WCSU Opera Ensemble to Present Copland’s ‘The Tender Land’

 

WCSU Opera Ensemble to present Copland’s ‘The Tender Land’

Western student cast to perform folk opera set in Great Depression March 27 through 29    

The Western Connecticut State University Opera Ensemble will present Aaron Copland’s “The Tender Land,” a folk opera set in the American heartland during the Great Depression of the 1930s, in three performances at the university’s MainStage Theatre on March 27 through 29.

Presentations of “The Tender Land” will be at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28,with a matinee performance at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, in the theatre at the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the WCSU Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. General admission will be $20, with a ticket price of $10 for students with ID, seniors and children under 12. Reservations may be made online at www.wcsu.edu/tickets or by calling (203) 837-TIXX.

The Copland work, which premiered in April 1954 at the New York City Opera under the direction of Jerome Robbins, tells the coming-of-age story of Laurie Moss, a teen-aged woman whose family lives on a small Kansas farm. Set against the backdrop of Laurie’s high school graduation party and her encounter with Martin, a migrant worker hired by the Moss family as a farmhand, the focal point of the story is the awakening of a powerful yearning by Laurie to seek out a world beyond her insular hometown and protective family.

Professor of Music Dr. Margaret Astrup, director of the WCSU production, observed that the opera features soaring Copland melodies including the well-known song, “The Promise of Living.” The opera libretto also includes recurring McCarthy-era political references and jabs that shocked audiences of the 1950s.

Western students who will perform the leading roles in the production are Arianna Carlo, of Brookfield, as Laurie and Charles Widmer, of Oxford, as Martin. Steve Valenzuela, of Waterbury, will appear as Martin’s traveling companion, Top. Other major roles will be performed by Stephen Wynn, of Greenwich, as Grandpa Moss; Kassiani Kontothanasis, of Meriden, as Ma Moss; and Louise Carrozza, of Meriden, as Laurie’s younger sister, Beth. Students cast in supporting roles in the opera include Hannah Bellows, of Waterbury; Maureen Holland, of Glastonbury; and Matthew Johnson and Daniel Satter, both of Trumbull.

Associate Professor of Music Dr. Fernando Jimenez will be the conductor for the performance. Additional production support will be provided by adjunct theatre arts faculty members Paulo Seixas, on set design, and Kristina Sneshkoff, on costume design.

The WCSU Office of Alumni Relations will host “A Night at the Opera” featuring a dinner-and-theatre package for the March 28 performance of “The Tender Land.” For a ticket price of $50 per person, guests will enjoy a buffet dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Room 218 of the Classroom Building on the WCSU Westside campus, as well as admission to the evening performance of the opera. Reservations may be made by calling the Office of Alumni Relations at (203) 837-8298 or ordering tickets online at https://alumni.wcsu.edu/the-tender-land.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.