The University of Texas at Tyler music department will hold its first opera performance Friday, April 7 and Sunday, April 9, Dr. Donna Dickerson, UT Tyler dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, announced.

The opening show will begin 7:30 p.m. Friday and encore at 3 p.m. Sunday. Both shows will take place in the Vaughn Auditorium of the UT Tyler R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are available at the door.

General admission is $10. Admission for students and groups of six or more is $5. UT Tyler students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with their UT Tyler ID.

Two comic one-act operas, I Can’t Stand Wagner and The Old Maid and the Thief, will be presented.

I Can’t Stand Wagner by Seymour Barab, tells the story of a world-famous composer/conductor whose most recent composition has thrilled audiences everywhere, but offended the one person who really mattered. The repercussions are a real musical nightmare, added Dr. Molly Johnson, UT Tyler assistant professor of music and director of the opera workshop.

“The cast features Nathan de Paz as the conductor, Linda Nylund as his wife, Matthew Horn as his manager and Amy Curry, Jennifer Fuller and Erin Holt as three sopranos whose talent is out of this world,” said Johnson.

The Old Maid and the Thief by Gian Carlo Menotti tells of an older spinster and her young housekeeper who lead ordinary lives until they invite a beggar to stay overnight. Meanwhile, a gossiping friend fills them in on news of a dangerous thief who is terrorizing the town, and the spinster and housekeeper wonder if their stranger is the thief.

Menotti weaves a funny and ironic tale of what these desperate and lonely women are willing to do to have a man around the house, adds Dr. Johnson.  

Linda Heatley sings the role of the old maid, Elise Leung plays the housekeeper, Matthew Smith plays the beggar and Patti Eden plays Miss Pinkerton.

“These are delightful examples of American one-act operas. Barab’s opera is a charming example of clever music blended with outright silliness, and the Menotti opera is a well-crafted work that is witty and ironic, but balanced with two lush arias and a lilting duet. Both shows together create an evening of funny and approachable music,” said Dr. Johnson.

Both works will be performed with full orchestra, conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Emge, associate professor and chair of the music department. 

For reservations or more information, call 903.566.7490

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service.  More than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 5,700 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.