Students to present first opera theater in new CPAC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                YORK, Pa.— York College of Pennsylvania’s Opera and Musical Theater will present two one-act American operas at 7 p.m., May 2, and 3 p.m., May 3, in the Collegiate Performing Arts Center (CPAC). Both performances, which are open to the public free of charge, will be presented in English and will last between 45 and 50 minutes. More information is available by calling 717-815-1258.

                “Down in the Valley,” a folk opera by Kurt Weill, tells the story of Brack Weaver, who falls in love with a girl named Jennie. Jennie’s father wants her to go to a dance with his shyster creditor, Thomas Bouche. He is hoping that Bouche will help him financially. Jennie and Weaver go to the dance, where a fight begins. Bouche dies, and Weaver is condemned to be hanged. He spends his last hours with Jennie.

                The second opera, “The Old Maid and the Thief,” was originally composed by an American-Italian, Gian Carlo Menotti, specifically for performance on the radio. The fiction comments on morality, personal ethics and the power that women hold over men. Menotti wrote in the libretto, “The devil couldn’t do what a woman can — Make a thief out of an honest man.” Menotti’s inspiration for the opera was his visit to a town that seemed quaint but actually held many secrets.

                The May performances will be the first time opera is presented in York College’s CPAC, which opened at the beginning of the fall 2008 semester. The new facility will allow the Opera and Musical Theater to perform with a full orchestra in the pit. Members of the cast, chorus and staff include York College music and theatre majors. Senior theatre major Meggie Scache of Glenside is the stage manager for both shows. Scenic design is by technical director Kent Cyr, with costumes by Mary K. Cyr. Adjunct professor Zachary Levi is the conductor, and associate professor Frederick Schreiner is the producer.

                Located in southcentral Pennsylvania, York College offers more than 50 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences and humanities to its 4,600 undergraduate students. With a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio and distinctive mentoring programs, York provides an environment that emphasizes close personal attention to students from 32 states and 30 countries.

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