Art notes: Tenors return to Opera on the James
By The Burg Staff on Jan. 12, 2010
Opera on the James’ latest production is a throwback to its first season.
Back in 2005, organizers presented “Three Terrific Tenors” at the opera company’s inaugural production.
Now the tenors are back for “Three Tenors Encore,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 and 3 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Academy of Fine Arts’ Warehouse Theatre. They’ll also bring the show, put together by Opera on the James Artistic Director Craig Fields, to Charlottesville for one performance at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Paramount Theatre.
The musical revue is “a combination of Broadway tunes and opera tunes and there’s even an instrumental piece on piano,” says David Neumeyer, board of directors president. “It’s a celebration of vocal music, especially vocal music performed by tenors.”
In this case, the three in question are Scott Ramsay, who was a part of the original performance; Gerardo Ramos, an acclaimed Mexican-American tenor; and Jin Ho Hwang, a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music.
Pianist Francesco Milioto, who has conducted five productions for Opera on the James, will accompany them.
Fields’ program includes performances of pieces from “Carmen,” “La traviata,” “I pagliacci,” “South Pacific,” “West Side Story” and “Les Miserables,” plus Spanish, Korean and Irish folk songs.
“It was very successful (the first time),” Neumeyer says. “We thought it would be fun to bring it back.”
Advance tickets are $85 for patron reserved (includes the performance and a cast reception after the Sunday performance), $50 reserved, $25 general admission and $10 for students. Teen Tix, $5 tickets for teenagers, are also available in advance, and $5 rush student tickets can be purchased at the door.
For more information or to buy tickets, call (434) 528-3397 or visit http://www.OperaOnTheJames.org. For Charlottesville tickets, call (434) 979-1333.
Tap Kids at Academy
Eight of the nation’s most talented young tap dancers will hit the Academy of Fine Arts’ stage next weekend.
New York Stage Originals’ Tap Kids are scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Warehouse Theatre in a performance that tells the story of a group of teenagers during their last months at school.
They come to terms with young love, their first big dance, graduation and pending adulthood — complete with dancing on lunch trays in the cafeteria and mischief in detention.
Since its debut at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in 2002, the show has been performed all over the world, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors and $15 for students. For more information, call (434) 846-TIXX or visit http://www.AcademyFineArts.com.
CVCC opens exhibit
“Venice of the North,” an exhibit of photographs of Stockholm, Sweden, is opening in Central Virginia Community College’s Merritt Hall Gallery with a reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Melinda Wheeler, a graduated of CVCC’s photography department, took the photos during a trip there in July, when she traveled from Gamla Stan, the oldest part of Stockholm, to the island of Birka, which has a wild Viking past.
For more information, contact CVCC curator Kathy Cudlin at .
Big Read begins
A reading initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) — aimed at bringing communities together to read and discuss a single novel — starts Friday in Lynchburg.
The program begins with “The Maltese Falcon.” Dashiell Hammett’s classic detective story follows the adventures of hard-boiled private eye Sam Spade as he attempts to solve the mystery of his partner’s death and track down an elusive statue.
Amazement Square and the Lynchburg College Library will have free copies of “The Maltese Falcon” available for interested readers and will present a series of activities for children, teens and adults. Amazement Square will host a Maltese Mystery Day Friday at the museum with a special reduced admission rate of $3. Check next week’s Burg for more information on the Big Read.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The Big Read Lynchburg is sponsored by Amazement Square and the Lynchburg College Library. For more information, visit http://www.bigreadlynchburg.org.
Theater auditions
Little Town Players are holding open auditions for the comedy “Greater Tuna” at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 in the Elks National Home Theatre. Roles are available for two males who can portray multiple characters. Information on the show, which runs March 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 2010 can be found at http://www.littletownplayers.com or by contacting the director at .
- Wolfbane Productions will hold auditions for “The Last Five Years” with book, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Show dates will be April 22-24, April 29-30 and May 1 at Renaissance Theater. All shows will be held at 8 p.m.
Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday at the Renaissance Theatre, Commerce Street. Bring two contrasting songs of about 16 to 32 bars. Do not bring Jason Robert Brown material. There are only two roles available, one male and one female.
War exhibition at LC
“Peace Warriors and Solitudes: Recent Photographs by Carl Chiarenza” opens at the Daura Gallery at Lynchburg College with a reception at 4 p.m. Jan. 20.
As one of the preeminent photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Carl Chiarenza (American, born 1935) has influenced not only the practice of art, but also the study and promotion of photography inside academia and beyond. This exhibition features 24 silver gelatin and Iris prints from two recent series of abstract works — Peace Warriors (2003) and Solitudes (2004) - inspired in part by the artist’s reactions to the war in Iraq.
This exhibition was organized by the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond, and will remain at the Daura Gallery through March 5.
LAC accepting art
The Lynchburg Art Club will accept work for the 78th annual Georgia Morgan Civic Art Show to be held Feb. 5 through Feb. 21.
Any resident within a 35-mile radius of Lynchburg, at least 16 years of age, is invited to submit original works of art including paintings, sculptures and photographs. Two works may be entered. If space is limited, only one may be hung. The fee is $8 per work. Work will be received from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 25 and Jan. 26.
For more information, call 528-9434 or visit http://www.lynchburgartclub.org.
Mystery dinner theatre
Appomattox Christian Academy, 1916 Redfields Road, will hold a Mystery Dinner Theatre, featuring a Radio Show from the 1940’s replaying two separate Sherlock Holmes mysteries, at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 and Jan. 23. Dinner will consist of appetizers, soup and light dessert. The cost is $7 per person or $12 per couple. Due to limited seating, reservations must be made no later than Jan. 20 by calling 352-7373.
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