NEC Opera Theater Presents Rare Staging of Lee Hoiby’s "Summer and Smoke," December 7—9
Patrick McNally Alexa Lokensgard (Timothy Morse photo)
For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2007
She’s afraid of his body. He’s afraid of her soul. A man who lives in the heat of the moment and a woman who breathes the cool air of eternity try to find common ground. One of the masters of the American theater, Tennessee Williams offered his classic play Summer and Smoke to be adapted for the opera stage by librettist and fellow playwright Lanford Wilson and composer Lee Hoiby. NEC Opera Theater offers a rare opportunity to hear this haunting, rarely heard work, performed by the next generation of opera singers on their way to stardom. The fully staged production takes place December 7—9 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St. Boston. Performances are at 8 p.m. on December 7 and 8, and at 3 p.m. on December 9.
Dean Williamson conducts the orchestra and cast of NEC students. Marc Astafan of the NEC Opera Studies department directs.
Guest conductor Dean Williamson was recently named Artistic Director of Opera Cleveland. Previously he had served as principal coach and pianist for the Seattle Opera and as Music Director and Conductor of the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program. His conducting credits include Boston Lyric Opera, Seattle Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Minnesota Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera.
NEC’s production of Summer and Smoke has received generous support from the Mattina R. Proctor Foundation.
Tickets are $20/$16 students, seniors. Free with NEC i.d. WGBH members, 2-for-1 with i.d. Tickets available through the Cutler Majestic Theatre Box Office, 219 Tremont Street, Boston, Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm or through Telecharge / 800-233-3123.
For further information, check the NEC Website or call the NEC Concert Line at 617-585-1122. NEC’s Jordan Hall, Brown Hall, Williams Hall and the Keller Room are located at 30 Gainsborough St., corner of Huntington Ave. St. Botolph Hall is located at 241 St. Botolph St. between Gainsborough and Mass Ave.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY
Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 750 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world. Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide. Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.
The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions. On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, Contemporary Improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Collaboration Programs, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors. Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music and jazz.
NEC presents more than 600 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, 100-year old, beautifully restored concert hall. These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz and opera scenes. Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.
NEC is co-founder and educational partner of “From the Top,” a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.
Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Public Relations Manager
New England Conservatory
617-585-1143
epfeifer@newenglandconservatory.edu