OCC's Opera Magnifica Will Include Happily Ever After Scenes, Ill-fated Endings

OCC’s Opera Magnifica 2016 will see students performing scenes with happy endings … and some with not-so-happy endings. The program, titled “Happy We! Scenes With Both the Happily Ever After … and Ill-fated Endings” will run from Feb. 26-28 in the College’s newly renovated Music Rectial Hall, with show times at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

“This year I borrowed from an old favorite title of mine — ‘Happy We!’ — knowing I could program a great opening number entitled ‘Oh Happy We!’ from Candide and a closing ‘Happy, Happy We’ from the Handel opera Acis and Galatea,” said director Susan Ali. “To balance the program, I came up with the subtitle ‘Happily Ever After … and Ill-fated Endings!’”

OCC’s Opera Magnifica is an annual event featuring student singers performing memorable scenes from several centuries’ worth of favorite operas. This year’s performance will include scenes from Pirates of Penzance, Cosi Fan Tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Hansel & Gretel, and more. Auditions were held last fall, and the program was compiled based on things like the students’ voice types, character types and acting abilities.

“The scenes are a little more difficult this year so that students may experience growth as they learn different types of opera and operetta repertoire during their time at OCC,” Ali said.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.occtickets.com. Tickets also will be available at the door.