The Michigan State University Opera Theatre will open its 2015-16 season with “A Room with a View,” Nov. 18-22 in MSU Auditorium’s Fairchild Theater.
Based on the novel by E.M. Forster and made famous by the 1985 Merchant-Ivory film, which won three Oscars and a Golden Globe award, “A Room with a View” opera was written in 1993 and sung in English.
Students will give four performances of the opera: 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18, 8 p.m. on Nov. 20 and 21 and 3 p.m. on Nov. 22.
This coming of age story follows Lucy Honeychurch, a young, British woman, who is torn between social convention and her heart. While on holiday, Lucy and her chaperone visit a pensione in Florence where she meets George Emerson, a forward-thinking Englishman. This encounter awakens a new part of Lucy and propels the emotional development of her character throughout the story.
Guest Marcello Cormio, an accomplished conductor who has appeared with orchestras around the United Sates and Europe, will conduct the MSU Symphony Orchestra as it accompanies the cast.
Melanie Helton, College of Music professor of voice, directs the opera.
“This production demands sophisticated musical skills,” Helton said. “It also demands a very naturalistic, conversational style of acting. We like to do a modern piece every so often, as it creates skills that are great demand in the opera business these days.”
Helton will also present preview lectures about the opera 45 minutes before each performance’s start time.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors (age 60 or older) and $5 for students with ID and anyone under 18, and can be purchased online, at the College of Music box office, by calling (517) 353-5340, in person (333 W. Circle Drive, East Lansing), or at the door.