UMW to Host Operafest

• Press Release from Office of News and Public Information, University of Mary Washington

The University of Mary Washington will host its twelfth annual Operafest on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium. The program is open to the public without charge.

The concert is the culmination of five weeks of intensive opera studies that was open by audition to serious students who want to sing opera and perform on stage.

Directed by Kathy Ahearn and Jane Tavernier, voice instructors at the university, the performance features several scenes from “La Traviata” by Verdi, the trio from “The Impressario” by Mozart and the quintet from “The Magic Flute” by Mozart. In addition, for the first time, the second half of the program includes eight scenes performed in English from Bizet’s “Carmen.”     

A cast of 19 singers ranges from college voice majors and UMW alumni to well-established and successful artists from the Washington D.C. area.

For more information about Operafest, contact the Department of Music at (540) 654-1012.