Knoxville Opera conductor Brian Salesky
Knoxville Opera has long brought its education and outreach efforts to youth in such venues as Knox County schools and area Boys and Girls Clubs.
Now the company is expanding its mission even further: Through a new program called the Shakespeare Project, it is broadening the number of Knox County students being exposed to opera. It also is bringing cultural enrichment to college and university students for the first time—and Pellissippi State Community College is a lucky recipient.
The community is invited to the college Tuesday, Nov. 29, as opera maestro Brian Salesky speaks on “Transforming Shakespeare Into Opera.” The free event is 2-3 p.m. in the Goins Building Auditorium on the Pellissippi Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road.
The presentation is sponsored by Gnosis, Pellissippi State’s student service-learning club.
In his discussion, Salesky will use video clips from opera versions of William Shakespeare’s plays “Romeo and Juliet” and “Othello.” The maestro will show how the composers, Charles Gounod and Giuseppe Verdi, and the librettists (writers) transformed the Bard’s works into opera.
“We are delighted that maestro Salesky will be on campus,” said Annie Gray, English professor and Gnosis co-advisor. “This is a fascinating presentation featuring entertaining facts and gorgeous music from opera versions of ‘Romeo & Juliette’ and ‘Otello’ to illustrate how Shakespeare’s verses are turned into a powerful musical-drama experience.”
Knoxville Opera’s 2012 schedule features “Romeo & Juliette” in February and “Otello” in April. Both plays-turned-opera are cornerstones of the Shakespeare Project.
For more information, contact Annie Gray at (865) 694-6492 or Pellissippi State at (865) 694-6400. To request accommodations for a disability, contact the executive director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action at (865) 694-6607 or humanresources@pstcc.edu.