SUNY Potdam

A mortified Albert (center) is subjected to unwanted attention at the May Day Feast during SUNY Potsdam’s Crane Opera Ensemble and Orchestra’s production of “Albert Herring.”

National Opera Week celebrated at SUNY Potsdam with comic opera

10.29.09

To celebrate National Opera Week, SUNY Potsdam’s Crane Opera Ensemble and Orchestra will present the comic opera “Albert Herring” on Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. in the Sarah M. Snell Music Theater.

A pre-performance lecture presented by students in the Teaching Opera class will begin at 6:45 p.m. on November 13 and 14 and 1:15 p.m. on November 15.

“Albert Herring” is set in the imaginary East Suffolk town of Loxford near the turn of the 20th century. The musical score by Benjamin Britten overflows with witty musical inventions infused by the composer’s gifts for parody and caricature.

At the heart of this “serious comedy” is Albert Herring, a sympathetic young man who, tied to his mother’s apron-strings, is further humiliated when chosen as May Day King by the town council.

Suffice it to say, what happens at the celebration and after is not what the committee had planned for their virtuous king.

The libretto, by Eric Cozier, will be performed in English.

Associate Professor Dr. Kirk Severtson will conduct the performances featuring students from The Crane School of Music. Associate Professor of Voice Dr. Kathleen Miller will perform the role of Lady Billows, Loxford’s self-appointed moral adviser. Professor of Opera Dr. Carleen Graham is the stage director and production designer.

National Opera Week is sponsored by OPERA America, a national organization that supports the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera. National Opera Week celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression.

The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles and opera training programs such as The Crane Opera Ensemble across the United States will be shared through a variety of activities for opera lovers and newcomers to the art form.

Launched with the presentation of the 2009 NEA Opera Honors in Washington, D.C., the celebration will reach from coast to coast as opera companies offer a range of programs for the public that demonstrate the accessibility of this multi-media and collaborative of the arts.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the Community Performance Series Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or by visiting www.cpspotsdam.org. Tickets are $10 for adults; $7 for seniors and SUNY Potsdam faculty, staff and students with ID; and $5 for students in grades K through 12. Children under 5 are free.

Contact:
CPS Box Office
(315) 267-2277 | cps@potsdam.edu