See the Sexes Battle it Out in UK Opera's 'Così fan tutte'
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 23, 2016) — A battle of the sexes takes center stage as University of Kentucky Opera Theatre brings "Così fan tutte" to campus for one weekend of performances Feb. 26-28, at the Singletary Center for the Arts.
The opera opens to two couples enjoying a romantic getaway when it is proposed that all women are cheaters — the bet is on.
Complete with sets and costumes, UK Opera Theatre presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s masterpiece with a postmodern twist. Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the opera addresses the challenges of love, the pain of deceit, the power of temptation and the freedom of forgiveness in a lively comedic setting.
The production features the talents of the UK Symphony Orchestra and the following double-cast of vocalists:
· doctoral student Wanessa Campelo and graduate student Holly N. Dodson portraying Dorabella;
· graduate students Stafford Hartman and Brittany Benningfield portraying Fiordiligi;
· graduate student Andre Campelo and vocal performance and music education senior Bongani Ndhlalane portraying Don Alfonso;
· vocal performance junior Michael Pandolfo and graduate student Christopher Kenney portraying Guglielmo;
· doctoral student Zack Morris and vocal performance senior Thabang Masango portraying Ferrando; and
· graduate student Marie-France Duclos and doctoral student Allison Jones portraying Despina.
Richard Gammon returns to UK to direct.
For this production, UK Opera Theatre had to design a set that can either remain on stage or be altered and changed on stage in front of the audience due to the orientation of the Singletary Center Concert Hall. To meet these demands, the SCRIBE system, technology UK Opera Theatre developed with UK Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments for a previous production, will be utilized.
"We are incorporating our SCRIBE system of digital projection which we used in 'Porgy and Bess,' so we are happy to reacquaint our audiences with this technology," said Director of UK Opera Theatre Everett McCorvey. "The system is basically 50 to 60 projectors positioned on a rack, projecting scenery against a screen. Because of this technology, scenery can be projected against a screen and can move to different places on stage between acts or between scenes."
UK Opera Theatre's "Così fan tutte" will take the stage 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26 and 27, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27 and 28, at Singletary Center. Tickets for the opera range from $41.50 to $36.50 for general admission depending on location of seating. Student tickets with valid ID are only $9. In addition, UK faculty and staff can get discounted tickets at a two-for-one rate with promo code Mozart. A ticket processing fee will be applied upon transaction for all tickets. Tickets can be purchased from Singletary Center ticket office at www.scfatickets.com, phoning 859-257-4929 or in person at the venue.
In conjunction with the production, a lecture and dinner will be held where audience members can get more insight on the opera. The lecture, "Musical Puns and Allusions in Mozart's 'Così fan tutte'" will be presented by Diana Hallman, associate professor of musicology. Hallman's free public lecture will begin 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the Schmidt Vocal Arts Center.
The following evening, the Hilary J. Boone Center will host a pre-concert buffet dinner. The director of "Così fan tutte" will join those individuals attending the dinner from 5-7 p.m., Feb. 27. Dinner is $28++ per person, those interested in attending should make reservations at 859-257-1133.
UK Opera Theatre is part of the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The School of Music has garnered national recognition for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu