27th Annual Opera Reaches All Ages
An Invitation to the Infanta’s Birthday
Gardner-Webb To Perform Its Annual Opera
Gardner-Webb To Perform Its Annual Opera
BOILING SPRINGS, NC – It’s not every day that you get an invitation to a birthday of a young Spanish queen. Well you may not get into the party, but at least you can watch and listen! Gardner-Webb’s Fine Arts Department is set to perform its annual opera, with this year’s selection being Ron Nelson’s “The Birthday of the Infanta.” The story takes place in a Spanish castle on the birthday of the child queen, the “Infanta.” While she longs to be out playing with other children she is forced to remain in the castle. When Mara and Don Pedro, her caretakers, capture a wild boy creature from the forest to entertain her, the audience is plunged into a world of childhood fantasy that often grows in a relationship between two young hearts.
Dr. Terry Fern, Gardner-Webb’s Director of Opera Theater, has always approached opera with a dual mindset. On top of a belief that opera is “a union of the arts; it combines not just drama, but music and drama and dance,” Fern believes that art has a responsibility to education. That’s why he always seeks to express the message that lives between notes and text. The idea behind this year’s moral is that “dutiful service to others without heartfelt concern can be meaningless.” That belief in educational enlightenment is also why Fern began “Student Day at the Opera:” to invite elementary students to come to Gardner-Webb and experience its Opera Theater.
This year’s “Student Day at the Opera” is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, November 7th. In 27 years of opera at Gardner-Webb, over 20,000 elementary school children have seen and heard live opera by the Gardner-Webb Opera Theater. Over 500 students are scheduled to attend this year’s performance. Elementary school teachers who are interested in having their class attend may contact Angie Costner at 704-487-7809.
The opera will also be performed on the following Thursday and Friday night (Nov. 8th and 9th) at 8:00 pm in Dover Theatre. Prior to each performance, Rosalee Johnson will sing an opera scene from “The Old Maid and the Thief,” an opera composed by Gian-Carlo Menotti. The Infanta will be played by Amber Smith and Shane Bryant will play The Creature. Sarah Skelton will be playing Mara and Dr. Paul Etter, Gardner’s Webb’s Choral Director, will be playing Don Pedro. Timothy Scruggs is the staff accompanist. Those performances are open to the public, with adult tickets being $6.00 and $4.00 tickets for children and seniors. Culture, Education, and Entertainment all rolled up in one – it’s a must-see! For more information call the GWU Fine Arts Department at 704-406-4453 or 704-406-4448.
Dr. Terry Fern, Gardner-Webb’s Director of Opera Theater, has always approached opera with a dual mindset. On top of a belief that opera is “a union of the arts; it combines not just drama, but music and drama and dance,” Fern believes that art has a responsibility to education. That’s why he always seeks to express the message that lives between notes and text. The idea behind this year’s moral is that “dutiful service to others without heartfelt concern can be meaningless.” That belief in educational enlightenment is also why Fern began “Student Day at the Opera:” to invite elementary students to come to Gardner-Webb and experience its Opera Theater.
This year’s “Student Day at the Opera” is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, November 7th. In 27 years of opera at Gardner-Webb, over 20,000 elementary school children have seen and heard live opera by the Gardner-Webb Opera Theater. Over 500 students are scheduled to attend this year’s performance. Elementary school teachers who are interested in having their class attend may contact Angie Costner at 704-487-7809.
The opera will also be performed on the following Thursday and Friday night (Nov. 8th and 9th) at 8:00 pm in Dover Theatre. Prior to each performance, Rosalee Johnson will sing an opera scene from “The Old Maid and the Thief,” an opera composed by Gian-Carlo Menotti. The Infanta will be played by Amber Smith and Shane Bryant will play The Creature. Sarah Skelton will be playing Mara and Dr. Paul Etter, Gardner’s Webb’s Choral Director, will be playing Don Pedro. Timothy Scruggs is the staff accompanist. Those performances are open to the public, with adult tickets being $6.00 and $4.00 tickets for children and seniors. Culture, Education, and Entertainment all rolled up in one – it’s a must-see! For more information call the GWU Fine Arts Department at 704-406-4453 or 704-406-4448.
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