Opera Gala showcases finest in students, alumni, desserts, wine, champagne
Arias, ensembles from ‘Carmen,’ ‘The Merry Widow,’ ‘The Magic Flute,’ ‘Die Fledermaus’
SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, 2008 — San Francisco State University’s School of Music and Dance presents the Opera Gala at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, showcasing the finest performances from its rejuvenated opera and vocal programs. Audiences will enjoy highlights from popular operas performed by students, alumni and faculty while sampling fine desserts and beverages “cabaret style.”
The third annual Opera Gala, to be held in Jack Adams Hall in SF State’s Cesar Chavez Student Center, benefits the School of Music and Dance Opera Fund. For reservations, call 415/405-2849.
The Opera Gala program will showcase arias and ensembles from the most popular operas and operettas, including “Carmen,” “The Merry Widow,” “The Magic Flute” and “Die Fledermaus.”
Vance George, San Francisco Symphony Chorus director emeritus, is special guest. George joined the University this fall as conductor of the SF State Chamber Singers, the top choir in the School of Music and Dance.
SF State revived its opera program in 2001, after being eliminated in the early 1990s due to budget cuts. Recent alumni include Lianne Marie Dobbs, who garnered critical acclaim for her title role in the 2007 Mountain View TheatreWorks production of Jane Austen’s “Emma.” Alumna Angela Cadelago received stellar reviews earlier this year for her lead role in the Berkeley Opera’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” In its previous incarnation, the program helped develop celebrated performers such as Grammy winning soprano Susan Narucki, cabaret singer Wesla Whitfield and mezzo-soprano Michelle de Young.
“I am grateful for the training I had at SF State,” de Young said. “It helped build the foundation for my career.”
The opera program now thrives with a diverse, talented group of 50 undergraduate and graduate students who have performed in outstanding productions including recent productions of Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld” and Mechem’s “Tartuffe.”
Associate Professor Alissa Walters Deeter, coordinator of voice and opera activities in the School of Music and Dance, said the driven, enthusiastic students not only benefit from being in culturally rich San Francisco — they also benefit from the program’s focus on the educational process of performing.
The SF State School of Music and Dance, based in the College of Creative Arts, offers professional and liberal arts degrees, with more than 400 students enrolled in major programs. Music students can study jazz, classical, choral, world music, electronic music, composition, music education and more. Dance students are trained in techniques such as ballet, modern, jazz, capoeira, flamenco, kathak, Afro-Haitian and Dunham as well as preparation for K-12 dance education. Alumni include Tony and Grammy winners who conduct Broadway musicals and symphony orchestras and perform in operas. Some work as composers, arrangers, producers, conductors, singers, dancers, choreographers, educators, and leaders of professional arts organizations. The School of Music and Dance is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Visit: http://musicdance.sfsu.edu.
Location and Parking
Jack Adams Hall is located in the Cesar Chavez Student Center on the SF State campus, 1650 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.), San Francisco. Public parking is available in Lot 20, accessed from Lake Merced Boulevard between Winston Drive and Font Boulevard. On weekends and evenings only, public parking is available in Lots 1 and 2, on Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.). Parking is $1 per hour with a $5 daily maximum. Nearby street parking is readily available on weekends. For details, visit www.sfsu.edu/~parking.
Calendar Editors, Please Note:
Opera Gala
Alissa Walters Deeter, faculty director
7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, Jack Adams Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center, San Francisco State University, 1650 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Ave.), San Francisco
Information: http://musicdance.sfsu.edu/operagala, 415/405-2849
Program: Arias and ensembles from the most popular operas and operettas, including “Carmen,” “The Merry Widow,” “The Magic Flute” and “Die Fledermaus.”
Enjoy arias and ensembles from popular operas performed by students, alumni and faculty while sampling fine desserts and beverages “cabaret style.” Special guest: Vance George, director emeritus of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and conductor of the SF State Chamber Singers. Proceeds benefit SF State’s School of Music and Dance Opera Fund.
-###-
Contact: Matt Itelson, (415) 338-1442, matti@sfsu.edu
