Princess Young
Guest Writer
This week is officially Opera Week at Idaho State University. With several opportunities for students, staff, faculty and community members to hear classical music, this week’s events need to be on everyone’s calendar.
On Thursday, Nov. 14, Idaho State’s “Season of Note” will host a production of Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro,” or “The Marriage of Figaro,” performed in Italian by Opera Idaho. Taking place at 7:30 p.m. in ISU’s Jensen Grand Concert Hall, this humorous opera was first composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Diana Livingston-Friedley, a voice faculty member at ISU and an organizer of this local event, said that not only is “Figaro” a great opera, “but a great first opera if folks have never been to one before. The English supertitles should make it less scary to attend for newcomers coupled with the fact the Opera Idaho is Idaho’s premiere company. I personally have sung with them and they do quality productions.”
She added, “I also encourage families to bring their children; the ticket prices are quite reasonable. For couples, it could be the date night of the semester.”
The delightful opera will be Jensen Hall’s first full-length opera ever performed at its venue.
Tickets can be purchased through ISU’s box office or ticket line at 282-3595. Tickets start at $11 for children and go up to $25 for premium seating.
Opera Idaho performers will be visiting Pocatello high schools as well.
Friedley said, “I encourage folks to come to the pre-opera discussion in the Marshall Rotunda starting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. This will provide a great introduction to “Figaro” if they’ve never attended an opera.”
For more information on the opera or the Opera Idaho, visit operaidaho.org.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Metropolitan Opera National Council District (MONC) Auditions will be held at ISU starting at 10 a.m. This is the second time that MONC auditions have been held at ISU.
This year, over 30 singers will arrive at ISU to perform from eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana. This number is more than double the amount of vocalists who competed in 2011.
Four singers from ISU will compete in these auditions: Emma Doupé, Jerrica Matthews, John Punt and Lakota Terrace.
Prices for admissions to the auditions are $8 for adults, $6 for faculty and staff, pre-college students are $4 and ISU students are free with their Bengal ID cards.
Audience members will be able to vote for their favorite performer.
Winners of this district auditions will attend the Northwest Regional Competition in January at the University of Washington in Seattle.
To close out ISU Opera Week, Friedley said, “On Sunday morning [Nov.17] at 10 a.m. in the [Stephens Performing Arts Center Marshall] Rotunda, we are having a master class of ISU students and Thomas Muraco from the Manhattan School of Music.”
“He is one of our judges and a world-class accompanist and collaborative artist. He has collaborated with some of the best in the business. The master class is free and open to the public,” she said.
