161 OPERA WORKSHOP PERFORMS ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 7, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493

Two-Night Performance Takes Centerstage at MTSU on Nov. 17 and 18

(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Opera Workshop will present two performances of Benjamin Britten’s opera, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Britten’s opera was adapted by himself and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. It premiered in June 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk.
The plot of the opera is an ethereal story of three pairs of star-crossed Athenian lovers involving magical potions, spells and fairies. Primarily, it focuses on the subject of the madness of love and follows Shakespeare’s play, with several alterations. The main alteration is that the first act of the play is cut out, giving much more focus to the scenes in the wood.
“Benjamin Britten's ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ is, in my opinion, one of the best settings of a Shakespearean text in all of music,” commented critic Chia Han-Leon. “It captures the side-splitting humor, the fairy enchantment, the light and darkness of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays with wonderful effectiveness.”
The MTSU Opera Workshop performance will feature music and preparations by MTSU’s collaborative pianist and an assistant professor, Caleb Harris, and Dr. Raphael Bundage, director of choral activities. Guest artist John Kramer will serve as the stage director for the opera.
TICKETS: General admission tickets for the Nov. 17 and 18 performances are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as high school students will be admitted free.
For more information on these and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.




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