NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

3/20/2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES - The NSU Opera Theater will be presenting a modern work "Too Many Sopranos" Friday, March 23, at 7:30 in Magale Recital Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

The opera by Edwin Penhorwood, is a comedy in two acts and will be directed by
Michael Rorex, assistant professor of voice and opera. Rorex is a former student of the composer Dr. Edwin Penhorwood, a faculty member at Indiana University.

The entire opera workshop traveled to Indiana University last month to see "Too Many Sopranos" performed at IU School of Music and gain insight on how the work is performed.

The opera, which was written in 1999, takes place in heaven and hell. Four sopranos have all died at different times but have ended up at the same time at the gates of heaven only to be told by St. Peter that there are "Too Many Sopranos" in heaven and if only there weren't so many tenors and basses in hell there would be no problem letting them in. The comedy takes the sopranos, disguised as missionaries, to hell to perform a selfless act and bring back some of those men to heaven.

The roles of the sopranos are sung D'Nissa Adams, Kristian Gorr, Blaire Pourciau, and Cara Waring. St. Peter is sung by Tony Stewart and the part of Gabriel is played by Casey Barrett. Also in the cast is Sherman Desselle, singing the part of Nelson Deadly, and Garrison Moore singing the part of the unnamed bass.

Main Menu