Kick Up Your Heels!!

Even though the Christmas season is not quite upon us, it seems like the festive music season is in full swing.

Tonight (Wednesday, 11/20) begins the splashy and fun opera, Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld” at Fairchild Theater and will have four shows through Sunday.

Also, tonight Dmitri Berlinsky’s Camertone International Chamber Soloists will begin their seven-concert series at the Urban Beat in Old Town. (urbanbeatevents.com).

And between now and thanksgiving, we will have a chance to hear two bands at MSU and the Lansing Symphony Big Band (lansingsymphony.org).

Don’t forget about theater: Williamston Theatre will begin previews on November 21 for the one-man show, “A Christmas Carol: The Radio Show” starring Lansing’s favorite funny man, Aral Gribble.

Lots to take in.

For Melanie Helton, director of the MSU Opera Theatre, the presentation of “Orpheus and the Underworld”, will be a special event.  “It was the first opera I did in my first year at MSU – back in 2001.”

Back then the company was producing one opera per year and paid soloists were usually called in to play the lead roles for the standard repertoire .  Things are different today.  Helton has created a strong and popular opera program, producing two operas per year, all with student talent.

Helton says, “I have such a deep pride in what this opera company has become. “

For this opera, there will be 40 cast members, and twelve characters will be double cast giving more students a chance to have lead roles.

Helton is also raising money which helps the sets and costumes to be first class. She says, “Now, we are able to buy many of our costumes and the sets are built in house. For this show there will be lots of beads and sparkles on stage.”

The opera (originally in French) will be sung in English however surtitles will still be projected overhead.  Helton assures us that this funny and tuneful opera is suitable for all ages,

Talk about tuneful, “Orpheus in the Underworld” includes one of the most famous melodies ever written – the Can-Can.  Offenbach called it the “Infernal Galop”.

MSU operas are now performed in the Fairchild Theater which is a near-perfect hall for student operas.  It’s intimate, comfortable and has spectacular acoustics for the vocalists and orchestra alike.

“Orpheus” is the just-right opera for opera lovers and anyone who has never seen an opera but may want to give it a try.  And it’s festive enough to make us think about the holiday season

Shows are Wednesday, November 20, Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23 – all at 7PM and Sunday, November 24 at 3PM. For tickets, www.music.msu.edu/opera or (517) 353-5340.

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