UNL Opera taking Marriage of Figaro across Nebraska in May

Get up-close with UNL Opera’s MARRIAGE OF FIGARO—Opera as you’ve never experienced it. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Opera, in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Glenn Korff School of Music, will perform the opera at:
* Friend Opera House, Sunday, May 15, 2:00 p.m., Friend, Nebraska
* The Golden Husk, Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 p.m., Ord, Nebraska
* Northeast Community College, Thursday, May 19, 7:00 p.m., Norfolk, Nebraska
* Red Cloud Opera House, Friday, May 20, 7:00 p.m., Red Cloud, Nebraska

Many people consider opera to be an elitist art form catering to patrons wearing diamonds and furs, walking sticks and monocles. While all that can be great fun, UNL Opera is taking another approach with an intimate, up-close, and engaging performance of Mozart’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. This minimal, yet slick production will be immediately accessible to both new and seasoned audiences alike.

Mozart’s MARRIAGE OF FIGARO is a classic that is also strikingly modern. It is a hilarious comedy featuring a couple of servants, desperate to marry and consummate their wedding vows, but thwarted by the marital woes of their superiors. Chock full of seduction, scandal, revenge, forgiveness, redemption, and wit, Mozart’s brilliantly woven music will make you laugh, cry, and leave the theatre humming some of opera’s most beloved tunes.

Prepare to be entertained by UNL Opera’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO! -- accompanied by a three-piece ensemble and sung in English.

This production is made possible by a major gift from the James C. and Rhonda Seacrest Tour Nebraska Opera Fund.

"Nebraskans across the state rarely have the opportunity to experience live opera other than in Lincoln or Omaha," the Seacrests said in a statement when the gift was announced. "We are delighted to join with the Glenn Korff School of Music to share the enrichment of opera performance with greater Nebraska."

Dr. John W. Richmond, Professor and Director of the Glenn Korff School of Music, said of this new outreach initiative, “Jim and Rhonda Seacrest have been transformational investors in what is now UNL’s Glenn Korff School of Music and our UNL Opera program for many years. Their vision and generosity have made possible, among so many wonderful things, our ability to compete successfully at the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera in Ireland, to launch a chamber/opera orchestra here, to establish with others the Ariel Bybee Endowed Visiting Professorship in Opera, and now to take UNL Opera to Nebraska’s marvelous rural communities. Any one of these transformational investments would be truly impressive, but the legacy of so much impactful generosity can only be called astounding. We could not be more grateful."

For tickets to each of the performances, check with the local box office.

“The Seacrest support for this project realizes a dream I’ve long had for UNL Opera: to bring this wonderful art form to rural areas of Nebraska that don’t have easy access to live opera,” said Richard H. Larson Distinguished Professor of Music (Voice), Director of UNL Opera William Shomos. “It gives our students invaluable performing experience while connecting them with constituencies beyond Lincoln. In fact, the rich interactions we anticipate having with the citizens of our state are just as important and meaningful as the opera performances themselves.”