The Mikado and 'Shuffle.Play.Listen' at the Center for the Arts

Classical music and opera can often be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar with the genres. This weekend,  dispels the myth that classical music and opera is "stuffy" or "elite" by bringing fantastic performances that are both incredibly accessible and enjoyable for both classical music and opera novices and enthusiasts alike.

After a successful season that has brought the Virginia Opera much acclaim, the company returns with its final production of the 2011-2012 season, W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan's hilarious comic opera, "The Mikado," on Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m.

A clever satire poking fun at Victorian era social mores, "The Mikado" is set in the fictional Japanese town of Titipu, where everything has gone topsy-turvy after The Mikado outlaws flirting. Yum-Yum, a beautiful schoolgirl, is engaged to be married to her guardian, Ko-Ko, despite her love for the romantic, wandering minstrel, Nanki-Poo, who is also the errant son of the Mikado. Will these two young lovers find their happily-ever-after or will heads roll?

When "The Mikado" first opened at London's Savoy Theatre in 1885, it ran for 672 consecutive performances - a record at that time. Sung in English with English supertitles, this celebrated opera has since become one of the most popular and often performed in the operatic canon. 

This weekend also brings the pairing of pianist Christopher O'Riley and cellist Matt Haimovitz, bringing their genre-bending program, "Shuffle.Play.Listen" to the Center on Saturday, March 24 at 8 p.m. Fans of indie rock will recognize familiar tunes by Radiohead, The Arcade Fire, The Cocteau Twins and A Perfect Circle as interpreted by these two brilliant artists, which will be intermingled with more traditional classical music by Bach and Stravinsky. 

Both O'Riley and Haimovitz have spent their careers working to break down barriers in classical music and redefining the role of the classical music artist.

Known for hosting the popular NPR program "From the Top," which celebrates young classical artists, O'Riley has released several acclaimed recordings of his interpretations of rock music and his performances are often peppered with pieces by Radiohead, Nirvana and Nick Drake. 

Israeli cellist Matt Haimovitz studied under renowned cellists Leonard Rose and Yo-Yo Ma, and has performed with celebrated classical artists Isaac Stern, Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas Zukerman and Mstislav Rostopovich. But he first caught the public's attention in 2000 with his Bach "Listening-Room Tour," in which he brought Bach's cello suites to clubs and bars in North America and the British Isles. In 2002, he became the first classical music artist to perform at CBGB, the legendary rock club in New York City. 

In fall 2011, O'Riley and Haimovitz also teamed up to create the two-disc album "Shuffle.Play.Listen." Inspired by the way iPod and mp3 technology has changed the experience of listening to different forms of music, the artists have said that listeners can enjoy the album from start to finish or upload it to their portable music devices and do as the title says and "shuffle, play and listen."

Listeners of the album can expect to hear such works as Stravinsky's "Suite Italienne" and Piazzolla's "Le Grand Tango" as well as Bernard Hermann's "Vertigo Suite," on the first disc; while the second disc features O'Riley and Haimovitz playing such indie pop and rock songs as The Arcade Fire's "Empty Room," Radiohead's "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" and A Perfect Circle's "Three Libras," among others.  

If you can't make it out to the Center for the Arts this weekend, there are a number of exciting performances coming up in March and April:

• The Acting Company brings a riveting production of "Julius Caesar" on April 1;
• The Moscow Festival Ballet brings two grand fairy tale ballets with "The Sleeping Beauty" on April 13 and "Cinderella" on April 14;
• The American Festival Pops Orchestra is joined by Broadway soprano Lisa Vroman for "Broadway Lights" on April 21;
• The season concludes with Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel performing "The Power and Passion of Brahms" on April 29.

The College of Visual and Performing Arts also brings a number of enjoyable performances in the next couple of weeks:

• Theater at Mason performs "The Life of Galileo" in Harris Theater from March 29 through April 7;
• The Mason Dance Company performs its annual Gala Concert in the Concert Hall on March 30 and 31, featuring works by Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, David Parsons and the world premiere of "Full Circle" by Christopher d'Amboise;
• The Mason Opera and Symphony Orchestra brings Gilbert & Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore" to Harris Theater on April 13 and 14.

For more information about these performances, please visit cfa.gmu.edu. For tickets, please call 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu or the Concert Hall Box Office, open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.