multimedia

The Dutchman Sets Sail
By Rebecca Schmid
March 1, 2010 - 2:45pm
Syracuse Opera's multimedia concert of Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" featured excellent singing and a backdrop of studio videos which, at times, left much to be desired.

The Austrian-American composer Max Steiner once said that if Richard Wagner had lived in the 20th century, he would have written for film. Syracuse Opera’s multimedia concert of “The Flying Dutchman” would seem a natural extension of this idea. A montage of student videos were projected onto screens suspended above the orchestra.

Old World opera meets new media
By Nigel Smith
February 24, 2010 - 9:44pm
Syracuse Opera calls on College of Visual and Performing Arts students to create abstract video backdrops for 'The Flying Dutchman.'

Richard Wagner is considered a god among titans by opera aficionados.

His operas are grand opuses, largely inspired by northern European mythology and legend. Because Wagner operas call for such elaborate sets, staging one is an ambitious endeavor for any company — even one the size of the Metropolitan Opera. Syracuse Opera — the only year-round professional opera company serving upstate New York — has been a successful institution since its first season in 1974, but staging a Wagner opera remains a challenge.

Hefner packs the Herg
By Tamara Vallejos
November 4, 2009 - 9:47pm
Former CEO Christie Hefner, daughter of the world’s most infamous man-about-town Hugh Hefner, helped transform Playboy the magazine into Playboy the brand.

“You’re never entirely sure where your life is going to take you,” Christie Hefner said.

Despite her goal to attend Yale University for graduate school, Hefner agreed to begin working at Playboy.

Christie Hefner delivered a public lecture in Newhouse on Wednesday about her insights gained from more than 30 years working with the company her father, Hugh Hefner, founded in 1953.