UH Singers Bringing Opera to Houston's Mucky Duck Sept. 22

‘What’s Opera, Duck?’ to Offer Evening of Opera, Musical Theater Favorites Performed by Moores Opera Center

No costumes. No sets. No orchestra.

Although the singers from the University of Houston’s Moores Opera Center will be without their usual stage accoutrements, they will bring powerful, passionate voices to McGonigel’s Mucky Duck.

At 7:30 p.m., Sept. 22, the Moores Opera Center will present “What’s Opera, Duck?” at the Mucky Duck (2425 Norfolk St.). The event will offer Houston audiences a casual, intimate evening filled with performances of opera and musical theater favorites. All proceeds from this event benefit the Moores Opera Center.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Mucky Duck box office. For more details on “What’s Opera, Duck?,” visit http://www.music.uh.edu/opera/. Club and box office details are available at http://www.mcgonigels.com/

“This event is back by popular demand,” said Buck Ross, director of the Moores Opera Center. “Last year, we delivered two editions of ‘What’s Opera, Duck?’ that were big hits. Audiences can really experience the talents and energies of these singers in this kind of environment. It’s really a very unique opportunity to hear the finest voices in an intimate space.”

Since 1986, the Moores Opera Center has provided Houstonians with performances of classic and contemporary works. It also has groomed a number of professional performers including Bruce Fowler, Debra Hayes, Barbara Divis, Sam Handley, Joseph Gaines and Javier Abreu. Also among its notable alumni are Barbara Pardilla, the 2009 runner up on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and Nathaniel Peake, 2010 recipient of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the George London Foundation Award.

The Moores Opera Center has a strong commitment to contemporary opera, and recent productions have brought renowned composers and librettists to work with the students, including Daniel Catán, John Corigliano, Dominick Argento, Conrad Susa, Philip Littell, William M. Hoffman and Christopher Theofanidis.

All Moores Opera Center productions are performed in the 800-seat Moores Opera House. The 2011-12 season kicks off Oct. 21 with “Falstaff.” For details on this and other upcoming operas, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/opera/currentseason.asp.

What: "What's Opera, Duck?"
When: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 22
Where: McGonigel's Mucky Duck (2425 Norfolk St.)
Who: UH Moores Opera Center