“The Merry Widow,” an opera presented by the Biola Conservatory of Music, ran showings the weekend of Feb. 5. The three-act story is colored with themes of love lost, love betrayed, and love reconciled. It was a truly brilliant composition of vocal performance and operatic acting. Standout performances came from Julianna Traphagen as Valencienne, Ethan Ho as Danilo, and freshman Joshua Anderson as Baron Zeta. Comedic moments throughout the performance were strong, and it was clear that the cast had quite a passion for the script. Following the 2:30 p.m. performance on Saturday, a few eager cast members shared their thoughts on the experience as a whole.

“I love the community that this has built and the story we get to tell,” shared Allie Silva, who was a part of the Opera ensemble.

Anderson gushed about his experience and noted that he was scouted for the Opera, “I’m so happy to be here. I’m so blessed to be a part of such an amazing cast; these people are way better than me at everything I’ve tried to do in this opera, and I’m so happy I got to learn from them.”

“Overall, a really good experience, the people in the cast are incredible… I’d never done an opera before, so having it be the first time was really cool,” shared Ben Siaki, who was a part of the ensemble and played at Baron Zeta on alternating performances. 

Logan Thompson, a freshman in the ensemble, offered this, “We [the cast] are all really proud and pleased with the outcome…We have a really great show, people are loving it … and I’m glad to say that I’m a part of it.” 

The result of many months of rehearsals was a wonderful performance that made it clear just how much effort each of these students put into the process. The fruits of their labor were sweet and were enjoyed by many families, faculty, and students.