Music department to present Mozart's 'Magic Flute'

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Performing one of Mozart's most celebrated works, the Northeastern State University Department of Music presents The Magic Flute on April 18 and 20 at 7 p.m. in the NSU Center for the Performing Arts.

Long before Broadway there was Mozarts Magic Flute; this singspiel or musical play was a chart topper when it premiered in 1791. Mozart himself conducted the orchestra, the playwright Ernst Schikaneder played the comic and forlorn Papageno, and Mozarts sister in law Josepha Hofer brought down the house as the wicked Queen of the Night singing up a storm, in a dazzling display of impossibly high, fast notes.

The opera tells a tale of love, pitting heroes against villains, as the young lovers Tamino and Pamina journey towards the ultimate triumphant conclusion, guided by the magical notes of Mozarts unforgettable melodies. Within three months, the show reached its 100th performance, but Mozart did not live to see that milestone performance.

Guest artist soprano is Lenena Brezna, holder of vocal performance degrees from the University of Mississippi and Louisiana State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Memphis.

Brezna has performed with Amici Opera in Philadelphia, Natchez Opera, Pensacola Opera, Mississippi Symphony, Corinth Symphony, Atlanta Symphony and Mexico City Symphony. In 2007, she was awarded the Charlie Reicker Memorial Scholarship to further her career in opera, and in 2000 she was a national semi-finalist for the McCalister awards held in Indianapolis. She has also received the Audience Choice and Encouragement Awards from regional MET auditions.

The Magic Flute is presented by the NSU Opera Workshop, featuring NSU students and local talent and directed by Dr. Shannon Unger, assistant professor of music.

Music will be performed by the NSU Wind Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Norman Wika, assistant professor of music.

Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for students. Tickets will be sold at the door or can be purchased in advance from any cast member.

For information about the performances of The Magic Flute, call Unger at 918-444-2721 or Wika at 918-444-2706.