Opera Intermezzo Presents Chicken Little
November 29, 2006
The Opera Intermezzo features twenty-eight singers and the premier of Bruce Trinkley and Jason Charnesky's childrens opera Chicken Little. Also featured is a preview of this April's fully mounted production of Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten as well as short scenes from Falstaff, Cosi Fan Tutti and Elixir of Love.
The Penn State Opera Theatre will present its annual OPERA INTERMEZZO performance on December 1 and 2 at 7:30 pm. It features the world premiere of Chicken Little, a children's opera by Bruce Trinkley, and includes scenes from Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff, W.A. Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti, Gaetano Donizetti's Elixir of Love, Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring. The performances will take place in Esber Recital Hall in Music Building I on the Penn State campus. Tickets are $4.99.
The Penn State Opera Theatre is led by Director Dr. Susan Boardman and Music Director Dr. Beverly Patton. The performers, all students of voice in the School of Music, range in age from freshmen to graduate students.
Chicken Little is the traditional tale of Chicken Little, who thinks the sky is falling and runs to tell all of the other barnyard creatures. This charming children's opera is written by Bruce Trinkley, retired professor of composition at Penn State, with libretto by Jason Charnesky, also a member of the Penn State University faculty. The piece will appear first on the program in order to allow families with small children to enjoy it.
Albert Herring, a comic opera by Benjamin Britten, centers around young Albert who is given the virtuous title of "May King" by his town. The story follows Albert as he struggles with learning about himself, and how to cut loose from his boring existence and the expectations of the important townspeople. The scene from Falstaff tells the portion of the story where Alice and Meg, who are being wooed by Sir John Falstaff, discover that they have both been sent exactly the same love letter. At the same time, Falstaff's servants warn Alice's husband about Falstaff while Alice's daughter, Ann meets in secret with her lover, Fenton. The duet from Cosi Fan Tutti is the scene where Dorabella and Fiordiligi admire and compare portraits of their lovers, while the Elixir of Love scene features a love duet between the characters Nemorino and Adina.
We're making an effort to start our concerts on time. For ticketed events especially in Eisenhower Auditorium, please plan to arrive early to purchase your ticket. Tickets for all our Eisenhower concerts are available by calling 814-863-0255 or
1-800-ARTS-TIX, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit the web at www.cpa.psu.edu.
For a complete listing of all concerts and recitals, please visit http://www.events.psu.edu and choose music performance events.
Contact: Candace Bishop cjb289@psu.edu