Time: 7:30 p.m
Tickets: $20 adults, $15 seniors and alumni $12 students.
runs Nov 6 and 7 each night church and State Suor Angelica by Puccini.
From
intense drama, to comic relief, to women singing high Cs!, Church and
State, presented by the U of L Opera workshop on Nov. 6 and 7 at 7:30
pm, is a concert that has it all.
“You’ll laugh and you’ll cry
watching the Opera Workshop perform pieces that explore a conflict
between church and state,” says Director Blaine Hendsbee.
Every year
the U of L Opera Workshop performs a program of operatic scenes in which
Hendsbee chooses a central theme to showcase the wide gamut of skills
involved. This year’s offering, Church and State, presents the
emotionally chilling Suor Angelica by Puccini. It’s the story of a woman
forced to give up her child at birth and serve in a convent. Sopranos,
Jeanine Williams and Alyssa Durnie share the demanding title role in
this gripping one-act opera, sung in English.
“But the concert s not
all just doom and gloom and tears,” says Hendsbee and mentions the
heavier pieces are coupled with lighter stories including Cosi fan tutte
by Mozart, which takes a humorous perspective on romantic relationships
and The Gondoliers and The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. Other
showcased scenes are drawn from The Dialogue of the Carmelites by
Poulenc and Les Misérables.
“I love the emotional thrust of the
Puccini opera. I love the history of the Carmelites piece and I love
them equally and for all different reasons,” exclaims Hendsbee. “The
audience will have lots of fun! Everything has been translated into
English so they can capture the essence of the stories.”
With 25
singers and two pianists, the U of L Opera Workshop is a high quality
program that is always growing. “The Opera Workshop provides a good
foundation of training. We all help each other and get immersed in it.
Now recruiters from all across Canada come to U of L to find exciting
new singers for their graduate programs.”
Tickets for Church and State are $20 for adult, $15 for seniors and alums, $12 for students and can be purchased online ulethbridge.ca/tickets or through the U of L Box Office 403-329-2616.
The 200 seat University Recital Hall is home to two Steinway D concert grand pianos and a Yamaha S6 grand piano. The Hall is wired to enable state-of-the-art recordings.
University of Lethbridge | 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4
The recital hall is on level 5. Turn your back to the box office and walk straight.