Kent State University Opera Program Presents Lovesick Maidens, Their Men, and More

The Kent State University Opera program will present Lovesick Maidens, Their Men, and More, a medley of opera scenes on Saturday, Nov. 17, and Sunday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Wright-Curtis Theatre in the Music and Speech Center, located at 1325 Theatre Dr. on the Kent Campus.

The show will feature opera scenes in English, written by American and British composers. Associate Professor of Voice Jay White, and Assistant Professor of Music Marla Berg will direct the scenes. The production features a company of 24 students, including music performance graduate students Lindsey Sandham Leonard and Darryl Lewis.

“Trouble in Tahiti” by Leonard Bernstein, “The Old Maid and the Thief” by Gian Carlo Menotti, “Susannah” by Carlisle Floyd and “Street Scene” by Kurt Weill with libretto by Langston Hughes, are among the many works represented in the performance. The scenes’ settings range from a castle to a graduation party and everywhere in between, each portraying the show’s themes of love and longing in a unique way.

Music performance graduate student Tatiana Kubatina will accompany the scenes on piano. The evening’s final scene, Act II, Scene 1 from The Tender Land by Aaron Copland, will feature choreography by Tracy Pattison, assistant artistic director at Verlezza Dance.

Tickets for the performance are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors, and Kent State faculty and staff; $5 for students with valid ID or under 18; and free for all full-time, undergraduate Kent State students.
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 at 1325 Theatre Dr. on the Kent Campus. The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, in addition to cash and checks. Tickets and more information are also available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787) or by visiting www.kent.edu/music.

Each year, in addition to the fall opera scenes performance, Kent State Opera also presents a full opera production with orchestra in the spring. This year’s spring performance will be held March 15-17, 2013 in the Ludwig Recital Hall.