Graphic Design: Emma Brigaud
Operanauts hosted an atelier—an intensive workshop for opera singers—in Kinshasa.
By Niccolo Bechtler
In July 2022, Operanauts hosted an atelier—an intensive workshop for opera singers—in Kinshasa. The project, which culminated with the performance of a full scene of the chamber opera FANDANGO!, was originally meant to build community among Kinois musicians and offer an opportunity to perform for a friendly audience in a local restaurant. The project grew to encompass a short documentary film about Operanauts’ work in Kinshasa, using the atelier as a case study.
Then Operanauts creative director Joy Bechtler, who was visiting Kinshasa to teach in the atelier, met a journalist named Anasthasie Tudieshe at the performance. Anasthasie explained that she wanted to pitch a story about opera music in Congo to Voice of America, and Operanauts’ work interested her. To Joy, it was an exciting opportunity to showcase Operanauts’ latest project for an international audience. She happily agreed to take part.
The following week, Anasthasie and her team attended another performance of the scene from FANDANGO!, this time in downtown Kinshasa’s luxurious Hotel Pullman. She sat down for an interview with Joy, singer Dorcas Nende, and Operanauts spokesperson Pepito Sakasaka before editing the video into a short spot for VOA Afrique. The video, whose title translates to “Operanauts attempt a new musical challenge in Kinshasa,” premiered August 24th.
The media attention was flattering, but it also laid vital groundwork for the documentary film that Operanauts is producing about the atelier. Now in post-production, the film is slated for public distribution in 2023.