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April 28, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Todd Morgan, 336-734-2924, mmorgan7@pop.ncarts.edu NCSA AND A.J. FLETCHER OPERA INSTITUTE TO PRESENT AMERICAN OPERA KURT WEILL'S STREET SCENE MAY 8-11
WINSTON-SALEM – Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, a story of love and passion and greed and death set against the backdrop of life in a big city, will be presented at the beginning of May by the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the North Carolina School of the Arts. A 20^th century American opera, Street Scene will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, through Saturday, May 10, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at the Agnes de Mille Theatre on the NCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St, Winston-Salem. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more information or to order tickets, call the NCSA Box Office at (336) 721-1945 or visit www.ncarts.edu/performances. Dealing with the ordinary squabbles and gossips of the neighbors, as the mounting tensions between the irritable characters eventually builds into a tragedy of epic proportions, this production was brought to life through the vision of Music Director James Allbritten and guest Stage Director Michael Shell, an NCSA alumnus, with the collaboration of Angela Ward in musical preparation.	Street Scene
Meant to be a synthesis of European traditional opera and American musical theatre, Weill referred to his piece as an "American opera" or a "Broadway opera.” Originally based on the play of the same name by Elmer Rice, Street Scene opened on Broadway at the Adelphi Theater in January 1947. It closed on May 17 of the same year after having played 148 performances. For his work on Street Scene Weill was awarded the very first Tony Award for Best Original Score, competing with other musicals that year such as Finian's Rainbow by Burton Lane and Brigadoon by Frederick Loewe. James Allbritten is an NCSA School of Music faculty member, the artistic director of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, and artistic director and principal conductor of Piedmont Opera Theatre. Michael Shell made his stage directorial debut with a production of The Daughter of The Regiment for Opera Company of the Highlands in 2006, and went on to direct a new production of Sleeping Beauty for Virginia Opera. In 2007 he directed Cosi fan tutte as well as La Traviata for Piedmont Opera and Il Trovatore conducted by Maestro Anton Coppola for Opera Tampa. In 2008 he directed Richard Rodney Bennett’s All the King’s Men, and The Tragedy of Carmen for Opera Omaha, and Dido and Aeneas for Central City Opera. He has been a guest faculty member at the North Carolina School of the Arts teaching Opera Workshop and has directed opera scenes for Glimmerglass Opera and Central City Opera. The A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute is a vehicle for advancing the career potential of exceptional young singers. The institute offers performance-based training to institute Fellows at graduate and post-master’s levels. The North Carolina School of the Arts was the first state-supported, residential performing arts school in the nation. Today, it is a leading conservatory of international renown, offering professional training for careers in the performing, visual, and moving image arts. ###
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April 28, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Todd Morgan, 336-734-2924, mmorgan7@pop.ncarts.edu

NCSA AND A.J. FLETCHER OPERA INSTITUTE TO PRESENT AMERICAN OPERA
KURT WEILL'S STREET SCENE
MAY 8-11

WINSTON-SALEM – Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, a story of love and passion and greed and death set against the backdrop of life in a big city, will be presented at the beginning of May by the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

A 20^th century American opera, Street Scene will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, through Saturday, May 10, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at the Agnes de Mille Theatre on the NCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St, Winston-Salem. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more information or to order tickets, call the NCSA Box Office at (336) 721-1945 or visit www.ncarts.edu/performances.

Dealing with the ordinary squabbles and gossips of the neighbors, as the mounting tensions between the irritable characters eventually builds into a tragedy of epic proportions, this production was brought to life through the vision of Music Director James Allbritten and guest Stage Director Michael Shell, an NCSA alumnus, with the collaboration of Angela Ward in musical preparation.

Street Scene

Meant to be a synthesis of European traditional opera and American musical theatre, Weill referred to his piece as an "American opera" or a "Broadway opera.” Originally based on the play of the same name by Elmer Rice, Street Scene opened on Broadway at the Adelphi Theater in January 1947. It closed on May 17 of the same year after having played 148 performances. For his work on Street Scene Weill was awarded the very first Tony Award for Best Original Score, competing with other musicals that year such as Finian's Rainbow by Burton Lane and Brigadoon by Frederick Loewe.

James Allbritten is an NCSA School of Music faculty member, the artistic director of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, and artistic director and principal conductor of Piedmont Opera Theatre.

Michael Shell made his stage directorial debut with a production of The Daughter of The Regiment for Opera Company of the Highlands in 2006, and went on to direct a new production of Sleeping Beauty for Virginia Opera. In 2007 he directed Cosi fan tutte as well as La Traviata for Piedmont Opera and Il Trovatore conducted by Maestro Anton Coppola for Opera Tampa. In 2008 he directed Richard Rodney Bennett’s All the King’s Men, and The Tragedy of Carmen for Opera Omaha, and Dido and Aeneas for Central City Opera. He has been a guest faculty member at the North Carolina School of the Arts teaching Opera Workshop and has directed opera scenes for Glimmerglass Opera and Central City Opera.

The A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute is a vehicle for advancing the career potential of exceptional young singers. The institute offers performance-based training to institute Fellows at graduate and post-master’s levels.

The North Carolina School of the Arts was the first state-supported, residential performing arts school in the nation. Today, it is a leading conservatory of international renown, offering professional training for careers in the performing, visual, and moving image arts.

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