As the end of October was approaching, the music students looked forward to the yearly field trip to the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Under the supervision of Music teacher, Dave Hiett, Regina Dominican’s music department went to see the 16th-century Italian opera, Rigoletto.

This opera is set in the city of Mantua, Italy and tells the story of protagonist Rigoletto. The story revolves around two types of love- philia: romance between two love birds, and agape: love between a father and daughter.

Rigoletto is the only family member remaining for his daughter, Gilda.  He is a loving father to her, however, he has one rule: she is forbidden to leave the house.  Rigoletto wants his daughter to stay innocent and protected from the dangers of the world.

Later in the story, Gilda disobeys her father by having an encounter with a young man. She falls madly in love with the young man but keeps this secret from her father. She eventually confesses to her father that she broke his rule. Luckily, her father is receptive. However, one day Rigoletto is walking down the street and sees the young man with another woman. He eventually tells his daughter the news.  She doesn’t believe it at first so he shows her the proof, and she is heartbroken. As Gilda continues to spy on the couple, she discovers that the other woman is planning to kill the young man. Gilda finds the strength to forgive him by willingly taking his spot and dying for him. She is disguised but thankfully, is saved by her father.

The live performance was a remarkable experience. Since this performance did not use microphones, the audience felt closer to the performers.  The stage was stunning with impeccable props and s backgrounds with lots of artwork and construction built to emphasize the scenery.  The presentation was interesting and impressive.n;t

What really stood out were the religious undertones in the opera. As I explained, Gilda came to forgive her betrayer by having the courage to die for him despite the pain he had caused her. Forgiveness is  prominent value in the christian religion and is an especially valued quality in the Catholic Church. The way they chose to incorporate this into the opera gave it a very religious feel.