This Sunday, December 11, at 7:30 pm, students, faculty, and alumni from Alderson Broaddus University’s School of Music will be presenting “OPERA HIGHLIGHTS: An Evening of Opera Scenes.” Scenes from two operas will be presented: “The Marriage of Figaro” (Mozart) and “The Consul” (Menotti). The opera scenes will be sung in English. The performance will take place in Wilcox Chapel, and is open to the public with no admission charge.
The “Figaro” cast features seniors Bailey Coleman, Lindsay Heavner, Avery West, and Matthew Peloquin, sophomores Sam Miser and Tyler Burks, and alum Abe Schoonover. “The Consul” stars senior Emma Godfrey and Mrs. Heather Cottrill, area music teacher. Others in the cast include senior Alicia Noble, juniors Sarah Hamman, Laken Rummer, and Elliott Mihelic, sophomore McKenna Price, alums Cody Ratliff and Tim Tosh, and Asst. Prof. of Music Lewis Hall. Chorus and extras in the casts include senior David Humbertson, sophomores Kaity Marks and Andrew Wilkinson, and Jennifer Leon, AB Student Affairs Staff.
As a farewell finale, the combined casts will sing the uplifting, “The Promise of Living,” from Aaron Copland’s opera, “The Tender Land.”
The evening’s shows will be directed and accompanied by Dr. Lillian F. Long, Associate Professor of Music at the University. “OPERA HIGHLIGHTS” was begun in 1986 by Professor Long as a way to introduce opera to students, and has been presented biennially ever since. This will be her final opera performance at Alderson Broaddus, as she is retiring from the University after 31 years.