Students in University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music brought two operas to life this spring through extravagant costumes, hair and makeup and months of preparation. 

The main feature, Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium,” was preceded by Samuel Barber's “A Hand of Bridge”—a nine-minute-long one-act opera that is known as the shortest opera regularly performed. Both shows were led by Director of Opera Theatre James Haffner, as stage director and Associate Professor of Voice Eric Dudley, who served as music director.

“A Hand of Bridge” centers on just four characters: two unhappy couples that are sitting playing cards. The audience hears the inner thoughts of each of them, revealing what they most desire. It was written as a partner piece to Menotti’s “The Medium.”

“The Medium” follows Madame Flora, a fake fortune teller whose staged séances take a terrifying turn when she begins to believe the spirits she invokes may actually be real.

“Both pieces are really about human relationships. ‘Hand of Bridge’ is about two unhappy couples where it's clear that none of their desires are being met through their marriages, but they're in these relationships anyway,” Dudley said. “The main character in ‘The Medium’ is this lady who is essentially a pretend psychic, and she's trying to help other people deal with their grief, but she herself is deeply flawed, and she's a source of grief for the two young people that are living with her that are kind of her, adoptive daughter and son.”

“They’re both very deep pieces from a humanistic standpoint, and they deal with some really difficult, but ultimately, very high level and important themes,” he added. 

Landon Horstman '27, who played David in 'A Hand of Bridge,' said he gave a personal performance. 

"Singing in an opera is about telling the grandest story with the most personal instrument— the voice. It is a privilege to share the music and poetry of brilliant composers like Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti through their unique characters and styles."

"My experience with performing Menotti's "The Medium" was both rewarding and memorable in many regards,” said Jordan Reese Guitang '26, who played Mr. Gobineau in 'The Medium.' “While I felt that Mr. Gobineau was a challenging role to learn at first, I was able to gain valuable experience with this type of repertoire resulting in a boost of confidence, especially towards my future career goals."

"I'm so thrilled and immensely proud for our students to have taken on pieces of such depth and scope for this year's opera production,” Dudley said. “These pieces had real intensity and difficulty in their exploration of some of the darker aspects of human relationships, and their journey through these works and the superb level they achieved in performance speak volumes about their talent and strength as artists and as people." 

Learn more about the Pacific's Opera Theatre program.