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Students entertained visitors du e ophe renovated section ofthe Schmidt Vocal Arts Center.
Left to right are Holly Dodson, ck, fit olas Provenzale, Arianna Afshari and Scott Thomas. ,
A Professional Experience “Everyone is so well—versed in voice. It’s a That kind of support is what’s made doc—
Everett McCorvey runs UK Opera The— multi—talented faculty.” toral student Eric Brown, one of the win—
atre like a professional opera company. The last two years have seen the Opera ners of this year’s district Metropolitan
By design, he works to give students ample program and its students soar to new Council Auditions, so glad he chose UK
opportunities to work with professional di— heights with the premiere of “River of” for his graduate training.
rectors, production managers, conductors, Time.” the performance of “0117' Lincoln” at “UK is a great place to really dig in and learn
and set designers. He knows they’ll be ready the Kennedy Center, and a recording of about yourself as a performer, as a person, and
to take the next step after graduation — “Hotel Casalilanea” in collaboration with as a singer,” said Brown, who’s currently teach—
landing a role on a professional stage. the San Francisco Opera. ingvoice part—time at Asbury College.
With 125 vocal majors, McCorvey feels This March, the department will present And, like Turay, Brown credits McCor—
UK’s program is the perfect size. “Die Fledermaus” by Johann Strauss. Mc— vey with guiding his career.
“I’m not interested in being a factory. I Corvey plans to produce “La Bolie‘nze” in “I really think of him as a father figure.
want to be a high—quality, mid—size pro— the fall and ‘Toigj/ and Bess” next spring. And like with any family, there have been
gram that is selective in terms of the best He plans the department’s production times Dr. McCorvey has had to pull me
young potentials out there,” he said. schedule at least a year in advance, tailoring aside and say, “This is a good idea. This is
For graduate student Holly Flack of it to meet the needs of UK’s students. what you should do.” Or, “Maybe that’s not
Minnesota, who’s in the first year of her “We look at our student population. We the best idea,’” Brown said.
master’s degree program at UK, coming to figure out which student is ready to be high— “He teaches an approach not just to
Lexington has been the perfect choice. lighted, and we find an opera for that stu— singing, but an approach to living,” Brown
“There’s such camaraderie between the dent,” he said. “We think that’s the healthiest said. “He is a “living performer.” He eats,
coaches [the accompanists] and the voice way for the student and for the program to sleeps, and breathes this business.”
teachers here,” said Flack, who received an grow Other programs just hire professionals —
Encouragement Award at the district Met— to come in for their leading roles if they want Roliin Roen/cei‘ ’98 JS is afieelanee
ropolitan Council Auditions in November. to do some of the bigger operas.” writer in Lexington.
U pcom I ng Perform ances: UK Opera Theatre is scheduled to perform Strauss’s
“Die Fledermaus” in March at the Lexington Opera House. Its annual production “It’s a Grand
Night for Singing!” will be held in June at the UK Singletary Center. For more information,
go to www.uky.edu/ FineArts/ Music/ opera or www.ukoperatheatre.org