VSU Presents Opera After Dark in Downtown Valdosta Sept. 19

Valdosta State University Opera rehearses for its upcoming Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano at Bas Bleu Brasserie in Downtown Valdosta on Friday, Sept. 19. Proceeds will benefit the program’s main-stage production of The Old Maid and the Thief and The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti, scheduled for January 2015. (Photo by Paul Leavy / Valdosta State University)

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University Opera will present Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano at Bas Bleu Brasserie in Downtown Valdosta on Friday, Sept. 19. Proceeds will benefit the program’s main-stage production of The Old Maid and the Thief and The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti, scheduled for January 2015.

Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano will begin at 7 p.m. with an authentic Italian dinner featuring lasagna, salad, and tiramisu prepared and served by culinary professionals at Jessie’s Eats and Treats. The concert performance will follow at 8 p.m.

“The show features VSU music students, faculty, and Valdosta community members performing some of the most beloved and well-known Italian opera arias, duets, and choruses,” said Dr. Karl Paoletti Jr., director of VSU Opera and an assistant professor in the university’s Department of Music.

Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano program highlights include VSU students Rakeeta Laird (soprano), Esther Maloof (mezzo soprano), Nathan Calvert (tenor), Kamron Glover (tenor), Cody O’Shea (baritone), and Sean Wassmuth (baritone) performing the famous sextet “Chi raffre il mio tormento” from Gaetano Donizetti’s tragic opera Lucia di Lammermoor; the Valwood Girls Trio performing the popular aria “Caro mio ben” by Tommaso Giordani; and the VSU Opera Chorus performing “Brindisi” from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.

Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano coincides with Downtown Valdosta’s September Art After Dark celebration.

Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano is directed by Paoletti, with Dr. Tamara Hardesty, who teaches voice at VSU, serving as assistant director. Dr. Hue Jeong Jang, visiting assistant professor of piano, will accompany the performers.

Bas Bleu Brasserie is located at 121 N. Patterson St.

Call the VSU College of the Arts Outreach Office at (229) 333-2150 to learn more.

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities. 

The Department of Music's Opera Program and community events such as Opera After Dark: Tutto Italiano meet the following goals: 

Goal 1: Recruit, retain, and graduate a quality, diverse student population and prepare students for roles as leaders in a global society.

Goal 3: Promote student, employee, alumni, retiree, and community engagement in our mission.

Goal 4: Foster an environment of creativity and scholarship.

Goal 5: Develop and enhance Valdota State's human and physical resources.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/administration/planning/strategic-plan.php to learn more.