Skip to main content

Delta State to present Opera Originale April 24

By April 9, 2009General

The Delta State University Opera will present Opera Originale on Friday, April 24, 1 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Bologna Performing Arts Center. 

 
The production is the result of original plays written by the students and set to music for the stage.  These stories began with one set of words from which the students created different stories to be presented, each one highly unique. 
 
Dr. Mary Lenn Buchanan, opera director and professor of music says, “Creative writing is an integral part of learning.  It is a form of personal freedom which allows the writer an outlet for expression of thoughts, feelings, and imaginations. Working in groups, as the opera students did, allowed them to collaborate with their peers to organize and develop a team idea and then set that idea to music.  The result of these collaborations was three works titled “The Golden Monkey, Bella,” and “To Each His Own.” 
 
The students involved in the writing collaboration project will also be singing the various roles in each work, costuming the characters, and staging their finished products.
 
The students include Patricia Thomas of Greenville, Jeanna Wilkes of Hernando, and Emmanuel Gutierrez of Greenville, all freshman; Heather Bunkley of Pearl, Keila Rone of Hernando, Johnathan Williams of Forrest City, Ark.,, Latoya Calhoun of Cleveland, Katie Gibson of Summerdale, Ala., and Dominique Smith of Greenville, all sophomores; Chiquita Allen of Shelby, Lindsey Roy of Greenville, and Gene Kachenovich of Olive Branch, all juniors; Sarah Eads of Hernando, and Crystal Howard of Clarksdale both seniors.
 
Dr. Kumiko Shimizu, assistant professor of music and coach/accompanist for the Delta State Opera, will be providing the accompaniment for all of the productions.
 
The seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis, and the production is free to the public. 
 
For more information, please contact the DSU Music Department at (662) 846-4615.