Opera Theatre Students Perform at Home and Abroad

Ensemble members from Utah State University’s Opera Theatre will present a matinee concert for the Pioneer Valley Lodge Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. The public is invited.

Singers from the internationally recognized undergraduate program will offer musical numbers From Opera to Broadway for the enjoyment of all ages, said department of music faculty director Lynn Jemison-Keisker.

 

Nine students enrolled in USU’s Opera Theatre course recently returned from London, England, in a trip sponsored by the Handmade Opera Company and by invitation from Colin Baldy, artistic director. There, the group presented Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, two contrasting works by well-known American and British composers, both of which are rarely performed in England.

 

The students individually wrote Utah State University Academic Opportunity Fund grants, and received assistance toward the performance tour. The 10-day tour included performances at the renowned Guildhall School of Music and Drama Arts, as well as public venues, Jemison-Keisker said.

 

“A private master class was given by Robin Bowman, head of vocal studies at The Guildhall School, for our Utah State University young artists,” Jemison-Keisker said. “A day at the Royal Academy of Music also provided consultation regarding graduate school and study abroad programs.”

 

Opera performances were given in collaboration with professional instrumentalists and choristers from Great Britain during the trip. Also included were opportunities to attend the English National Opera performances, as well as outstanding local theatre and concerts.

 

Jemison-Keisker points out that the Handmade Opera Web site lists Utah State University Opera Theatre as one of the “outstanding national programs for voice/opera study in the United States” and compliments the student talent as “professional-level” quality.

 

Other students from the USU program recently performed collaborative concerts and taught master classes in La Antigua, Guatemala, focusing on underserved areas of this Central American country. In May 2006, others will return to Guatemala and El Salvador to perform and teach follow-up sessions.

 

“Students working with students” have included classes for La Escuela Colonial Bilingüe, collaborative concerts with La Orquestina de la Merced, and concerts for El Proyecto Cultural el Sitio in La Antiqua Guatemala, Jemison-Keisker said.

 

“This international travel for education and performance has encouraged bi-lingual experience whenever possible, as well as cultural and artistic exchange,” she said. “Each opportunity highlights Utah State University as an engaging institution of higher education and as an excellent, open environment for international students interested in study in the United States.”

 

Upcoming Utah State University Opera Theatre performances are scheduled at the Caine Lyric Theatre, 28 West Center Street, April 6-8 with 7:30 p.m. curtain times on all nights and an additional matinee performance on Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets can be obtained at the box office one hour before performances. The opera, featuring nearly 40 Utah State University Opera Theatre young artists, is Douglas Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, a dramatic work about real characters in United States history from the late 19th century silver mining days in Colorado. The performances are offered in celebration of the 50th anniversary year of the premiere of the lyrical American opera.

 

“Please join us at the Pioneer Valley Lodge for a free, public concert featuring outstanding young singers from the Utah State University Opera Theatre program,” Jemison-Keisker said.