‘A Night at the Opera’ showcases student talent Feb. 6, 8

‘A Night at the Opera’ showcases student talent Feb. 6, 8

GOSHEN, Ind. — There aren’t too many opportunities to spend “A Night at the Opera” in small-town America. But on Feb. 6 and 8, Goshen College students will be performing scenes from six different operas, giving the audience a taste of opera’s magic and an overview of how it has changed through the centuries.

Under the direction of Dr. Debra Brubaker, associate professor of music, and accompanied by Christine Larson Seitz, 32 students will perform the opera scenes in Rieth Recital Hall in the Music Center at 7:30 p.m. both nights.

With scenes from Gluck’s “Orpheus and Euridice,” Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro,” Puccini’s “Suor Angelica,” Verdi’s “Falstaff” and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Mikado” and “Pirates of Penzance,” the students — from across college disciplines and years — will present a show for the whole family. The performance of opera scenes is rotated every other year with a mainstage musical production.

“Opera in a smaller town like Goshen is always a delightful experience,” said Brubaker. “People may tend to view opera as stuffy or highbrow, and it’s not. It is full of comedy — four of our six operas represented are comic — and also deep anguish and passion.”

Five of the scenes will be sung in English “so the audience can more easily enter the drama,” according to Brubaker, and each scene will also be introduced by the director, who will set the stage for the music that follows.

“This offers a large number of students an opportunity to develop their theatrical and vocal skills through the medium of opera, and to give audiences an opportunity to experience the delight and depth of drama that opera embodies,” Brubaker said.

Admission costs $5 general admission, $3 for students and seniors, and free for Goshen College students. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by contacting the college’s Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566 or joannp@goshen.edu.

Rieth Recital Hall is accessible to people using wheelchairs and others with physical limitations.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.