Spotlight on Opera presents fun for children of all ages with "The Bremen Town Musicians"
SHREVEPORT, LA — The prestigious vocal training program, Spotlight on Opera, will present its annual touring children’s opera during the month of July at several Shreveport locations. All performances of The Bremen Town Musicians, a musical pastiche created by John Davies, are free and open to the public.
Performance Dates and Locations:
Monday, July 8, 10:00 a.m. - Louisiana State Exhibit Museum
Thursday, July 11, 10:00 a.m. – R.W. Norton Art Gallery
Friday, July 19, 11:00 a.m. - Shreve Memorial Library, Broadmoor Branch
The Bremen Town Musicians follows four outcasts - Eddie Pensier, a rooster with operatic aspirations who woke the farmer one too many times practicing his arias; Barcarolle, the dog, and Dorabella, the cat, kicked out because they can no longer catch rabbits and mice; and General Boom, a retired army donkey - as they team up to form a band. Highlighting the animals’ adventures working as a team to overcome their differences and face the hardships of the road, The Bremen Town Musicians celebrates the idea that friendship, cooperation, and respect for others is far better than facing problems alone.
The opera features music by J. Offenbach, G. Rossini, G. Donizetti, A. Sullivan, and G. Verdi. The Spotlight on Opera production is directed by Bruce Cain with musical direction and collaborative piano by Adam Philley. The cast includes Erik Rasmussen and Josh Vavases as Eddie Pensier, Claire Agresta and Centenary rising senior Zipphora Hyman as Dorabella, Lara Connally and Brianna Perez as Barcarolle, and Devon Bain and A’darrion Evans as General Boom.
In addition to the free public performances of The Bremen Town Musicians, Spotlight on Opera is also offering private performances for organizations, including Shriner’s Children’s Hospital and Community Renewal.
“Community Renewal’s most intense work takes place in low-income, high-crime areas, where the organization operates ten Friendship Houses in five local neighborhoods,” says David Westerfield, director of communications for Community Renewal. “The partnership with Spotlight on Opera bring the arts to at-risk children in these neighborhoods, opening their eyes and ears to a world of music they have never seen or heard.”
Cindy Sadler, former artist-in-residence at Centenary’s Hurley School of Music, founded Spotlight on Opera in 2007 as a one-week summer program. It has since grown into an independent non-profit organization, attracting students from all over the United States and several foreign countries. In partnership with Centenary, Spotlight on Opera has awarded four full scholarships to students from the Hurley School this summer. All four students will be singing leading roles in Spotlight productions. More information on the program is available at SpotlightOnOpera.com.
“Spotlight is delighted to be able to bring opera to the children of Shreveport, and we’re especially pleased that this talented cast reflects our commitment to diversity,” says Sadler. “Our motto is ‘opera for everybody,’ and we want to see ‘everybody’ both on stage and in our audiences!”
For tickets to all Spotlight on Opera 2019 season events, visit spotlightonopera.com/events.html.