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BGSU opera students to perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Iolanthe’

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Students and alumni from Bowling Green State University Opera Theater will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera “Iolanthe” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, in the Wooster Center, 1124 E. Wooster St. in Bowling Green.

“Iolanthe,” which premiered in 1882 to hostile criticism, is now one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most beloved works. Iolanthe, mistress of the fairy revels, marries a mortal, which causes discord among the humans. Also known as “The Peer and the Peri,” the play comments on ineffective political institutions by using the make-believe world of fairies who infiltrate Parliament in order to “re-set” social boundaries.

“There will be a lot of energy and a lot of laughs,” promised Dr. Christopher Scholl, an assistant professor of music performance studies.

Stage Director Jesse A. Koza, a recent BGSU graduate, and Music Director Conrad Chu, a musical arts doctoral candidate in conducting, join forces with costume designer Melissa A. Penkava, a senior; set designer Meghan Johannes, and accompanist Kate Stubbs, also a BGSU alumna. The performance will be sung in English.

The title role of Iolanthe will be played by mezzo-sopranos Aubrey VonAlmen from Lima, Ohio, and Briana Sosenheimer, from Fort Wayne, Ind., both first-year graduate students. In the role of Phyllis will be sopranos Summer Aebker, a first-year graduate student from Lima, and McKayela Collins, a second-year graduate student from Elkhart, Ind. Playing the role of the Lord Chancellor is baritone Austin Heath, a senior from Rockford, Ohio. Playing the role of Lord Tolloller is tenor Chris Jackson, a junior from Cincinnati. Baritone Sean Manterfield, a second-year graduate student, will play Lord Mountararat. Bass Aaron Wagner, a senior from Dayton, will play Private Willis. Baritone Nathan Kendrick, a senior from Carlisle, Ohio, will play the role of Strephon. Mezzo-soprano Christine Amon, a first-year graduate student from Grand Rapids, Mich., will play the Queen of the Fairies. The role of Celia will be played by soprano Grace Hirt, a sophomore from Celina, Ohio. Mezzo-soprano Melissa A. Penkava, a senior from North Ridgeville, Ohio, will play the role of Leila. Soprano Brianna Michalko, a junior from Canadaigua, N.Y., will play Fleta.

The performances are free and open to the public.

Acclaimed opera educator presents master class

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Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts will host nationally heralded opera educator Ann Baltz, the founder of OperaWorks, from Oct. 24-26.

This year’s Helen McMaster Endowed Professor in Vocal and Choral Studies, Baltz will coach students on performance and improvisation techniques and conduct career discussion sessions.

Her visit will also include a master class on performance techniques that is free and open to the public at 7 p.m.  Oct. 25 in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

Through her deep commitment to new and experimental works, Baltz has earned distinguished posts as music director and co-creator of Composer-Librettist Studios in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis, along with music director for New Works Projects at the Minnesota Opera Institute and Portland Opera.

Helen and the late Harold McMaster established this endowed professorship in spring 2000. Helen McMaster, a long-time Perrysburg resident, has supported the arts at BGSU for many years. Generous friends of BGSU, she and her husband previously donated to programs in music, business, science and the Center for Photochemical Sciences. College professors in the vocal, choral or opera area may nominate potential guests for this endowed professorship.

BGSU Philharmonia gives final Fall concert

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The Bowling Green Philharmonia will present its final concert of the fall season at 8 p.m. Dec. 1 in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

Dr. Emily Freeman Brown, director of orchestral activities, will conduct the performance, which will include works by Samuel Adler, Samuel Barber and Hector Berlioz.

“Centennial: A Celebration for Symphony Orchestral” by Adler, was commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in celebration of its 100th anniversary. Barber’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14” will feature soloist Dr. Penny Thompson Kruse. Kruse, a BGSU associate professor of violin, trained at Northwestern and Yale universities and earned a doctorate from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

The program will conclude with “Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14” by Berlioz. “Symphonie Fantastique” is actually the work’s subtitle. “An Episode in the Life of an Artist” is its proper name. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences worldwide.

“Symphonie Fantastique” is considered program music because it tells the story of an artist with a vivacious imagination, who has taken an overdose of opium in an attempt to remove himself from the despair he feels. It comprises five movements instead of the conventional four. The first is titled “Daydreams-Passions,” where the artist falls madly in love with his ideal woman. The second is “A Ball,” in which the artist is at a ball but cannot enjoy himself because he believes he sees the beautiful woman everywhere he looks. The third movement, “Scene in the Country,” is where the artist contemplates his fear of being alone. In movement four, “March to the Scaffold,” the artist is convinced he has killed his lover, poisons himself with opium and dreams that he is witnessing his own execution. In the fifth and final movement, titled “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” the artist dreams of his own funeral, at which witches, sorcerers and monsters have gathered.

Advance tickets for the event are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, with a $3 increase the day of the performance. The special student rate is $5 for students who bring a canned good. Tickets can be purchased at the center box office weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. or by calling 419-372-8171 or toll-free 1-800-589-2224.

BGSU Young People’s Concerts series begins with ‘Wishing on A Star’

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This year’s Young People’s Concerts series at Bowling Green State University will begin Saturday (Oct. 16) with “Wishing on a Star,” a presentation by the musical theater program in the College of Musical Arts.

Musical theater students will present a special salute to songs from Disney musicals such as “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Hercules” in a program that is sure to have everyone singing along.

The series continues on Nov. 13 with “Jazz!” a presentation by the Student Jazz Combos and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. The concert will offer young audience members a glimpse into the world of jazz.

“Holiday Brass” will be presented Dec 4, featuring BGSU’s brass students as they celebrate the season with musical favorites.

Students from the voice department will perform a tribute to Valentine’s Day with “Serenade” on Feb. 12.

The final program of the season, “Renaissance Festival,” will entertain with music and mischief. Featuring members of the Collegiate Choral, directed by Dr. Sandra Frey Stegman, and other special guests, the show is scheduled for April 9.
All concerts in the series begin at 11 a.m. in Bryan Recital Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

Admission is $1 for children and $2 for adults and is payable at the center’s box office the morning of the event. The box office will open at 10:30 a.m. for each concert.

The Young People’s Concerts are recommended for children ages 5 and up, but younger music fans are welcome to attend. For more information, call the Moore Musical Arts Center Box Office at 419-372-8171 or 800-589-2224.

New Music Festival draws eclectic mix of performers

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Bowling Green State University’s 31st annual New Music Festival will showcase the work of more than 25 guest composers and performers October 21-23. The international festival includes concerts, lectures and workshops.

This year’s featured guests include acclaimed composer Robert Morris, the JACK String Quartet and Duo Diorama.

Organized by the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music and the College of Musical Arts at BGSU, the festival supports the creation of new work and engages both the University and city communities in the process of music appreciation and awareness.

Highlights of this year’s festival include the world premieres of works by Robert Morris and former featured festival guests Chen Yi and Steven Stucky and a special late-night performance at the Cla-Zel Theatre in downtown Bowling Green on Oct. 21.

Begun in 1980, the New Music Festival has hosted John Adams, Samuel Adler, Milton Babbitt, William Bolcom, Anthony Braxton, John Cage, Chen Yi, John Corigliano, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, Anthony Davis, Philip Glass, John Harbison, Lou Harrison, Karel Husa, Joan La Barbara, Paul Lansky, Pauline Oliveros, Shulamit Ran, Bernard Rands, Terry Riley, Christopher Rouse, Frederic Rzewski, Gunther Schuller, Joseph Schwantner, Bright Sheng, Steven Stucky, Morton Subotnick, Joan Tower, Vladimir Ussachevsky and more than 400 other guest composers and musicians.

Most festival events are free and open to the public. For ticket information, contact the Moore Musical Arts Center box office at 419-372-8171 or 1-800-589-2224.

For a complete schedule of festival events, visit http://festival.bgsu.edu or contact the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music at 419-372-2685.

BGSU hosts Musical Discovery Day

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Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts will hold its annual Musical Discovery Day on Monday, Oct. 18, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Moore Musical Arts Center.

More than 250 high school students register annually for the daylong event designed to provide students the opportunity to observe a typical day at the Moore Musical Arts Center. High school students interested in majoring in music are encouraged to attend.

Visiting students can attend classes and clinics on music theory and audition preparation. In addition, they will learn about the degrees and majors offered and can meet with music faculty and tour the BGSU campus.

Students will also have the opportunity to learn about available scholarships.  Staff from the University’s admissions and financial aid offices will be available to answer questions. Students may register online at https://go2.bgsu.edu/choose/music/discovery.

The event will feature performances by the BGSU Collegiate Chorale, Bowling Green Philharmonia and Wind Symphony.

Music Discovery Day is free and open to all high school students interested in pursuing music in college. For registration information, contact Amanda Van Wechel, interim coordinator of music admissions, at 419-372-8577 or email kmoss@bgsu.edu.