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WT Opera Students Get Creative for Upcoming Recital
Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu
CANYON, Texas — Songs usually only performed in ordinary recitals will get an extra twist in an upcoming production by WT Opera.
“Art-tastic!” will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall. Admission is free.
Opera students will work up their own staging for an evening of art songs, said Sarah Beckham-Turner, WT assistant professor of music and director of WT Opera.
“Generally speaking, art songs are performed concert style, not fully staged,” Beckham-Turner said. “This is a total creative exercise for our students, who are coming up with their own ideas for stage movement and characterization. And it’s a great performance opportunity for them before our two major productions in the spring, ‘The Magic Flute’ in January and ‘Gallantry’ in April.”
Performers will include Kit Boyington, senior music major from Goodland; Shannon Kathleen Burr, graduate music performance student from Harrisburg, Pa.; Saralyn Corey, senior music major from Dallas; Francesco DiLello, graduate music performance student from Highland Mill, N.Y.; Grace Gaertner, junior music major from Tyler; Codi Hittson, senior music education major from Amarillo; Eleisha Miller, senior music major from San Antonio; Brianna Moen, junior theater major from Azle; Alejandra Molina, senior music major from El Paso; Conner Nall, junior music major from Canyon; Savannah Poor, senior musical theatre major from Odessa; Audrey Reidling, senior music major from Plano; and Chloe Ridolfo, graduate music student from Los Angeles.
Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Photo: Audrey Reidling, left, and Grace Gaertner rehearse their performance for WT Opera's "Art-tastic!"
About West Texas A&M University
WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 40 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.
—WTAMU—