Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Voice students in the School of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “A Program of Opera Scenes” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Under the direction of Dr. Deborah Dalton, associate professor of voice and opera at SFA, with collaborative pianist Dr. Thomas Nixon and Bora Cho, graduate assistant in collaborative piano, the program will feature scenes from “The Mikado” by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan; “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss; “Il trovatore” by Giuseppe Verdi; “The Old Maid and the Thief” by Gian-Carlo Menotti; “The Most Happy Fella” by Frank Loesser; “Cosi fan tutte” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; “Carmen” by Georges Bizet; “Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck; and “The Bartered Bride” by Bedřich Smetana.
“I am delighted to have Dr. Thomas Nixon’s help this term,” Dalton said. “He brings a wealth of experience from coaching singers for Arizona Opera, University of Arizona opera program, and others. Bora Cho, graduate assistant in collaborative piano, will join us again. Cho did an outstanding job playing the entire scenes program in Fall 2020.”
Dalton chooses the annual opera workshop program repertoire according to the voices and abilities of each class. Classes are limited to juniors, seniors and graduate students.
Among the prominent scenes to be performed is the card scene from “Carmen” in which the characters Frasquita and Mercedes use the cards to tell their fortunes and are delighted with the promise of love and riches. When Carmen demands a turn, every hand for her is the same – death.
Another scene is the “Fledermaus” trio, where Eisenstein, his wife, Rosalinda, and their maid, Adele, each have exciting plans for the evening. “Eisenstein is to report to jail that very evening but he plans to attend a lavish ball first,” Dalton explains. “We discover that the ladies have received an invitation to the ball, too, and none of them know the others are invited. As they say a sad farewell, each one finds it difficult to contain their excitement.”
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.