- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ýLR’s Opera Gala nearly doubles proceeds for student programs

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 13:38:28 +0000

Student vocalists from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock performed for the largest crowd to date for the annual Opera Gala held March 10 at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center. “The range of talent displayed among our students was simply stunning. Judging from the applause and numerous comments from the attendees, the audience agreed,” said Dr. Jeremy Lane, chair of the ��Vlog��ýLR Music Department. Dr. Rosella Ewing produced and directed the opera dinner, and student vocalists were accompanied by pianist and musical coach, Dr. Kyung-Eun Na. “It is a great testament to our vocal area faculty – Ewing, Na, Bevan Keating, Diane Kesling, and Ferris Allen – that the students are able to perform at such a high level,” added Lane. Singers shined in performances like “Sing for your Supper” from “The Boys from Syracuse,” memorable ballad “Beautiful Dreamer” and the ensemble rendition of “Tonight” from “West Side Story.” Under the leadership of Joseph Lampo, development director for the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, the student-centered benefit earned a 59 percent increase in ticket sales compared to last year. Total donations also increased thanks to gifts, donations, sponsorships from Betty Richards and Colonial Wine and Spirits, and table sponsorships from Peyton Bishop, Dr. Marie Francine Bruyneel and Patrick Mathieu, Dean Shearle and Carolyn Furnish, Drs. Soledad and Hugo Jasin, and Mary Wildgen. “The Gala helps provide much-needed resources for activities that are essential to our students’ progress as developing musicians,” said Lane. “By sharing an evening of wonderful music with the Little Rock community, we are ensuring that students receive life-transforming experiences that help them develop into outstanding professionals.” Support the university’s vocal arts program at ualr.edu/giving/event/opera-gala. To learn more about the vocals arts at ��Vlog��ýLR, go to ualr.edu/music.

Opera Gala, an entertaining dining experience, returns March 10

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 20:44:53 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Opera Gala is set to return to the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10. The evening begins with a wine reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner and performances at 7 p.m. when student performers will serenade guests with solo and ensemble numbers. Last year’s performance of “Canti del Cuore – Songs of the Heart” ended with a rousing standing ovation from the audience. This year audience members will be treated to numbers such as “Sing for your Supper” from The Boys from Syracuse, “Tonight” from West Side Story, and “Ain’t it a Pretty Night” from Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah. Tickets are $75 per person. Table sponsorships are available at $1,000 for a table of 10; however, one of these seats is reserved for a student performer. Sponsorships are also available for those who would like to sponsor a student to attend at $75 per student. Proceeds support the vocal arts program at ��Vlog��ýLR. Presenting sponsors are Betty Richards and Colonial Wine and Spirits. Dr. Rosella Ewing, director of opera studies at ��Vlog��ýLR, produces and directs Opera Gala. To purchase tickets or for additional information, go to ualr.at/operagala or call 501.569.3294 by March 3. Photo: Top right: Daniel Foltz-Morrison (tenor) sings during Opera Gala 2015. Second photo: Kelly Singer (soprano) performs “Mein Herr Marquis” from “Die Fledermaus” at Opera Gala 2015.

Opera Gala set to support ��Vlog��ýLR vocal arts

Gloria King — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 22:47:02 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Opera Theatre will present its annual Opera Gala supporting the vocal arts program. The fundraiser features top student talent and will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. Standard admission for “Canti del Cuore – Songs of the Heart” is $75 per person. However, sponsorships are available for those who are unable to attend but would like to sponsor a student to attend the gala at $75 per student. Table sponsorships are also available at $1,000 for a table of 10; however, one of those 10 spots must be reserved for a ��Vlog��ýLR student performer. The evening will feature a reception, followed by dinner and performances by ��Vlog��ýLR’s best and brightest vocalists. Dr. Rosella Ewing, director of opera studies at ��Vlog��ýLR, will produce and direct the performances for this year’s Opera Gala. For reservations or additional information, go to Canti del Cuore, Songs of the Heart or call 501.569.3294.

Creative Colleges profiles ��Vlog��ýLR music program

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:42:59 +0000

The fourth edition of “” highlights the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Department of Music, one of only two in the state to receive the designation.

The guide is aimed at college-bound creative students to provide information and resources for programs that fit their needs.

said she researched programs from across the country and ultimately selected more than 250 art, drama, dance, music, and creative writing programs in arts conservatories and liberal arts colleges and universities to recommend to potential students.

Loveland is also the author of “Creative Careers: Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers.”

Essays that discuss every aspect of the college music major from how to select a program, applying for scholarships, and sample curricula are included, along with such information as geographic location and number of faculty.

��Vlog��ýLR offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in several music-related concentrations, including applied music, music history, music theory, and music education (vocal emphasis).

There is an audition requirement and scholarships available, as highlighted in the guidebook.

The guidebook also highlights department activities including opera workshops, concert choirs, a gospel chorale, community orchestra, wind, percussion and guitar ensembles, jazz combos, and many more.

Renowned mezzo-soprano brings performance to ��Vlog��ýLR

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 18:23:58 +0000

Renowned American mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke will open ��Vlog��ýLR’s Artspree season at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the ��Vlog��ýLR Fine Arts Building.

Photo courtsey Rikki Cooke

She will also teach a masterclass to ��Vlog��ýLR students at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16. Cooke, who performed as Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of John Adams’s “Doctor Atomic,” earned praise from The New Yorker for her “fresh, vital portrayal … keen sense of verbal nuance, and a flair for seduction.” The DVD release of the opera won the 2012 Grammy Award® for Best Opera Recording. Cooke is a graduate of Rice University and the Juilliard School. She also attended the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival, the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute, the Wolf Trap Foundation, the Marlboro Music Festival, and Central City Opera’s Young Artist Training Program. She has performed in venues from Berlin to Bonn and San Francisco to Dallas. A dedicated recitalist, Cooke was presented by Young Concert Artists in her widely acclaimed New York and Washington debuts at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and at the Kennedy Center. Last year, she opened the Hollywood Bowl’s summer season in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Leonard Slatkin and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and appeared at Music@Menlo and the RoundTop Festival. Cooke has also appeared in the closing concerts of the Aspen Music Festival and the Mostly Mozart Festival, with Robert Spano in Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and with Louis Langrée in Beethoven’s Mass in C, respectively. In 2010, she was awarded first place and the American Prize in the José Iturbi International Music Competition, top prize in the Gerda Lissner Competition, and the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Award. Tickets are free for ��Vlog��ýLR students. For individual general admission, tickets are $15 and $10 for non-��Vlog��ýLR students. Balcony tickets are free for ��Vlog��ýLR faculty and staff. To purchase tickets, call the ��Vlog��ýLR Music Department Box Office at 501.569.8993. For general information about Artspree, contact Naoki Hakutani, assistant professor of music, at 501.683.7230.

Holiday Opera Features Young Vocal Talents

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:03:30 +0000

The ��Vlog��ýLR Opera Theatre will present a holiday production of the “The Christmas Box,” featuring the newest young talent in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the ��Vlog��ýLR Fine Arts Building. “In “The Christmas Box,” Mr. B. awakes on Christmas Day to find that Santa has forgotten him once again,” said Don Bernardini, creator of the production and ��Vlog��ýLR assistant professor of music. “To his surprise, Santa has indeed left him the biggest and best surprise ever – a box filled with Christmas characters that come to life.” The holiday opera will also feature dancers from the Arkansas Festival Ballet. Tickets to the performances are $15 for general admission, free for ��Vlog��ýLR students, and $5 for other students. To purchase tickets, call the music department box office, 501-569-8993.

Valentine’s Day Choral, Opera Program Canceled

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:03:23 +0000

Due to inclement weather conditions the “Luscious Love Songs” program scheduled for Feb. 11 has been canceled. ��Vlog��ýLR celebrates Valentine’s Day with “Luscious Love Songs,” featuring tenor Kevin Park, who is gaining attention as an international opera star, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the ��Vlog��ýLR Fine Arts Building. The concert will benefit ��Vlog��ýLR’s choral and opera programs. Tickets are $75, including a champagne reception in the Bailey Alumni Center following the concert. For tickets, call the Music Department Box Office at 501-569-8993. A native of Korea, Park has performed a number of operatic roles, including Romeo in Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” and the title role in Mascagni’s “L’Amico Fritz.” This year he made his debut at England’s Aldeburgh Festival in Handel’s “Saul.” He has also sung in Italy and in Spain. In 2011, Park will embark on a joint concert tour of Asia with famed soprano . Park has performed with the St. Louis Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and the Chautauqua Opera. The tenor is also in demand for concerts; he recently sang Handel’s “Messiah” at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “Kevin has a classically beautiful lyric tenor voice – perfect for love songs,” said Edward Crafts, director of the ��Vlog��ýLR Opera Theatre. “He has a unique ability to make each listener believe he is singing only to them. If you missed him a few years ago on the Bechstein Hall concert series, this is a rare chance to hear him on this continent.” ��Vlog��ýLR faculty performers include Crafts, a former Metropolitan Opera singer; Met veteran Diane Kesling; former Chicago Lyric Opera soprano Susan Belcher; mezzo-soprano Heather Crafts; guest soprano Kira Keating; and pianists Kristina Marinova, Rolf Groesbeck, and Trudy Kincaide. The ��Vlog��ýLR Concert Choir, directed by associate professor of music Bevan Keating, will join the solo performers in selections from the Broadway musicals “The Music Man” and “Kismet,” and in several songs from Brahms’ “Liebeslieder Walzes.”

��Vlog��ýLR to Host Met Opera Auditions Jan. 15

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:52:29 +0000

Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in ��Vlog��ýLR’s Fine Arts Building will be the site of the Jan. 15 for the Arkansas District. Young singers from across Arkansas and around the nation will perform and compete in the auditions as part of a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. The auditions are held annually in 41 districts within 14 regions in the United States and Canada. Top performers will win cash awards as well as the opportunity to advance to the regional finals on Feb. 5 at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre in Memphis. The winners of the regional finals win a trip to New York to participate in the national semi-finals, a competition held on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. From there, national finalists compete in a public concert, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Judges of the Little Rock auditions will include John Wustman, distinguished American collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and teacher; Sunny Joy Langton, international opera star and a winner of the Met Opera Auditions; and Roger Pines, editorial dramaturge of Lyric Opera Chicago. For more information, call the Department of Music at 501-569-3294.

H.M.S. Pinafore Sets Sail Nov. 12-14

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 21:12:01 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR’s Community Chorus and the Opera Theatre will present Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12 and 13, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in ��Vlog��ýLR’s Fine Arts Building. Dr. Bevan Keating, director of ��Vlog��ýLR’s vocal program, said “Pinafore,” is one the celebrated pair’s popular 14 comic operas, is the first of the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Music’s 2010-2011 season’s choral, operatic, and vocal masterworks. “Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall has just undergone an extensive renovation, and the results are stunning,” Keating said. “So this is our first season when we can show off its enhanced functionality and beauty.” Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for students and children. ��Vlog��ýLR students, faculty, and staff will be admitted free of charge. For ticket information, contact the Department of Music Box Office at 501-569-8993.

Mozart’s ‘Flute’ Set in Contemporary Subway April 30, May 2

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:18:31 +0000

��Vlog��ýLR Opera Theatre presents a new performing version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, written by director , at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 2. Dr. Bevan Keating, music director of the ��Vlog��ýLR Opera Theatre, conducts soloists, orchestra and chorus for the performances at . The opera is suitable for all audiences. General admission tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students or children. Premium seating, including a champagne reception, is available for $25. For ticket information, please call the Music Department Box Office at 501-569-8993. This contemporary English translation of Mozart’s classic is set in the New York subways. “The Magic Flute is a classic tale of good and evil, light and dark, so I thought that urban tunnels were a perfect setting to begin this story,” Crafts said. “Later scenes move to an airy corporate atrium, which will underline the contrast. In The Magic Flute, Mozart created some fun characters that immediately appeal to children, but his music is so sublime that it will charm even the most sophisticated music-lover.” The ��Vlog��ýLR cast of singers includes Jeremy Kinchen of Little Rock and James Wafford of Sherwood alternating in the role of Prince Tamino, with Melanie Chapman and Jacqueline Forrester of Little Rock as the object of his affection, Pamina. Sarah Jane Kershaw and Shaina Erwin, both of Little Rock, share the role of the Queen of the Night. In the ��Vlog��ýLR version the Queen leads a female gang, whose members are played by Katie Burrall or Roland, Erica Finnie of Judsonia; and Regina Gallucci, Satia Spencer, and Jessica Williams, all of Little Rock. Beau Humble of Little Rock and Memory Apata of Maumelle are the bird-like couple Papageno and Papagena, Phillip Murray of Little Rock sings Sarastro, while Jansen Goodwin of Little Rock is his Chief of Security, Monostatos. Luke Angelo of Little Rock and Kevin Ezell of Jacksonville are heard as two firefighters. Three local high-school students – Rachel Manasco from Lisa Academy, Elizabeth Riddick from Little Rock Central High School, and Shannon Rookey from Parkview Magnet High School – join the ��Vlog��ýLR cast as three guides.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ýLR’s Opera Gala nearly doubles proceeds for student programs