Following the lead of Opera Teen with his essay on Opera and Young Audiences, I’ve decided to post one of my own school essays that I’m especially proud of. This is my senior thesis:

“Our demigod” – Divinity and humanity in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice

When I chose this topic I had no idea whether it would be a success or not. Writing a senior thesis about characterization, of all things, seemed so trivial! But I wanted to do it and my professors were supportive. So I did it. I read, I thought, read some more, thought some more, and studied the scores of both operas as best I could with my halting grasp of music theory. And it was a success!

I hope my readers here like it just as much as the people did who read it at UCLA.