For Immediate Release: January 16, 2006
Contact: Marsha Mullan
610-328-8535
http://www.swarthmore.edu

Swarthmore Singers to Present Donizetti Opera 'Elixir of Love'

In a rare operatic project, Donizetti's "The Elixir of Love" will be presented at Swarthmore on Friday, Jan. 20, and Sunday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. in the lobby of the Lang Music Building.

The opera will be fully staged with orchestra and will feature Swarthmore singers, soprano Tamara Ryan '06, bass-baritone Scott Long '06, sopranos Tiffany Pao '06 and Miriam Rosenfeld '06. Two Swarthmore alumni will participate, tenor Allen Pinkney Jr. and conductor Andrew Hauze. Baritone John Andrew Fernandez will round out the cast. Julian Rodescu directs and Debra Scurto-Davis does the musical preparation, Micaela Baranello '07 is assistant director and stage manager. The opera will be performed in English.

"The Elixir of Love" is one of Donizetti's most lyrically seductive and playful operas. Its contrasting moods, between comedy and heartbreakingly beautiful melodies, make it a favorite of audiences everywhere. For this production the setting of the opera has been updated to South Philadelphia, the Italian market area, in the 1950s. The unusual space of the Lang Music Building lobby provides a unique setting for the opera, allowing the audience to be more a part of the action, and not just observing from afar.

The production is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Department of Music and Dance with generous support from the Office of the President. For more information, please contact mbarane1@swarthmore.edu.