UNL Opera takes ‘Marriage of Figaro’ across Nebraska

calendar icon13 May 2016    

Lincoln, Neb.--The Glenn Korff School of Music’s opera program is taking its production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” on the road in May and completing a four-city tour across Nebraska, thanks to the generosity of the James C. and Rhonda Seacrest Tour Nebraska Opera Fund.    

"When the next history of the university is written, more than one chapter surely will be devoted to the vision, generosity and impact of Jim and Rhonda Seacrest,” said Glenn Korff School of Music Director John W. Richmond. “This most recent gift, enabling our UNL Opera program to tour nimble productions of the standard repertoire to rural communities in Nebraska, is among the most heartwarming and important—heartwarming because it provides a cultural enrichment to these communities that otherwise would be inaccessible, and important because this investment teaches our students to take their art to eager audiences, rather than hoping that audiences will come to them. As is the Seacrest way, this gift benefits so many so much and in so many ways.”    

The opera will be performed at the following venues:
      • Friend Opera House, May 15 in Friend, Nebraska
      • The Golden Husk, May 18 in Ord, Nebraska
      • Northeast Community College, May 19 in Norfolk, Nebraska
      • Red Cloud Opera House, May 20 in Red Cloud, Nebraska    

Hixson-Lied Professor and Director of Opera William Shomos said he began thinking about outreach in Nebraska during previous trips to Ireland. The Seacrests sponsored two trips for UNL Opera to take productions to the Waterford Light Opera Festivals in 2002 and 2007, where it won Best Opera in 2007.    

“When the Seacrests sent us to Ireland a couple of times, those were just incredible, life-changing experiences for all of us involved,” he said. “But I would think while we were on the tour to Ireland, what if we could put this kind of effort into something that we would actually do here at home in Nebraska, some gift that we could give back to the state.”    

A couple of years ago, the Seacrests approached Shomos and suggested another trip to Ireland, but Shomos discovered that the Waterford Light Opera Festival no longer exists.    

“And then the Seacrests, being the Seacrests, said, ‘Well, what would you like to do?’” Shomos said. “We bounced a few ideas back and forth and then converged with my idea to do opera in the state, to reach audiences that might not have easy access to opera.”    

The James C. and Rhonda Seacrest Tour Nebraska Opera Fund was announced Aug. 24, 2015. The fund will be used to support the production, promotion, travel and other expenses incurred by the Glenn Korff School of Music for outreach opera events, both artistic and educational, across Nebraska, especially in rural venues.    

“The way we are using the resources, the gift is projected to sustain this for at least two more tours,” Shomos said. “So we’re going to learn a lot of things this first time around.”    

Jeffrey Luksik, a Master of Music student from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, who plays Bartolo in the production, is excited for the tour.

“I am excited for the tour because it will take me farther west than I’ve ever been,” he said. “Besides that, I love bringing opera to people who perhaps haven’t truly experienced it before and changing their minds about it.”    

Jared Hiscock, a DMA student from Grass Valley, California, plays the title role of “Figaro.”    

“The first thing that comes to mind is just how lucky I am to tour with such a great group who share a passion for singing and for opera,” he said. “Another thing that makes taking ‘Figaro’ on the road so exciting is how much fun it is to sing opera in such creatively inspiring spaces for intrigued and energetic audiences.”    

“The Marriage of Figaro” is one of the most frequently performed operas. It tells how the servants Figaro and Susanna succeed in getting married, foiling the efforts of their philandering employer Count Almaviva to seduce Ssusanna and teach him a lesson in fidelity.    

“I’ve done it a lot of times, so it’s a show I’m comfortable adapting on the fly,” Shomos said. “It’s also a great show. It’s a comedy, but it has themes that are relevant for our day. We’re modernizing it and giving it a modern look, although it really plays in any age. It’s about the way we treat each other as people.”    

Luksik is looking forward to the challenge of performing in different spaces.    

“I love doing operas where the venue changes each time. It keeps everyone on their toes, and you give a different performance for every space,” he said. “I haven’t seen the Opera House in Friend yet, but I’ve heard nothing but praise. Apparently it’s like stepping back in time a century or two. I’ve performed in theatres, churches, classrooms and more than one converted barn, but never in an actual ‘opera house.’ I feel like I’ll officially be an opera singer after doing that.”

In Friend, Nebraska, they will perform at the Warren Opera House.    

“It’s this unbelievable space,” Shomos said. “It’s a gem, and it’s such an honor for us to be performing the show there.”

The Ord, Nebraska, performance is at the Golden Husk Theatre.    

“We went to Ord, which was just a remarkable discovery for me—this small community with such a vibrant arts program. They’re just thrilled to be having opera there because opera has not come through Ord. It’s a renovated old movie theatre that’s absolutely delightful.”    

They will also perform at the community college in Norfolk, before wrapping up the tour in Red Cloud at the Red Cloud Opera House.    

“Red Cloud goes without saying,” Shomos said. “That’s a very special place.”

Shomos said the students will learn a lot from playing in such diverse venues.    

“What’s great for the students is that they will perform the shows at all these different venues, and they have to adapt,” he said. “And there’s nothing like repetition of a piece to really get to know it.”    

They also will have the opportunity to visit schools in some of the communities.

“I think the thing I love the most is engaging with the schools,” Hiscock said. “The energy of the schools is exhilarating."    

Shomos hopes the Seacrests’ gift inspires others to continue this mission for opera outreach.    

“I hope that as generous as the Seacrests’ gift is, I hope it will inspire resources from other places in the future so this actually can be part of our ongoing mission,” he said. “I feel really strongly about us not having this be a one-hit wonder, where we do it once and then not think about it for 20 years. If we could have regular, rotating process by which we tour regularly or predictably, that’s the way to really grow the connection.”    

Luksik also appreciates the Seacrests’ gift.    

“I want to thank them for believing in opera,” he said. “Constantly we hear that opera is a dead art form, dated and irrelevant. Speaking as a young person, I can say it is none of those things. We just need to work to help people to see it. I am so thankful that the Seacrests see this as a worthwhile endeavor.”    

Hiscock said, “It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to bring opera into these beautiful and welcoming Nebraska communities.”    

Shomos said the experience is important for the students as well.    

“I hope that they come away with an experience that, at some point, sooner or maybe even much later in their lives, that they think it’s really important to be an ambassador for opera,” he said. “And I hope as they go on and establish whatever careers they’re going to have, that they will have found meaning in this experience to go out and do it, wherever they land in the future.”