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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Women in Business Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend May 19, 2006 Scenes from Mozart's operas Rogue Opera and Southern Oregon University present "the best of Mozart" Mozart turns 250 this year and we are the ones who get all the presents. The latest in a host of performances of Mozart's music is scheduled for Sunday and Monday, May 21 and 22, when Rogue Opera and the Southern Oregon University Department of Music present "Voices from the Valley: Mozart Opera Scenes." Rogue Opera president Laurie Hall likes to call the event "eight professional singers and nine emerging professionals singing the greatest hits from Mozart's most beloved operas." Hall will co-host the concert with Ellie Holt Murray. The singers will present staged scenes from "The Marriage of Figaro," "Cosi fan tutte" and "The Magic Flute." Former Oregon Shakespeare Festival director Bruce Wallace Hostetler provided stage direction for the performers. SOU faculty member and Juliard graduate Laurie Anne Hunter who provided musical direction and vocal coaching, will provide piano accompaniment. Each scene will be introduced and English translations of the songs will be included in the printed programs. Advertisement Hall calls "The Marriage of Figaro" the mother of all operas. The comic opera shares the same characters as Gioachino Rossini's popular "The Barber of Seville." "Cosi fan tutte" All Women are Like That is another lighthearted comic opera. "The Magic Flute" takes the audience into a fairy tale world. Rogue Opera has scheduled a full-scale production of "The Magic Flute" for May of 2007, with performances to be held in Grants Pass, the SOU Music Recital Hall in Ashland and at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford. This weekend's concerts are a culmination of a seven-week opera workshop collaboration between Rogue Opera and the university. The program was developed because of the need for quality singer-education opportunities in this community. Or, as Hall puts it, "It's for a lot of singers in this valley who need to be singing." In its 29 years of serving the community, Rogue Opera has established a working relationship with the university. Students have performed in Rogue Opera productions and participated in vocal sessions with Ann Baltz from Los Angeles-based OperaWorks. But the two organizations have never embarked on a program quite like this performance workshop. Perspective participants auditioned in December. Auditions were open to professionals and students. Those selected for the program attended at no cost. They were assigned arias and scenes from various operas and received a minimum of four to six private vocal coaching sessions with Hunter. Over the course of seven weeks that began last April, workshop participants attended two three-hour rehearsals each week. Performing in "Voices from the Valley" will be Andrew Brock, Shelly Cox, Michael Flaherty, Colleen Graves, Joelle Graves, Fredna Grimland, Kelly Hammond, Renee Hewitt, Marian Z. Horton, Shaeny Johnson, Holly Johnson, Karli Krueger, Sophia Palosaari, Mark Peterson, Dora Purvis, Chris Ward and Michael Wing. An artists' reception will follow each concert. Proceeds will benefit Rogue Opera's educational programs and collaborations with SOU. Call 608-6400 for information about free "behind the scenes" tours offered by Rogue Opera. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Trunks, Footlocker Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Discount Hotel Reservations Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Debt Help New Hampshire Primary Advertisement s Advertisement