ACU Opera performed Hänsel und Gretel last Friday and Saturday nights. The production, directed by Dr. Rick Piersall, placed the story in a setting influenced by historical struggles. “Our production takes place in this mixture of imaginary time and color, hard human reality. Starvation, economic hardship and disease have shaken Hänsel and ... [Read More…]
Gallery: Music Department hosts French opera, Cendrillon
ACU Opera debuted Jules Massenet's “Cendrillon,” with shows on Friday and Sunday. Staged entirely in French, this operatic rendition of the classic tale immersed the audience in the journey of Cinderella, in the modern day. Dr. Rick Piersall, Director of ACU Opera and Music Department Chair, expressed the unique inspiration behind this rendition, ... [Read More…]
Gallery: Opera performs “Carousel,” first production in Boone Theater
ACU Opera debuted Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" on Friday. The story follows the characters Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan inside a small New England coastal town. It explores the themes of love, redemption, and the power of second chances through a dramatic turn when Billy sacrifices his own life to ensure his wife's happiness. ... [Read More…]
ACU Opera performs The Magic Flute
The Department of Music delivered an adapted performance of a famous German opera, The Magic Flute, in Cullen Auditorium March 26 and 28 as one of the ACU Opera Workshop's two annual shows. Also known as Die Zauberflote, the opera was composed by Wolfgang Mozart over 150 years ago and tells the love story of two couples: Tamino and Pamina, and ... [Read More…]
ACU Opera tuning up for world tour
ACU Opera will perform two local shows as fundraisers for its upcoming Christmas break world tour through Germany and Italy. The first fundraising performance will be at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in conjunction with Mu Phi Epsilon, the music department's equivalent of a social club. The concert will take place in the Williams Performing Arts Center ... [Read More…]
The Optimist Print Edition: 04.25.14
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Hitting a high note: ACU opera performs free show
The ACU Opera team hopes to introduce ACU students to the genre with "Susannah," an Apocryphal story, this week. Jarrett Ward, senior vocal performance major from Houston and member of the marketing team for "Susannah", said students should have more appreciation for opera music. "The music of opera makes you think, and often makes the ... [Read More…]
ACU Opera to perform ‘Soap Opera Opera’
The ACU Opera will perform two one-act operas during its performance of the "Soap Opera Opera" on April 5 and 7. The show will consist of "Gallantry" by Douglas Moore and "The Old Maid and the Thief" by Gian Carlo Menotti. "Total, it's a full two hour production between two operas so it's as good a value for your ticket as anything, especially ... [Read More…]