What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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recalls. "I had never seen an opera before, and I didn't know much other than the Bugs Bunny cartoons! But I loved not only the glamour but also the camaraderie that comes from working with other artists. I was hooked. And I've been studying classically since then." A typical day at Inspiration Point, Montgomery says, starts with yoga class at 8 a.m., followed by three three-hour rehearsal blocks and a daily commitment to "production hour," during which she works in the costume shop. "It's a lot of work and at times exhausting, but it's so worth it!" In addition to pursuing her Artist Diploma, Montgomery plans to be married New Year's Day to a young man she's known since church choir. Richard Gammon Richard Gammon is the stage director for "Cendrillon." He's directed at Wolf Trap Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Virginia Opera, Opera Lafayette and more, in addition to directing for the Manhattan School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. He has recently accepted the position of Director of Opera at the University of Northern Iowa. He says he loves being on location at Inspiration Point with everyone involved in the opera and the opportunities to collaborate that come with it. His version of "Cendrillon" is "set in modern times, so the general aesthetic should be very familiar. It's people in jeans and leather jackets, not a period production, and there are supertitles above the stage, so you don't have to speak French. And young talent is really exciting to see at this stage of their career!" Robert Swedborg Robert Swedborg is stage director of both "Lucia di Lammermoor" and "The Magic Flute." Recently retired as associate professor of music and opera director at the University of Michigan, Swedborg has for the past several years produced "Green Opera" productions on campus, making University of Michigan the first in the U.S. to create eco-friendly opera. In his English- language version of "The Magic Flute," Swedborg has incorporated an environmental theme, using the magic flute "to turn things around and get the forest to be enchanted again." Swedborg says he returns to Opera in the Ozarks because he likes the work and enjoys the camaraderie of the company. "Lucia di Lammermoor" was "of special interest" to him to direct for a second time because "it is just such a great work of art, with incredible music and wonderful drama, and it's a good vehicle for young artists who are trying to grow, trying to learn and trying to develop." It is, he says, a bel canto opera, "a little bit different style, more delicate, more nuanced, and the music is just incredible." Plus, he says, who can resist the challenge of a mad scene? Lwazi Hlati Lwazi Hlati is a tenor from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is working on a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Southern Methodist University, and this is his first visit to Opera in the Ozarks. He says a friend was part of a previous OiO season and recommended it. "It is great fun and a great challenge, the people I am working with are very good, and I'm learning a lot I didn't know before," he says of preparing for his portrayal of Edgardo in "Lucia di Lammermoor." Edgardo, he says, is a nobleman who has lost everything and finally loses the one thing that makes him happy, Lucia, so he kills himself after her death. The best part of OiO, he says, is "to meet different people from different parts of the world, coming to do one common thing — to share that individuality and to bring it together. I'm the person who always wants to learn more." 38 WHAT'S UP! JUNE 27-JULY 3, 2021 COVER STORY PRESIDENT Brent A. Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn REPORTER Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com DESIGNER Deb Harvell ! UP WHAT'S ON THE COVER Opera in the Ozarks celebrates its 70th anniversa- ry this summer with productions of "Cendrillon," "Lucia di Lammermoor" and a new retelling of "The Magic Flute." (COURTESY PHOTO/OIO) What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. OPERA SYNOPSES 'Cendrillon' By Jules Massenet French with English supertitles Massenet's retelling of Cinder- ella has all the fairy tale's favorite characters: the horrible stepmother Madame de la Haltière, stepsisters Noémie and Dorothée, Cendrillon's kind-hearted father Pandolfe, Fairy Godmother La Fée, and, of course, Le Prince Charmant. When Cendrillon is left behind by her stepmother and stepsisters as they go off to a ball with the Prince, La Fée hears her sadness and wants to make her happy. She brings spirits and elves and instructs them to weave a dress out of star-silk and color it with moonlight so that Cendrillon can also go to the ball. The finishing touch is the enchanted glass slip- per, which will protect Cendrillon's identity should she run into her family at the ball. There is only one rule: She must be back by midnight. This well-known tale set to Massenet's sparklingly magical score includes beautiful vocal writing, French court dances, processional marches for the prin- cesses, and lullabies for the sleep- ing Cendrillon and her Prince. 'Lucia di Lammermoor' By Gaetano Donizetti Italian with English supertitles Based on a novel by Sir Walter Scott, "Lucia di Lammermoor" is one of the great doomed love stories. The lovers die, but not before engaging in beautiful music and one of opera's best "mad" scenes. Lucia and Edgardo are members of feuding families in Scotland so, of course, they are secretly in love. Enrico, Lucia's brother, is broke and needs Lucia to marry money. He forces her to marry Arturo by saying that Edgardo has betrayed her and married someone else. Lucia is crushed and starts to lose her sanity. Edgardo bursts in on Lucia's wedding to Arturo and curses her for betraying him. In her despair, Lucia kills Arturo in their wedding bed and then imagines herself going to heaven as she dies. As her coffin is carried past him, Edgardo kills himself to be with her in heaven. 'The Magic Flute' By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Abridged family version by stage director Robert Swedberg Performed in a new English translation In this Opera in the Ozarks orig- inal, State Park Ranger Sol tells the story of a young man, Tamino, who has just pitched a tent, set up camp with his buddy Papag- eno, and then falls asleep by his campfire where he has a very odd dream: He imagines a monster and its minions spewing trash all over and ruining the forest. Suddenly, three ladies appear and beat back the monster. They ask Tamino to help find Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, who has been abducted by the evil Trash Monster. Papageno, a geeky bird watcher who had gone for firewood, comes back and he and Tamino are given a magical flute and set of bells to help them find Pamina. They also must recover the Circle of the Sun — a powerful symbol that had been stolen and broken by the Trash Monster. Tamino accepts the challenge, rescues Pamina, and together they find and repair the broken Circle of the Sun, defeat the Trash Monster and his Minions, and restore beauty to the forest. Oh, and Papageno also uses the magical bells to help him find a girlfriend, Papagena. Opera Continued From Page 4 Hlati