By Niccolo Bechtler
A documentary film about Operanauts’ groundbreaking work in Congo is coming soon!
The documentary, directed by Manno Lanssens, will follow opera singers in Kinshasa as they rehearse and perform with the help of Operanauts music coaches while navigating the city’s volatile performing-arts scene. Here’s more on the story:
You may have already heard how Operanauts held an atelier, or intensive workshop for opera singers, in July 2022. The atelier culminated in a performance of the first scene of the chamber opera FANDANGO! for a friendly audience at a local restaurant.
What you haven’t heard is that the singers’ second exhibition that week—a poolside performance at the illustrious Hotel Pullman, part of the popular concert series Arty Live—was an impromptu affair.
Due to a scheduling error, the singers heard the Arty Live opportunity had been greenlit with only 4 days to spare. During the atelier, they’d prepared only twenty-five minutes of music, nowhere near what a full-length concert requires. So they began to rehearse intensely, preparing over 3 hours of opera arias and ensembles within the span of just a few days, an impossible-sounding task.
Fortunately, Manno Lanssens, a Belgian director who heads up Noord Film Nord VZW, was there to capture the action. Throughout the atelier, Manno followed the singers across numerous locations throughout Kinshasa, recording everything from interviews to live performances.
Then came the difficult work of post-production. Manno and his editor combed through hours of raw footage to pare it down into a 30-minute narrative, in addition to the complex labor involved with color-grading, audio mixing, titles, translations, and graphic design.
Operanauts is ecstatic to present the film to you, their community. The documentary has proved a serious undertaking that would not have been possible without the skill and dedication of dozens of singers, teachers, and production technicians. It represents Operanauts’ most ambitious project to date, and they couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world.