野狼社区 University will present the American premiere of an opera inspired by and paired with a Giacomo Puccini classic in a Nov. 17-19 twin bill performed with a 50-piece orchestra.
OCU鈥檚 Wanda L. Bass School of Music will present the U.S. debut of 鈥淧iet脿,鈥� a contemporary work by Jack Landau and Andrea DelGiudice, followed by 鈥淪uor Angelica鈥� by Puccini. Jan McDaniel will lead the opera orchestra.
鈥淪uor Angelica鈥� will be performed in Italian and 鈥淧iet脿鈥� in English, with projected supertitles, in three performances in the Kirkpatrick Auditorium. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18; and 2 p.m. Nov. 19.
Tickets ($15-30) are available online at or by calling 405-208-5227.
The works focus on the lives, connections and imprisonment of three generations of women, exploring 鈥渢he eventual meaning of motherhood, mercy and hope,鈥� said DelGiudice, guest director and co-librettist of 鈥淧iet脿.鈥� She will present free pre-show talks 30 minutes before curtain of each performance.
鈥淭his double bill of 鈥楶iet脿鈥� and 鈥楽uor Angelica鈥� is more than simply an update of Puccini鈥檚 opera that is meant to appeal to contemporary sensibilities,鈥� an review noted after the work鈥檚 2021 Narnia Festival premiere. 鈥淏y offering a more multifaceted take on the plot, audiences get to hear a plurality of voices鈥� the issues brought to light by these operas are more nuanced, and the people they depict are much more real.鈥�
DelGiudice said Piet脿鈥檚 story is told through the perspective of young Editta and explores her connection to Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica).
鈥淚t is life鈥檚 circumstances, which bring these two women together, and is at the heart of my work as a director,鈥� she said.
The composer praises DelGiudice鈥檚 approach to 鈥渄e-victimize old portrayals of female characters in opera.鈥�
鈥淎s a composer, it鈥檚 my honor to write music that allows these characters to express the full complexity of their humanity, integrating contemporary musical theater techniques, and crossover into traditional operatic voices,鈥� said Landau, who will also be guest artist at OCU's weekly Project 21 Composers鈥� Forum for music composition students.
The operas feature original costumes by Alyssa Couturier-Herndon, lighting design by Hal Piper, scenic design by Jason Foreman and choreography by Francesca Savone.
The productions will be preceded by an opening night dinner in the Bass Music Center atrium at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 17. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 405-208-5227.
For more information, visit .
