Kent State Opera and the Kent State Orchestra Perform “Oh… The Games We Play”

The Kent State University Opera presents “Oh … The Games We Play,” an evening of one-act operas with the Kent State University Orchestra on Friday, March 15, through Sunday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m., in the Ludwig Recital Hall. Ludwig Recital Hall is located in the Music and Speech Building at 1325 Theatre Dr. on the Kent Campus.

The performance will include three one-act performances: Mozart’s The Impresario, Samuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge and Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.

Assistant Professor of Music Marla Berg will direct The Impresario, and Professor of Music and Composer Frank Wiley will lead the accompanying orchestra. The Impresario portrays the woes of a performing arts promoter, Mr. Scruples, who must put together a company of actors and singers while dealing with their whims, rivalries and pretensions. The Impresario features performances by senior music major Ryan Fitzgerald, graduate music performance student Lindsey Sandham Leonard and senior music major Megan McConnell.

A Hand of Bridge is directed by Berg, with graduate conducting student Eunseok Seo conducting Tatiana Kubatina, a graduate piano performance student. The production follows two couples playing bridge and the inner-conflicts each is grappling with during the game, from secret affairs to dreams of being wealthy. A Hand of Bridge features performances by senior music major Collin Rowe, graduate music performance student Moonsun Jang, senior music education major Dan Weisman and senior music major Jenna Stolarik.

Gianni Schicchi is directed by University of Akron Professor Emeritus and opera performer Alfred Anderson, with Wiley conducting. This piece tells the story of one family willing to go to extreme lengths to keep their father’s inheritance in the family and away from its designated recipient, the church. Gianni Schicchi includes performances by graduate music performance students Marita Tornabene and Darryl Lewis, senior music majors Fitzgerald and Maureen Thomas, and, associate professors Jay White and Tim Culver.

Tickets are free for all full-time, undergraduate, Kent Campus students, $8 for all other students with I.D., $12 for seniors and Kent State faculty and staff, and $15 for adults. Students can earn 500 FLASHperks points for attending the Saturday, March 16, performance.

Tickets are available weekdays noon to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Box Office, located in the lobby of the Roe Green Center in the Music and Speech Building. The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, in addition to cash and checks. Tickets are also available day-of-show at the door.

For tickets or more information, call 330-672-ARTS (2787) or visit www.kent.edu/music.