W&L to Present ‘Supernatural’ Opera Scenes Although W&L has produced student-cast operas in the past, this is the first time students have been able to enroll in a credit-bearing opera workshop.
“Supernatural: Fantastic Opera Scenes and Where to Find Them,” directed by Scott Williamson.
Washington and Lee University presents the student-cast opera program “Supernatural: Fantastic Opera Scenes and Where to Find Them,” directed by Scott Williamson, on May 18 at 8 p.m. in Wilson Concert Hall on the W&L campus. Admission is free, and no tickets are required. For more information, visit www.wlu.edu/lenfest-centeror call the Box Office at 540-458-8000.
Although W&L has produced student-cast operas in the past, this is the first time students have been able to enroll in a credit-bearing opera workshop. The course was created in 2018 to allow students to focus on the rehearsal and presentation of the operatic repertoire and will be offered every other Spring Term. This presentation will feature the talents of Hayley Allen ’22, Keren Katz ’22, Troy Larsen ’22, Levi Lebsack ’21, Sara Gabrielle Lynch ’22 and Haochen Tu ’22. Anna Billias, W&L lecturer in music, will accompany at the piano.
Students will perform scenes from Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”), Purcell’s “Dido and Æneas,” Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” and Maurice Ravel’s rarely performed impressionist fairy tale, “L’enfant et les sortileges” (“A Child and the Spells”). Impressionist composer Maurice Ravel paired with writer Colette to create a modern fairy-tale opera where a child’s world and the objects in it come to life.
Director Scott Williamson, a familiar figure with Lexington and W&L audiences for over 20 years, is a 2019-20 Fulbright Scholar to West University, Romania. He began his career in the W&L Music Department as associate director of choral and vocal activities. He started his two-decade tenure with Opera Roanoke at the same time and is a regular guest of Special Programs and the Alumni College. “I’m thrilled to be working with such an outstanding sextet of young singer-actors this Spring Term,” Williamson said. “It’s also an honor for me every time I’m invited to return to the department where I started my career in 1996. Lexington has always felt like a home to me; I’m grateful to be here and look forward to seeing friends in the audience.”
Click here to read more about W&L Spring Term courses.
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