Nov 5, 2004 3 min read

CALIFORNIA – The diverse talents of California University of Pennsylvania’s students and faculty will come together in the school’s first-ever production and performance of an opera. From Nov. 16-18, California University’s music department will perform the Baroque opera, “Dido and Aeneas,” in the Chapel-Theatre on the second floor of Old Main Hall (under the clock tower).

All three performances will begin at 8 p.m. and, in efficient Baroque style, is finished in an hour.

Admission is free to students with their Cal Card. There is a small fee for the general public.

The Cal U community and general public are welcome.

For more information, contact the Cal U music department at 724-938-4242.

The opera was written in 1689 by the English composer Henry Purcell to an English text. The story is a small sub-plot taken from Virgil’s epic, “The Aenead.”

The chorus is used throughout the opera to comment on the action and to heighten the drama, as in Greek drama. The university’s audition choral group, the California Singers, will be the chorus.

Though the story of the opera is a tragic one, Purcell did not forget to lighten the mood in two scenes, offering for the enjoyment of his audiences some comic relief in the form of sorceress and witches, with their minions, plotting mischief.

The Cal U music department and specifically the Opera Form and Analysis class, are responsible for all aspects of this opera, with faculty member Dr. Ellen Michael as music and chorus director.

Dr. Yugo Ikach, newly hired assistant professor of music, is the stage director and Katherine Sacco, music department adjunct instructor of keyboard, will be at the harpsi-chord. Faculty member William O’Donnell from the theater department is giving help and advice with technical aspects such as lighting, and the theater department will contribute some costumes to the production. Faculty from the art department have also helped, offering assistance and advice in this unique collaboration.

Opera class members are doing the staging, lighting, props and ticket sales.

There will also be a small professional orchestra of strings and percussion.

Solo roles in the opera will be performed by Cal U students, with one role – the sorceress – being sung by Lisa Brovey-Kovach, the music department’s adjunct instructor of voice.

“We are obviously very excited about being able to entertain the campus and local community with this classic opera,” Michael said.

“Many people have worked very hard in this production and I think it has been a great learning experience for our students,” Michael added. “They are understandably anxious to see the results of their efforts in the actual performances.”

Student soloists include: Dido, Lauren Keefer; Aeneas, (double cast) Evan Johnson and Jacob Hagen; Belinda, Kelly Damico; Second Lady, (Double Cast) Jade Lewis and Jessica Long; Sorceress, Lisa Brovey-Kovach; First Witch, Karen Dorohovich; Second Witch, Susan Singley; Sailor, Michael Karmazin.