The University of Mary Washington’s Department of Music will hold auditions for this summer’s Operafest on Saturday, April 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Pollard Hall, Room 304. Singers are asked to be prepared with an operatic aria or song. An accompanist will be provided.
Now in its ninth year, the Operafest program is co-directed by Kathryn Ahearn and Jane Tavernier, instructors of music. The program is designed for serious students of all voice types who want to sing opera and perform on stage. Operafest is a fast-paced, five-week operatic performance course that can be taken as a three-credit course or audited for a fee of $300.
This year the literature to be performed will include Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” and an array of diverse scenes. For the first time, an orchestra will accompany the vocalists in performance.
The classes will begin Monday, May 19 and will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. The program will end with performances on Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium.
For more information about Operafest or the auditions, contact Ahearn at (540) 654-1955.