‘Bite-Sized’ Performances on Tap for WT Opera Season-Opener

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University Opera and Pondaseta Brewery will team for a fizzy evening of music and refreshments.

WT Opera’s “One-Ounce Operas” will feature 15 students performing an array of solos, duets and scenes from such operas and musicals as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “The Mikado,” “Pagliacci,” “The Marriage of Figaro” and more.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus. Pondaseta will offer pairings of its signature beers and pizzas.

Tickets are $30 for general admission, $50 for premium seating and $15 with a Buff Gold Card. They are available at cur8.com/22281/project/133319.

“We have so many talented students in our WT Opera program, and we wanted to have a show that gives every student an opportunity to shine,” said Dr. Sarah Beckham-Turner, WT Opera director and assistant professor of voice. “We are thrilled to team up with Pondeseta Brewery for an evening of tasty bite-sized operas, pizza and beer.”

Student performers said they are excited about the variety the performance will offer.

“There’s some comedic scenes, some tragic scenes and some romance, as well,” said Kelton Harbison, a senior music education major from Canyon. “It’s a full spectrum, and it really allows us to do things that we might not otherwise get to as a performer.”

For example, Samuel Barber’s nine-minute, one-act opera “A Hand of Bridge.”

“It’s a digestible, contemporary piece about four self-absorbed characters all playing cards together,” said Debora Weiss, a graduate student in music performance from Plainview. “Doing these smaller pieces gives people the opportunity to be introduced to opera.”

Also on the program: “Welcome Wanderer” from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Lucy” by Tom Cipullo, “Suppertime” from “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “We’ve Been North” from “The Tender Land,” “Three Little Maids” from “The Mikado,” the Nedda Silvio Duet from “Pagliacci,” the “Cosa Sento” trio from “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Il Grand Inquisitor” from “Don Carlo,” “I Heard Someone Crying” from “The Secret Garden” and “Son la vite sul camp appassita” from “Il Turco in Italia.”

Performers also include Ace Bolin, a junior musical theatre major from Pittsburg; Anya Brown, a freshman music performance major from Quinlan; Cadence Brown, a sophomore music education major from Canyon; Korbin Cole, a junior music education major from Pampa; Sarah Estes, a senior music performance major from Turpin, Oklahoma; J.P. Galib, a graduate student in music from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; Oscar Hample, a graduate student in music from Wasilla, Alaska; C.J. Hernandez, a freshman music education major from Amarillo; Draik Hickok, a graduate student in music from Alvin; Kyler Hilton, a junior music major from Canyon; Erin Hinds, a senior music major from Amarillo; Brooklynn King, a senior music performance major from Pearland; Elliott Lewis, a junior music education major from College Station; Hunter Long, a freshman music education major from Amarillo; Emilia Park, a junior music performance major from Plano; Paige Preston, a graduate student in music performance from Amarillo; Zoe Sells, a senior music education major from Canyon; Charles King Walpole, a junior musical theatre major from McKinney; Heaven Watts, a senior music major from Amarillo; Grayson Wesbrooks, a sophomore music education major from Canyon; and Raul Zuniga, a senior music major from Amarillo.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Snoopy (Kelton Harbison) feigns starvation in the number “Suppertime” from “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” which will be featured in West Texas A&M University’s “One-Ounce Operas” on Oct. 9. Also featured in the number are, from left, Hunter Long, Ace Colin, C.J. Hernandez and Anya Brown.

—WT—