Cast List and Excerpts

La Cenerentola
Giacchino Rossini

The WVU Opera Theatre is performing three scenes from Rossini's fairy tale opera, "La Cenerentola." 

The first scene, from Act I, opens the opera.  Cenerentola (Ceci Dadisman) is being ordered around by her "evil" stepsisters, Clorinda (Sherri Welch) and Thisbe (Jennifer Thompson.) Alidoro (Paul Workman) the "fairy godfather" and the men's chorus announce a ball is to be held.

The second scene, from Act II, is a sort of "dream sequence."  Ramiro (John Tiranno) is the prince, and he and his valet, Dandini (Brian Philage) switch clothes so Ramiro will be more appealing to the plain Cenerentola.  At the ball, Clorinda (Angela Ferraiuolo) and Thisbe (Jennifer Thompson) think that Ramiro will want one of them as his bride, and are consideribly rude to Cenerentola.  Cenerentola forgives them because of her natural good nature.  Cenerentola's father, Magnifico (David Peterson), is also present at the ball.

Another scene being performed is the love duet between Cenerentola (Ceci Grasso Dadisman) and Ramiro (John Tiranno). This is the first time the two have seen eachother, and they immediately fall in "love at first sight."

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The WVU Opera Theatre is performing two scenes from Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" (The Magic Flute).  This was the last opera Mozart composed before his death in 1791.

The first scene being performed is an aria by Papageno, the bird-catcher, (Matt Enders) in which Papageno has given up hope on finding a wife and is about to commit suicide by hanging himself.  He sings of his troubles and "if no one might save him."  As soon as he is about to do it, three spirits (Sherri Welch, Lynn McCormick, Alissa Wyatt) appear and beg him to stop.  They tell Papageno to "turn around," and when he does, he finds his dream girl, Papagena (Jessica Mariotti), standing there.  In the next scene, Papageno and Papagena sing a cute duet "Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa" where they predict how many little Papageno's and Papagena's they will have together. 

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