KQED: Sanziana Roman is a classically-trained soprano who also happens to be a professor of surgery and thyroid surgeon at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
"I just couldn't bear the thought that I may not make it as a singer," Roman says. "So I went to medical school."
San Francisco Opera (SF Opera) has enlisted Roman as one of a handful of UCSF medical experts to help determine what it would take to bring live opera back.
7 comments:
For the past year, the pandemic has forced people to get really creative in order to get life as close to the “old normal” as possible. I think that this new mask for singers is a really smart and clever solution, and if it’s as safe as the article says it is, then it’s a great idea! It isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing accessory, but in times like these, you really have to pick your battles. A big issue with wearing masks during performances in theatre, in particular, has been that the masks just don’t look good. Theatre companies around the country and even the world have been working to somehow make masks work with costuming while not hiding the actors’ facial expressions. I’d assume that this mask for singers would really only affect the actors and their costumes in a musical, however, I’m not sure what the covid safety regulations are when projecting as much as actors do in straight plays. Regardless, it’s great that new solutions are being thought up to make opening up the entertainment industry as safe as possible.
There was an article last week about this exact topic, I believe, and on it I commented on how art can be science and science can be art. This article really sticks it to that idea in that Sanziana Roman is simultaneously a classically trained singer AND a surgery professor AND practicing surgeon. That is a lot of different hats to wear but it's proof that art is not just art and science is not just science. They mix and match and meld and have been doing that all throughout history. Take the Renaissance for example. It was a period of both artistic and technological advancement. da Vinci, one of the most famous figures of the time and through all time, was a polymath who worked both in arts (famously, obviously), and in sciences. There was never a divorce of art from science or vice versa. One is not possible without the other.
It is absolutely no question that a citron amount of science is found in, and required to perform, singing and opera especially. So looking to someone who knows very well where this art form and science meet is an obvious and brilliant idea. I am so glad that the Santa Fe Opera Company, along with many others, are so dedicated to re opening their doors that they are actively working on a solution that not only is passable but it far beyond it. The fact that they are going through all of the different testing to ensure that their performers and eventually audience members are safe is inspiring. While I have to agree with the article that the masks do look rather silly, I am fairly positive that anyone who is dying to get into a theatre space as much as I am will be willing to overlook that for the pure experience of the performance.
This article didn't really give much information about the mask itself. I thought there would be more pictures or maybe instructions about how to make it. From the picture it seems like it is really big. I have seen some masks for singers that allow for more room which helps projecting their voice. The mask in the picture looks really unappealing. There is the part that looks like a normal mask just more spacious, but then there's that part at the bottom that is just sticking out. I think that's the part that the article describes as the elephant trunk. The mask just takes up alot of space and is very large. I feel like we have come to a point where masks are pretty normal and its not too distracting when watching something. But this mask seems like it would be really distracting. Most opera I have encountered has design elements being very central. This seems like a nightmare to work with as a costume designer.- Evan Riley
Though it is great to read so much about the pros to all of this and how these new masks have provided ways for singers to get back onto the stage safely for themselves and others, I wish it discussed more about the mask and its functions. I walked into a rehearsal the other day and there was a trumpet performance going on, and the player was wearing his mask! I am still confused as to how he was playing a mouthpiece with his mask, but even so it produced beautiful music. I believe the same for singing as well, and it is indeed exciting to see how masks have become more and more innovative to support our art and entertainment. When it comes to an opera though, I wonder if since there are so many solo performances it would be easier to have the singer get covid tested and quarantine before his or her performance. I also do understand that it is a sense of safety and good example for the singer to keep his or her mask on. I just hope that the obstruction of the mask isn't too disruptive to the performance.
I think there was an article just last week about this, but I could be wrong– I really like the overlapping of art and science here. A lot of people think that the two are so separate, but really their intersection brings so much to the world. Including, it seems, a return of live opera. Sanziana Roman is a classically trained soprano, a professor, and a surgeon.. Wow! Combined, that must be quite a bit of training & school– and an intersection of professions you rarely see. I think it's really amazing, and puts Roman in the perfect position to lead the creation of these new masks, having knowledge of both the medical field and the needs of opera singers. Though, I’m sure there are some drawbacks to these masks (rarely is there something that is perfect in all regards). Possibly they could cause an issue with costumes & drawing attention? I’m excited to see where this goes, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing more articles about this.
I agree with alot of the pints of view expresses above, It is absolutely inspiring to see such innovative collaboration to be born as a result of a deadly global pandemic and the will for artisans to continue to make art during these trying times. The mask looks very very weird, I must say, and the article does not do too well of a job of completely describing its function. I loved that the wardrobe people in San Francisco were the ones who created these genius masks, just goes to show what can be created when me merge the arts and sciences. I agree with Hikari that my final judgement on the efficacy of the masks must be given after watching a performance utilize these masks, because I still don't know if the use of these masks are detrimental to the quality of the performance. I am so happy that solutions are being proposed to keep the entertainment industry going, as opposed to just continuing the bleakness of Zoom theatre.
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