Opera Director's Notes:

TRADITION!  According to Webster's, it’s “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior; the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another.”  TRADITION!  It’s what impels Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner in The Mikado, to seek out a suitable subject for the practice of his profession; it’s what the people of Anatevka in Fiddler on the Roof cling to; and when it comes to opera, it’s what the citizens of Spartanburg have come to expect from Converse Opera Theatre – a tradition of excellence and creativity in operatic production.  With the 2008-2009 season, we are pleased not only to continue this tradition, but also to expand our horizons through imaginative repertoire choices and exciting new collaborations.

Our productions this year begin with two evenings of Opera Scenes in Daniel Recital Hall, October 17 & 18 at 7:30 PM.  With performances by our Converse Opera Theatre participants, these evenings will help build excitement in anticipation of our main-stage production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado in Twichell Auditorium, November 21 & 22 at 7:30 PM and November 23 at 2:30 PM.  This wonderful operetta will come to you under the stage direction of beloved former Converse Opera Theatre Director and Associate Professor Emeritus Ross Magoulas.  This will mark Mr. Magoulas’s first return to Converse Opera Theatre since his retirement in 1992, and his expertise with Gilbert and Sullivan as director and performer will ensure that a wonderful time will be had by all. Another “first" for Converse Opera will be our joint Opera Theatre/Theatre Converse production of one of the greatest and most moving classics of musical theater, Fiddler on the Roof.  The performances will take place March 19, 20, & 21 at 7:30 PM in Twichell Auditorium, with a
2 PM March 21 matinee.  Under the stage direction of Converse’s own Brent Glenn, we will bring together the talents of the Petrie School of Music and Theatre Converse as we begin what we hope will be a new tradition, one of collaborative productions by Converse Opera Theatre and Theatre Converse.  Finally, to close our season, Converse Opera Theatre participants will offer a second program of Opera Scenes to be performed on April 26 at 4:00 PM in Daniel Recital Hall. 

We invite you to become part of our tradition, and to join us in a world where music and language express the greatest passions of the human spirit. 

I look forward to seeing you at the performances!

Rebecca Turner
Director of Converse Opera Theatre