Cast preparing for spring opera offering
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University's Opera/Music Theatre Workshop will present "Opera by the Slice: A Concert of Scenes and Arias" on Thursday and Friday, March 5 and 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
"This is a unique opportunity for our vocal students to sing scenes and arias, some in foreign languages and some from operas that are too demanding for a small program like ours to mount, with full on stage orchestra in a concert setting," said Charles Effler, conductor. "The scenes will be semi-staged."
Voice faculty Dr. Stephen Rushing, Kay Schepker, Dr. Alissa Mercurio Rowe, Dr. Joy Ratliff and Dr. Kristen Marchiafava are contributing to the production as well. They each chose a scene, cast it from their own students (with some borrowing from other teachers where necessary) and after Effler made sure the students knew all the pitches and rhythms, the faculty took over to coach the students – polishing the scenes to make sure they are ready for the concert.
Operas to be represented on the concert are "Orfeo et Euridice," "The Tender Land," "The Mikado," "Cosi fan tutte," "La Bohème," "The Medium," "Die Fledermaus," "Die Zauberflöte," "The Old Maid and the Thief," "Le nozze di Figaro," "Don Carlo" and "Gianni Schicchi."
Opera Workshop welcomes back guest stage director Rachel M. Harris for this production. Harris has directed several Opera Workshop productions including "La Périchole," "Fairy Tales: Hansel & Gretel and Cendrillon," "The Pirates of Penzance," "Street Scene," "Die Fledermaus," and "The Marriage of Figaro."
Students appearing in the concert are Dana Arthur (Abita Springs), Terelle Bibbins (Covington), Kayla Blanchard (Lafayette), Kalee Broussard (Destrehan), Cassidy Charpentier (Bourg), Morgan Curole (Larose), Rachel Davis (Mandeville), Rachel Denton (Jena), Faith Entrekin (Luling), Lauren Gibson (Walker), Brent Goodrich, (Sulphur), Mindy Guidroz (Houma), Michelle Guillot (Slidell), Allison Joiner (Hammond), Jaelon Jones (Vacherie), Provence Hatfield (Amite), Alyssa Hernandez (Metairie), Jason Lane (Baton Rouge), Chase M. Ledet (Schriever), Bethany Putnam (Covington), Robert Roy (Lacomb), Nick Smith (Ponchatoula), Cody Sires (Chalmette), Ivan Stroup (Destrehan), Benjamin Vollentine (Covington), Bridget Lyons Zeringue (Ponchatoula).
Department of Fine and Performing Arts faculty member Steve Schepker will design the sets, and Amanda Klipsch will design the lighting.
There will be no admission charge for this concert.
For more information about the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop contact Effler at ceffler@southeastern.edu.
