GETTING FAMILIAR WITH OPERA IN EARLY ADULTHOOD. PERSPECTIVES OF A CREATIVE WORKSHOP

Abstract

This paper investigates how young adults engage with opera, drawing on the author’s two decades of experience in university music education. Opera’s unique emotional and dramatic power appeals broadly, offering a rich interplay of music, text, and theatrical presentation. Generational differences in music listening are highlighted: Generation X favors concerts, recordings, and traditional media, while Generation Z relies on digital streaming, social media, curated playlists, and interactive experiences. Across generations, repeated exposure—central to the “familiarity heuristic”—enhances emotional and cognitive engagement, as demonstrated through examples from Handel, Bach, and Alban Berg. The study also presents the GlosszA workshop, which introduces participants to opera through historical context, performer studies, and creative exercises. By leveraging the familiarity heuristic, the workshop cultivates interpretive skills, critical awareness, and deeper aesthetic appreciation, enabling young audiences to connect more fully with operatic works while fostering lifelong engagement with the genre.