Opera at The Dalí: The American Dream — Sold Out
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January 24, 2023 @ 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Tickets to this event are now sold out.
In conjunction with our special exhibition The Shape of Dreams, The University of Tampa’s Opera Workshop Ensemble will perform diverse music highlighting aspects of the American Dream.
The opera scene concert features different styles of American opera music—Latin American (Candide), Gospel (Porgy and Bess), Jazz-influenced (Street Scene) and Avant-garde (Trouble in Tahiti), which represent beautiful diversity in our own American culture, and its American dream through different lenses.
Location: The Dalí Museum’s Will Raymund Theater
Tickets: $5 for Museum members | $10 for non-members
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Admission to the galleries is not included with this ticket purchase. You are encouraged to visit the gallery prior to the performance.
DREAMY AMERICAN OPERAS
Presented by
UT Opera Workshop Ensemble
Director: Hein Jung
Piano: Josh Cessna
Scenes from Street Scene by Kurt Weill (1900-1950)
- Ain’t It Awful, the Heat?
Mrs. Fiorentino (Willow Harris), Mrs. Jones (Faith Dodge), Mrs. Olsen (Allison Calabrese), Mr. Kaplan (Parker Greenblatt), Salvation Army Girls (Virsi Melo, Brianna Davies), Mr. Olsen (D’Andre Carver) The scene takes place with the residents of the apartment block in New York. The ladies and gentlemen are lamenting the heatwave that is gripping New York, in the midst of fighting their “top-dog” status but soon the focus is changed as Mrs. Jones finds herself being attracted to Mr. Olsen’s manly presence.
- Don’t Forget the Lilac Bush
Rose (Ashleigh Dudek), Sam (Ethan Lucas) Rose told Sam that she will run away from her discontent parents, but soon both are having an argument, as they disagree with each other’s idea: that Sam wants to go away with her, but Rose tells him that she has to go off alone. Sam confesses to Rose that he has been in love with her, and he wants to have a fulfilled life with the love of his life, Rose. Rose reveals the trauma from her parents: that two people do not belong together, and she says goodbye to Sam.
Scene from Wonderful Town by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
- Ohio
Eileen (Ella Jurusz), Ruth (Alyssa Hernandez)
This duet is sung by principal characters, Ruth and Eileen, as the two ladies lament that they left Ohio for New York City. “Why, why Ohio, did we ever leave you!”.
Scene from Trouble in Tahiti by Leonard Bernstein
- Well, of All People
Sam (Matthew Jay), Dinah (Brianna Davies)
Sam is a competitive and over-confident figure who does not mind using his power over his meek housewife, Dinah, in an abusive and manipulating way. In this duet, Sam tries to reconcile with his wife, but soon they start to argue, as usual, as Dinah tries to avoid restoring the relationship between the two, while Sam gets angry again at Dinah’s passive response.
Scenes from Candide by Leonard Bernstein
- Life is Happiness Indeed & The Best of All Possible Worlds
Cunegonda (Hope Lelekacs), Paquette (Brenna Kimball), Candide (Ethan Lucas), Maximillian (Matthew Jay), Pangloss (Parker Greensblatt) choreographed by Jordan Clanton
Dr. Pangloss teaches Cunegonda and Candide, the lovely naïve young engaged couple, and Paquette and Maximilian, the way to happiness through an extremely optimistic perspective. - I am Easily Assimilated
Old Lady 1 (Kelsey Lopez), Old Lady 2 (Jordan Clanton) and Chorus choreographed by Matthew Jay
This Latin-American inspired number, featuring the Old Lady’s signature solo with exuberant Latin chorus in Spanish and English texts, “It’s easy, it’s ever so easy! I’m Spanish, I’m suddenly Spanish! And you must be Spanish, too. Do like the natives do. These days you have to be in the majority”.
Scene from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin (1898-1937)
- Oh, I Can’t Sit Down & Oh, Lawd, I’m on My Way
Porgy (D’Andre Carver), Bess (Dallis Williams) and Chorus
choreographed by Ashley Campbell
In “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down,” the village people (chorus) are in high spirits as they prepare to leave for a picnic, but Bess is sad, leaving Porgy alone, knowing that Porgy cannot join the party due to his physical disability. As Bess leaves, Porgy reprises “I Got Plenty of Nuttin,” reminding himself that it is ok to have a little in one’s life.
In “Oh, Lawd, I’m on My Way”, Porgy calls for his goat cart as he is leaving to find Bess and he prays for the strength to get her back to where she is supposed to belong (happy and simple life together with the village people).
