MACON – The Mercer University Opera will present Handel's Alcina in Fickling Hall on Mercer's Macon campus Jan. 15-18.
The show will be presented Jan. 15-17 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 18 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 each. All college students with valid student I.D. and Mercer faculty and staff may obtain one free ticket.
“I am thrilled that we are able to start the new year by presenting Alcina to Middle Georgia audiences! This is a colorful, mysterious and exciting piece with lots of vocal and dramatic fireworks and absolute sheer beauty of sound,” said Mercer Opera Director Martha Malone.
Much like last year's Mercer Opera production of The Magic Flute, Alcina is full of fantasy and intrigue. The title character is a wicked, seductive sorceress who traps shipwrecked men on her enchanted island, and the show tells the story of a young woman's heroic quest to break Alcina's magic love-spell and rescue her enslaved lover.
“If you love fantasy and stories like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, you will love this opera as well. Through terrific costumes, scenery, dancing and music, this show will captivate the audience,” Malone said.
Costumes for this production were designed and created by Shelley Kuhen, with set design by Zach Broome. Music Director Richard Kosowski will lead the Townsend School of Music woodwind and string students and Choral Ensemble.
“I am also excited to have Sharona Rubinstein as our choreographer for this production. We worked together 20 years ago, and I'm glad to have her creative genius on this project,” said Malone.
Handel's opera Alcina was first presented in London in 1735. Centuries later, this masterpiece is still enticing audiences with its characters and music. For tickets and more information, call the Townsend School of Music at (478) 301-2748.
About Townsend School of Music
Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, the Joan Stockstill Godsey Center for Keyboard Studies and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities. The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America's most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season's concerts please visit www.mercer.edu/music, or call (478) 301-2748.
