The College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Presidential Lecture & Performance
Series will co-host the fifth annual visit from the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers
as part of their annual Spring Opera Tour.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at the Allen Theatre of the Student Union
Building on the Texas Tech campus.
Also, the first time, students, faculty and staff can attend a concert specifically
for them at 2 p.m. April 25 in choir room M01 of the School of Music Building.
Exposing people to opera is what the Santa Fe Opera’s Spring Opera Tour is all about,
said Kirt Pavitt, music associate for the opera who will play piano during the concert.
The Apprentice Singers will travel to towns and cities in New Mexico and West Texas
during March and April.
"We’re here to be ambassadors of opera," he said. "This gives children and communities
a chance to see what opera’s all about. The kids really get into it. They learn to
say ‘bravo’ or ‘brava,’ and sometimes they even throw flowers up on stage. We’re trying
to develop the new generation of opera fans."
This is the fifth year that Texas Tech University’s College of Visual and Performing
Arts has sponsored a visit by the Santa Fe Opera. Recently, Texas Tech music student
Adam Bielamowicz was selected for a summer residency as an apprentice with the Santa
Fe Opera, and will understudy the role of Fenton from Verdi’s Falstaff, as well as
perform in the supporting cast of other mainstage productions. Bielamowicz is a student
of Professor Karl Dent.
Santa Fe Opera casts are drawn from the world's most talented young singers. Many
singers, whose names are now found on the rosters of the world's leading opera houses,
began their careers in Santa Fe. They include Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Joyce
DiDonato, William Burden, Kristine Jepson, Michelle DeYoung and Charles Castronovo.
The goal of the Presidential Lecture & Performance series is to enrich the intellectual
and cultural atmosphere on campus and throughout the community, said Mary Jane Hurst,
performance series organizer and faculty assistant to the president.
"Events, such as the Santa Fe Opera’s Spring Opera Tour, have an academic connection
for our students, faculty and staff, and the community at large," Hurst said. "That’s
one of the primary purposes of this series – to enrich the academic experience for
our students, to enhance our academic programs and to provide outreach opportunities
between campus and community."
The performance is free, but reservations are requested. Call (806) 742-0706 ext.
401, to reserve seats.
CONTACT: Mary Jane Hurst, faculty assistant to the president, Texas Tech University,
(806) 742-2121 or maryjane.hurst@ttu.edu. Also visit www.presidentialseries.ttu.edu
or www.ptdc.org.