Parent Club Interview; Sanctuary Song

Parent Club had the opportunity to interview one of the players in the children's opera Sanctuary Song which opens this weekend in Toronto.

Xin Wang plays the character Sydney the elephant.

Parent Club; Opera is a new thing for most kids. What is the difference between a children's musical show and an opera?

Xin: For me, the biggest difference is the style of singing. Opera is sung without amplification most of the time. and the vocal technique is therefore different. an opera singer can sing in a musical show, but not every mucial theatre singer can sing an opera.

P.C.; Are there any scary parts in Sanctuary Song that parents should be aware of? (i.e. loud noises, scary characters)

X.; A bit, the elephants got captured by a poacher/hunter and there is a action of a gun shooting the elephants.

P.C.; Knowing that friendship is an important part of Sancutary Song; what feelings, in your opinion, will children take away with them from this story?

X.; Kindness, tenderness, patience, and most of all, the understanding of the other's need to be let go is what will help all of us to be better friends to our fellow earthlings.

P.C.; What is the origin of this opera?

X.,: It's inspried by the film urban elephant, and because the elephants described in the opera are asian elephants, there are asian components in the music

P.C.; How do you prepare to "become" an elephant?

X., Love for elephants, and watching how they move. especially their bum and their trunk