Kent, Ohio – Kent State University Opera presents its Spring production with the Kent State University Orchestra on Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m. in Ludwig Recital Hall. Ludwig Recital Hall is located inside the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive. Free parking.
Directed by Marla Berg, this production features a student cast under the musical direction of Jay White with Katherine Kilburn and Alexander Popovici conducting. The program will include the world premiere of the new orchestration of “Gisela In Her Bathtub,” a comedic opera composed by Neil Weisensel and librettist Michael Cavanagh. Weisensel, the composer, who hails from Winnipeg, Canada, will be in attendance to commemorate the premiere. The audience will also be treated to the Greek Mythology-inspired spoof “The Harpies,” with music and the libretto by Marc Blitzstein. Georges Bizet’s “The Doctor Miracle,” a comedic opera about love, rounds out the program.
Composer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist Neil Weisensel is based in Winnipeg, Canada. He has composed and arranged music for feature films, stage works, documentaries, and animation for networks including the CBC, Bravo!, and CTV. His operas and concert music have been performed by the Vancouver Opera, the Victoria Symphony, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Vancouver New Music, the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, and the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra. His five critically and popularly acclaimed operas have been performed across Canada and he continues to receive commissions, awards and prizes from arts organizations in Canada and the U.S. Composing in a wide variety of genres, including jazz, rock, ethno-cultural, and world beat. He has also performed and recorded with artists such as Michael Buble, Russill Paul, Noirin Ni Riain, Brian Tate, and Rachel Landrecht for luminaries such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore.
Tickets for all performances are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and Kent State University faculty and staff, $10 for groups of 10 or more patrons, $8 for non Kent State students who are not eligible for the Fee for Free and free for full-time Kent Campus undergraduate students. Also, thanks to a generous donation from a long-time supporter and patron of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, anyone 18 and under can attend the concerts for free, although a ticket must be reserved.
Tickets are available weekdays 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Box Office, located in the lobby of the Roe Green Center in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive on the campus of Kent State University. The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, in addition to cash and checks.
Tickets will be available one hour prior to the performance for walk up sales, however, patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to avoid long lines. Tickets and more information are available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787). You may purchase adult and senior tickets online by visiting www.kent.edu/music/buy-tickets.
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