Fairy tales will be the focus during the 2024 Summer Opera Workshop at Lone Star College-Kingwood.
The show, titled “Once Upon a Time,” will feature current music majors and alumni in a production of scenes based on popular classic fairy tales, including Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and The Magic Flute.
For more than 25 years, LSC-Kingwood’s music department has produced an opera or opera scenes during the summer.
“Opera is a very labor-intensive art form that incorporates all the arts into one unique experience,” said Dr. Todd Miller, Chair of Visual and Performing Arts and founder of the Summer Opera Workshop. “Our students learn how to sing and act while also learning how to do this in a theater with light cues and costumes. It is very fun, and summer is a great time when our students can just concentrate on this immersive experience.”
Soprano Mackenzie Sturm, who just graduated and is about to further her studies at Ithaca College in New York, said, "The opera scenes workshop held at Lone Star College-Kingwood is a wonderful opportunity for performers of all ages and skill levels to come together to perform some truly amazing music. It's an experience unlike any other and it's so much fun to see all of our hard work come together!"
The creative team includes Musical Director and conductor Dr. Rob Hunt, who recently conducted an opera premiere downtown, director Anne Heath-Welch, who sang leading roles for many years in Europe, costumer Eric Skiles, who is also the Artistic Director of Theater, and technical director Meredith Taylor, who designed the lights and sets.
Chelsey Wilburn Rigg, who is an alum of LSC, said, “As a former Lone Star College-Kingwood student and Summer Opera Workshop performer, I have really enjoyed coming back for ‘Once Upon a Time’ this summer! Lone Star College-Kingwood's music program is a hidden gem with teachers who give everything they have, and by the end of your experience, your cast mates will feel like family. I always love my experiences here, and I can't wait to see what they'll do next!”
“Once Upon a Time” 2024 Summer Opera Workshop is showing Friday, August 9th at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, August 10th at 3:00 p.m. on the Main Stage of the Administration and Performing Arts Center (APA 110) on the LSC-Kingwood campus.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for Seniors 55+, and $5 for students. They can be purchased here.
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D., serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2023 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.
###