Louisiana Opera
An Offer That Cannot Be Refused
W
HAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE OFTHE MOST BELOVED of Italian comic operas, Don Pasquale, meets some of the most iconic characters in one of the best known cinema classics, The Godfather, sung in English? It is going to be zany, crazy, with a familiar twist that Francis Coppola would approve of, especially since the famous film director’s father, Carmine Coppola, was an opera conductor! Come and be prepared to be entertained at the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall on the campus of the University of LouisianaMonroe on Friday, June 7th at 7:30 pm, and a Sunday matinee on June 9th at 2:00 pm. This delightful comedy will be staged with a look reminiscent of the Godfather films, as the characters of the opera themselves could be members of Don Corleone’s family. This brings an odd familiarity to the opera, a fresh look that is fun and surprising. Performing the lead roles in the opera are professional singeractors familiar to Monroe audiences: returning to sing are baritone Ron Ulen singing the title role. He has performed leading baritone roles during a 19-year career in Germany and Switzerland, where he still sings frequently. He sang the title role in the Louisiana Opera’s first production in 2011, Rigoletto (with Claire Vangelisti and Bray Wilkins in the cast.) Also returning to the area by popular demand is Corey McKern, who first performed here in The Barber of Seville, followed by leading roles in the Magic Flute, and then Susannah. He has performed leading opera roles in La Boheme in Santa Fe and New York City. Our very own Claire Vangelisti sings the leading role of Adina, while her love interest, Ernesto, is played by Monroe native Bray Wilkins, who is a professional singer now based in New York City. These performances mark the first time Bray has returned to sing in Monroe since 2011. Baylor University faculty member Jeffrey Peterson will conduct the performances, while Richard Seiler is the pianist, and Mark Ross Clark directs. Joining the production are ULM students who gain valuable experience on the stage while participating in the rehearsal process with seasoned professionals on campus. New York City-based Bray Wilkins grew up in Monroe, and went to college to study musical theatre as a baritone in Idaho. There he was discovered as a young singer with great potential by the Seattle Opera, and he became a young artist for three years in Seattle while switching his voice type to tenor. He returned to Monroe about 10 years ago with his family for a couple of years. While he worked on developing his voice and teaching private voice lessons, his wife Kajsa was a collaborative pianist at ULM on staff, and was the music director at Grace School. It was during this time that Bray sang the leading role in the Strauss Theatre as Curly in Oklahoma! and the Duke in the premiere performance of Rigoletto with the Louisiana Opera. General admission tickets are $25, and can be purchased at the Fiesta Nutrition Center on 18th St. in Monroe. Student tickets are $5, while VIP reserved select-seat tickets with a reception with the artists are $50. Tickets can also be reserved in advance by calling 342-3247. For more information, see ulm.edu/vapa/opera.
132 JUNE 2019 | WWW.BAYOULIFEMAG.COM