerps Production
April 3, 2021
Over winter break, I worked on the virtual production of OperaTerps. Operaterps is a student run organization that puts on an opera during the second semester. It allows for more operatic role opportunities for undergraduates. This year due to the ongoing pandemic, the operation was completely virtual. Two graduate students of the Maryland Opera Studio wrote an entirely new plot and used music from BIPOC composers and one of our very own students to fit the storyline. I definitely had doubts before we started production, but once we got started it felt like real preparation for any other show. There were rehearsals, coachings, run throughs, etc. The entire process took just three weeks. I learned a lot about technology and how to film myself. I had to make audio recordings, and lip sync to them later on. I created my own costume for my character and even did an instagram takeover. The production definitely relates to my major because I had to perform vocally. I want to have a role in Operaterps next year, and now I have a bit of experience to better my performance. I learned so much about acting, and how to piece together a virtual “movie” so to speak. Overall, I enjoyed my experience even though it was online and I look forward to next year’s production. #music #artsscholar
Pentathalon 5
April 23, 2021
Recently, I have been watching the Crown on Netflix. It is a historical drama that is about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and royal family drama. Most of the information is true and actually happened, but there are some things that have not been confirmed in the show. I learned a lot about the history of the Royal family and I learned about the history of the country relations with the UK as well at this time. There wasn’t that much connecting to my major from the show, but a big part of the show is the costumes. The fashion is key for depicting the time period and societal expections of women in the show. ArtsScholars has taught me that fashion is an art form. There was a recent episode of The Crown, where they show Elizabeth’s staff freaking out that they don’t have a black dress for her to wear after her father died. Her father died unexpectedly so obviously they didn’t pack a black dress. However, they wouldn’t let Elizabeth leave the plane without putting on a black dress after they landed back in England. #film