(Jan. 13, 2006)
DAYTON OPERA PRESENTS FREE PERFORMANCES OF PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR: COMMON GROUND
(Dayton, OH) – “Because I had loved so deeply, because I had loved so long, God in His great compassion Gave me the gift of song.” So goes the first stanza of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem entitled “Compensation,” one of thirteen to be featured in a special, one-time-only free public performance of its original operatic theater piece Paul Laurence Dunbar: Common Ground, written by African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork. The performance takes place on February 5, 2006 at 3pm at Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
“The members of Saint Margaret's are strong supporters of the arts. We are delighted to host the Dayton Opera's 2006 Paul Lawrence Dunbar performance and we invite the community to come and be a part of this exciting event,” said Father Benjamin Spear-Hardy, rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
This 40-minute operatic theatre piece, commissioned and premiered by Dayton Opera in 1995, highlights thirteen of the poet’s works, set to a wide variety of musical styles from blues and gospel to opera. “The city-wide commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s death is a most appropriate time for Dayton Opera to revive this wonderful work that we commissioned. We are so pleased to be a part of the many “Celebrate Dunbar” events through our city in 2006,” said Tom Bankston, General & Artistic Director.
The performance of Paul Laurence Dunbar: Common Ground, featuring Dayton Opera's Artists-in-Residence, is accompanied by music director Jeffery Powell and staged by Daytonian Sheila Ramsey. The performance will be opened by a first half of well-known opera arias.
Paul Laurence Dunbar: Common Ground will tour to middle schools and high schools in Miami Valley throughout February but only one public performance is being held.
The performance is free and open to the public but space is limited. No tickets are required for this event. The public performance and month-long education tour of Paul Laurence Dunbar: Common Ground is made possible by a generous gift of the Opera Guild of Dayton.
For more information on this performance or how you can bring this program to your school, please call Pam Eyink at 937.228.7591 X3091.
ABOUT THE CAST
Matthew Campbell, tenor, has performed most recently with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, the Lexington Opera Society, Boston Lyric Opera/Opera New England and the Komische Kammer Oper Muchen im Theaterhof Humbach. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music.
Keith Dean, baritone, received his training at the University of Kentucky where. He has performed with the Chautauqua Institute of Music, Kentucky Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, has toured Spain as a soloist with the American Spiritual Ensemble and played the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess in Warsaw, Poland.
Andrea Jones Sojola, soprano, recently appeared as Frasquita in Dayton Opera’s 2005 production of Carmen and also performed as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. Other roles have taken her to Kentucky Opera Visions Program, Cincinnati Opera and Aspen Opera Theatre. Internationally, she has performed in Europe, Africa, Spain, Poland and Egypt.
Kearstin Piper Brown, soprano, holds a master of music from Northwestern University and has most recently toured throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland singing Clara in Porgy and Bess. Other work includes roles at Opera Colorado and Chicago Theatre Company.
Jeffery Powell, Artist-in-Residence Music Director and Dayton Opera Chorus Master, regularly conducts for Dayton Opera productions including the upcoming March 2006 Die Fledermaus production. He has also conducted for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ohio Light Opera, San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theatre and locally for The Human Race Theatre Company.
Sheila Ramsey, director, is Founder and Artistic Director of Dayton’s The Dream Keeper Theatre Company. She is also Faculty Associate in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures at Wright State University. She has directed and performed in a diverse selection of important contemporary plays, one for which she was named Best Collegiate Production and Best Director 2004 by the Dayton City Paper.
HOW TO GO
Admission to this event is free and no ticket is required. Seating is limited, however, so please plan accordingly. For more information about Dayton Opera visit our web site at www.daytonopera.org.
Dayton Opera Association has brought the marvel of music and theatre that is opera to Miami Valley audiences since 1961. Dayton Opera Association is a not-for-profit organization funded by Culture Works, the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, the Ohio Arts Council, the Opera Guild of Dayton and corporate, individual and private resources. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program or organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
