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Opera is a tribute to retired professor
Yale singers and dancers will act out the tragic love story of the mythological Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan prince Aeneas in an opera production honoring Beekman C. Cannon, professor emeritus of music and a former master of Jonathan Edwards College (JE).
The performance celebrates Cannon's 90th birthday.
"Dido and Aeneas: Opera in Three Acts" is an expanded version of Henry Purcell's famous musical rendering of the age-old story about a queen who is thwarted in love by Fate. Presented by Jonathan Edwards College, the performance will take place on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2, at the First and Summerfield United Methodist Church, corner of College and Elm streets. Show times are at 8 p.m. both nights, with an additional 4 p.m. performance on Saturday. Tickets are free but must be reserved; call (203) 432-0380 to make reservations.
"Dido and Aeneas" will be performed by Yale undergraduates and members of the choral group Yale Collegium Musicum. The opera will also feature dancers from A Different Drum as well as an orchestra of Baroque instruments. Michael Lewanski '01 will conduct the orchestra and Paul Koch '01 will direct the production. Performing in the leading role as Dido is Kimberly DeQuattro '03. The role of Aeneas will be sung by two Yale seniors: Christopher Herbert and David Weaver. Richard Lalli, associate professor (adjunct) in the music department, is the artistic adviser for the performance, and Barbara Goddard, senior administrative assistant at JE, is the executive producer.
Purcell wrote "Dido and Aeneas" in 1689, and his opera is considered one of the greatest early English operas, says Lalli. The newly elaborated Yale version of the opera, he says, allows audiences to witness the Dido story from multiple perspectives.
Cannon promoted many operatic productions at Yale during his time as JE master from 1960 to 1974."This performance is a way to express our gratitude for Professor Cannon's support of an operatic tradition that we are trying to reinstate at Yale," Lalli says.
Funding for the performance has been provided by the Jonathan Edwards Trust with cooperation from the Department of Music.
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