Ambassadors of Opera to Perform at Texas Tech

The College of Visual & Performing Arts and the Presidential Performance & Lecture series will co-host the fifth annual visit from the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers as part of their annual Spring Opera Tour.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at the Allen Theatre of the Student Union Building.

Also, for the first time, students, faculty and staff can attend a concert specifically for them at 2 p.m. April 25 in choir room M01 of the School of Music Building.

Exposing people to opera is what the Santa Fe Opera’s Spring Opera Tour is all about, said Kirt Pavitt, music associate for the opera who will play piano during the concert. The Apprentice Singers will travel to towns and cities in New Mexico and West Texas during March and April.

“We’re here to be ambassadors of opera,” he said. “This gives children and communities a chance to see what opera’s all about. The kids really get into it. They learn to say ‘bravo’ or ‘brava,’ and sometimes throw flowers up on stage. We’re trying to develop the new generation of opera fans.”

This is the fifth year that Texas Tech University’s School of Music has sponsored a visit by the Santa Fe Opera. Also, Texas Tech music student Adam Bielamowicz will spend three months in residency this summer with the Santa Fe Opera, and will understudy the role of Fenton from Verdi’s "Falstaff," as well as perform in the supporting cast of other main stage productions. Bielamowicz is a student of Professor Karl Dent.

Santa Fe Opera casts are drawn from the world's most talented young singers. Many singers, whose names are now found on the rosters of the world's leading opera houses, began their careers in Santa Fe. They include Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Joyce DiDonato, William Burden, Kristine Jepson, Michelle DeYoung and Charles Castronovo.

The goal of the Presidential Lecture & Performance Series is to enrich the intellectual and cultural atmosphere on campus and throughout the community, said Mary Jane Hurst, performance series organizer and faculty assistant to the president.

“Events, such as the Santa Fe Opera’s Spring Opera Tour, have an academic connection for our students, faculty and staff, and the community at large,” Hurst said. “That’s one of the primary purposes of this series – to enrich the academic experience for our students, to enhance our academic programs and to provide outreach opportunities between campus and community.”

 

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