Wroxton College Benefit Concert: Alma Mater Floreat

Photo Credit: Whitney George

A 360° of Opera interview with Bea Goodwin, written by Yutong Yang.

Opera librettist and stage director Brittany “Bea” Goodwin is always down for a nice paradox. Before she changed her Facebook banner to “YAS,” a characteristically passionate exclamation she routinely uses to support creative ventures by/with friends, she had self-described with Nayyirah Waheed’s iconic oxymoron—indeed, she is a brutally soft woman who fiercely fights for her favorite causes with a tender heart.

Bea’s love for contrasts extends into her artmaking. “The projects that feed me most are chamber pieces that focus on internal conflict. Almost as if the notion of grand opera is happening within the rib cage.” Her work, especially that with award-winning NY-based chamber music collective The Curiosity Cabinet, presents a 360° experience, where the audience is an intimate onlooker of an immersive story.

When asked about the origin of her unique artistic identity, she enthuses over “the Wroxton Experience,” which she enjoyed at Wroxton College, in the heart of Oxfordshire, England. Her fond memories of her alma mater, “truly unlike any other educational institution,” paints an idyllic picture of 56 acres of land complete with lakes, flower gardens, a gothic dovecote and trails for the community.

Photo Credit: Al Ferreira

It was at Wroxton that she saw her first opera; but knowing Bea, the adventure would never stop there. “I experienced so many different expressions of theater. Theater that changed my entire perspective as to what could be told on a stage, how it could be told.” According to her, risky theater is not only more accessible but far more funded in the UK. It was as if the content superseded consumerism, and she reveled in that freedom.

What initially drew her to the college, however, was the British Tutorial System. “Each of my subjects met once a week as a full class, then every other week we met in groups of two or three with the professor. We would be given a prompt the week prior; a series of responses to a theater piece we had seen or a historical background of a play’s era, and the student leads a discussion for the duration of class with guided responses from the professor.” As the professors were all brilliant scholars in their respective fields, the experience was wildly intimidating at first. But soon, it grew to be empowering.

Photo Credit: Whitney George

In Bea’s opinion, the tutorial system of learning fosters articulate communication, a building block to leadership and confidence. She attributes her ability to analyze an opera and confidently lead a production meeting or a rehearsal room to this very process. “I consider myself tremendously fortunate to have found a small, intimate program that is so conducive to the students’ needs.” This is why she would now like to pay it forward and play a part in protecting Wroxton’s legacy.

Bea had always wanted to curate a concert, and kept her dream programming on paper scraps in her desk drawer. Now, her chance came in the form of a benefit concert, a creative way to give back to the people who gave so much to her.

Inspiration and collaboration are the key driving forces behind this team effort. “I wanted to showcase how much my time abroad inspired me just as it had composers centuries before me. On the other hand, the brilliant composers I have the privilege of working with are the next generation of new music.” To this end, she asked three masterful artists—Helena Brown, Danielle Buonaiuto, and Eric Lindsey—to each highlight a famed British composer paired with a song she had written with ties to Europe. These wonderful souls, whom Bea has created with in the past three years, have special places in her heart. “I am awestruck by the sheer breadth of their talents and willingness to share their gifts; they will always live imprinted in the pieces I have written and will continue to write.”

Bea tells us that each song on this program is a tiny breadcrumb leading her back to her time at Wroxton, be it ‘Fairest Isle’ and Purcell’s recounting battles won by King Arthur’s Britons, or She-Wolf, a song cycle she wrote with the amazing composer Will Goss about the Celtic Warrior, Boudica.

For Bea and many more, Wroxton is an enclave for creators, which nourishes and challenges curious minds. “Educational institutions, especially those mentoring artists, that make you feel stimulated, encouraged and cared for are few and far between.” This is why she would like to call on the community to give to the college by purchasing a ticket to TeaTime Opera. All proceeds go directly to the Wroxton Now & Forever Fund to preserve and maintain the 17th century abbey and the wonderful educators who leave a lasting imprint on their students’ lives.

- written by Yutong Yang