From familiar favorites to contemporary masterpieces, the University of Houston’s Moores Opera Center is serving up another season of show-stopping performances.
For its 2013 – 14 season, the center will introduce Houstonians to Nino Rota’s “The Italian Straw Hat,” explore Cold War espionage with award winner “The Consul,” revisit Rossini’s classic “The Barber of Seville” and celebrate former UH faculty member Carlisle Floyd with “Cold Sassy Tree.”
Since 1986, the award-winning Moores Opera Center – directed by Buck Ross – has groomed rising singing stars and delivered a mix of new and classic works to Houston audiences. All operas are performed in UH's Moores Opera House (Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard). Tickets are $20 and $12 for students and seniors. A season pass covering four season operas is available for $60. For additional details on tickets, call the Moores box office at 713-743-3313 or visit its website.
The Moores Opera Center’s 2013 – 14 Season is as follows:
- Oct.
25 - 28
“The Italian Straw Hat” by Nino Rota (Houston premiere) – While trying to get to his wedding, a young Parisian man is swept up in events that spiral hilariously out of control. Rota, composer of numerous iconic film scores (“The Godfather,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “La Dolce Vita,” “8 1/2”) wrote this charming and disarming farce that moves like the wind with bountiful bel canto melodies and a large, eccentric cast of characters. Sung in Italian with English surtitles. - Jan.
23 – 26
“The Consul” by Gian-Carlo Menotti – A woman is a trapped in a Kafka-esque nightmare of bureaucracy and spies. This searing Broadway operatic drama won the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Crtitics’ Circle Award in 1950. Sung in English with surtitles.
- Jan.
24 – 27
“The Barber of Seville” by Giochino Rossini – The cries of “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!” echo through the streets as everyone needs the famous barber. Sung in Italian with English surtitles. - April
4 – 7
“Cold Sassy Tree” by Carlisle Floyd – A widower enters into an arranged marriage that turns out to be more than anyone bargained for. A warm, wise and nostalgic look at small town Southern life, “Cold Sassy Tree” returns home to Houston. Former UH faculty member Floyd penned this valentine to a vanished world. Sung in English with surtitles.
The Moores Opera Center is part of UH’s Moores School of Music. Each year, it produces four operas. Among the center’s Houston premieres are Daron Hagen’s “Amelia,” Daniel Catán’s “Il Postino,” Robert Aldridge's “Elmer Gantry,” Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” Sergei Prokofiev's “The Love for Three Oranges,” Carl Maria von Weber's “Der Freischütz,” Samuel Barber's “Vanessa,” Jules Massenet's “Chérubin,” Gioachino Rossini's “Il viaggio a Reims,” and Kurt Weill's “The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” In 2012, the center earned awards from the National Opera Association for productions of “Amelia” and “Der Rosenkavalier.” In 2011, it also received NOA honors for “Il Postino.” Professional recordings include the center's productions of Dominick Argento’s “Casanova's Homecoming” and a DVD release of Robert Nelson’s “A Room With a View.” For more details on the Moores Opera Center, visit http://www.music.uh.edu/opera/.
###