Opera students to perform in Alkek
Weatherford College opera students invite the public to a free performance this Thursday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alkek Fine Arts Center.
Selections for the evening include an extended scene from Mozart’s “Magic Flute," arias from “The Elixir of Love” along with excerpts from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Aaron Copland’s American masterpiece “The Tender Land.”
WC opera instructor Rick Rainey hopes the audience “will release their imaginations and join us as we see these characters journey through the pursuit of love, fear of rejection, overwhelming happiness and great sorrow.”
Unlike a choir performance, opera is blocked for stage performance and includes costumes and props. And, unlike musical theatre, opera is performed without microphones requiring students to learn to sign in amplified without causing damage to their voice.
“It takes specific training and skill and many hours of rehearsals to learn this art,” Rainey said. “Opera can touch your heart and move you to think and examine yourself as you reflect on the emotional portrayals you are watching. It is meant to cause a reaction, and through those reactions start conversations with an awareness of how others might think and feel.”
WC students participating in the opera performance include Abigail Payne, Hailee Pacheco, Finn Krier, Daniel Schaffer, Elijah Thomas and Richard Wooten. WC voice students Lucia McCoy and Alex Cook also make an appearance.