Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Musical Arts Series presents the Oklahoma Opera Festival

Press Release Date: 04-13-2007

Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Musical Arts Series presents the Oklahoma Opera Festival Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 19–20–21.

The Opera Festival features clinician Herr Edmund Emge of the Opernfestpiele of St. Margarethen, Austria.

Southeastern’s Opera Theater will host the Oklahoma Opera Festival with the University of Oklahoma and SOSU participating.

The Festival opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Montgomery Auditorium with a performance of opera choruses, duets and arias presented by the SOSU Symphonic Choir under the direction of Dr. Stacy Weger.

Featured soloists will include Jocelyn Batts, Megan A. Crews, Dane Cunningham, Leslie LeMaster, April Raines, Kerrie Safe, Edmund Emge and Dr. Steven W. Emge, in the Department of Fine Arts at Southeastern.

Each university will “fine tune” its opera scenes throughout the day Friday under the guidance of Herr Emge of Vienna, Austria, through a series of scheduled rehearsals. Emge is the Kunstlerische Leitung (Artistic Director) of the world-famous Opernfestpiele. His duties include casting, promotional and educational services, and youth outreach programs for the Festival.

He began his artistic and state director duties when he formed the opera company, Opera Piccola, in 1991. As a singer, he has performed throughout Europe, including the Opernfestpiele, the Wiener Kammeroper in Vienna, Mozartoper of Salzburg and the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Belgium.

Emge still performs throughout Vienna, having just finished singing the role of Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute in St. Margarenthen.

The Festival concludes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, with a public performance of opera scenes, which will include works of Mozart and Rossini.

The Oklahoma Opera Festival was the creation of the late Pablo Pedrazza, and had become a important festival throughout the state. It was reintroduced in 2002 by the current director of opera, Dr. Steven Emge.

Now in its 7th year, it continues to draw students and universities from Oklahoma and north Texas every spring. Past clinicians have included Paula Homer from the University of North Texas and the world-famous opera stage director/coach Beaumont Glass.

All events and performances are free and open to the public. The Oklahoma Opera Festival is made possible in part by a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council.