Penn State Opera Theatre to Stage Children's Opera
February 28, 2005
Opera Theatre at the Pennsylvania State University will be presenting two performances of a children's opera entitled, The Prairie Dog That Met the President, at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m on Wednesday, March 23rd at Eisenhower Auditorium. Bruce Trinkley, a faculty member of the Penn State School of Music, composed this award-winning opera. Bruce Trinkley, a professor of composition, orchestration and conductor of the Penn State Glee Club, will retire this spring after 35 years on the Penn State faculty. This work was chosen to honor his retirement. A faculty member of the English Department at Penn State, Jason Charnesky, shared Trinkley's creative endeavor as lyricist.
The Prairie Dog That Met the President is a musical drama designed for young audiences and based on the true adventures of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-06. The members of the Lewis and Clark party were the first white men to record the existence of what we know today as the "prairie dog." They spent an entire day chasing after one of these animals in order to capture it, and eventually sent it back to Washington D.C., along with a magpie, to be seen by President Thomas Jefferson. The show follows the prairie dog and the magpie as they meet interesting new animals and people on their journey east to the White House. The show also teaches a great deal about the genre of "opera" and encourages audience participation through song.
The production is directed by Dr. Susan Boardman, Director of Penn State Opera Theatre and associate professor of voice. Opera Theatre produces four productions each year, Opera Intermezzo in the late fall and Opera Gala, Children's Opera and The Opera in the spring semester. The company will also present a full production of Mozart's The Magic Flute on April 1 and 2 in Esber Recital Hall. For ticket information for both operas call the Eisenhower Ticket Center at 814-863-0255.
Contact: Devin Burnworth dmb433@psu.edu