MVNU presents "A Taste of Opera"

MVNU students will present a diverse collection of music and drama in “A Taste of Opera: A Showcase of Scenes and Songs” this week.

This performance will be different from MVNU’s past theater and musical showcases. As the title suggests, the performance will showcase scenes and songs from many different operas on one stage. Students will present duets, solos and ensembles from various pieces.

The performance will include pieces from multiple composers, including Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Cosi Fan Tutte.” Attendees will also hear Puccini’s “Gianni Schicci” and Lehar’s “The Merry Widow.”

MVNU music instructor Elizabeth Barrett said she expects the “versatility and different operas will be appealing to the audience.”

Barrett said she has enjoyed watching the students grow and learn the process

of opera.

“Working with the quality students we have is a pure joy,” said Barrett.

Barrett hopes the audience will enjoy it as much as she has.

“My hope for the audience is that they can kind of get lost in something that they may not know much about,” she said.

Barrett said the process has been educational for all of those involved as each person has been stretched in a new way. Each student is required to know the characters and the stories of the various operas that will be presented.

“The challenge on the singers is that for each scene they had to do a lot of work on studying the character and what was going on in the scene,” Barrett said.

Barrett said she hopes those who attend will see the beauty of opera and the passion that each student has for singing and performing.

Barrett is an MVNU professor, choir director and vocal teacher. Although she enjoys opera, this is her first time involved in this diverse style.

Performances will be on Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. in Thorne Performance Hall inside the Chapel on the MVNU campus. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Children under 10 are admitted free.

Tickets can be purchased online at theatre.mvnu.edu, by phone at 740-397-9000 ext. 1620, or at the box office prior to each show.