Opera Theatre
The CSUSB Music Department and The CSUSB Opera Theatre's presentation of A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein-Trouble in Tahiti was dazzling! With a sold out opening night performance, Trouble in Tahiti brought audiences to their feet.
Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera centered around the story of a desperately unhappy couple searching for an escape to their mundane daily routine. Longing for love and unable to communicate, the couple attempts to carry on with their daily lives.
The opera also featured a scat singing jazz trio and of course, amazing music.
Coming soon for The CSUSB Opera Theatre's 2013-2014 season is William Bolcom's Lucrezia.
The CSUSB Opera Theatre is an auditioned ensemble directed by Dr. Stacey Fraser, Associate Professor of Music.
Dr. Fraser’s innovative, modern and zany adaptations of the standard operatic repertoire have led to consecutive sold out performances since her time of hire at Cal State San Bernardino in 2007. Recent productions include Mozart’s Impresario set in the Wild West, San Bernardino, 1882, with dialogue adaptation by Dr. Terry Donovan Smith.
Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, set in the beloved Harris Company Department Store, City of San Bernardino, circa 1964 and Offenbach’s RSVP: or a Musicale at Mr. Cauliflower’s set in the Roaring 20’s New York City, circa 1928. The operas are performed with full orchestra, many of whose members are union musicians of the Los Angles greater metro area. Elaborate sets and costumes are also an integral part of our productions.
This past academic year the Opera Theatre in the Department of Music at Cal State San Bernardino presented Engelbert Humperdinck's opera Hänsel und Gretel. Local audiences including the campus community of CSUSB, the community at large in the city of San Bernardino, high school and middle school students of the City of San Bernardino Unified School District CAPS program as well as audiences in the surrounding cities of the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County were thrilled by this most talked about production. CSUSB’s Hänsel und Gretel featured costumes by LA based film maker Fabiola Munoz of Masque Films. The beautiful and set and lighting design was created by Randall Hodges. In addition to the fully staged performances with orchestra, the CSUSB Opera Theatre students performed outreach events in an effort to bring opera directly to the community at large.
The design of the set and costumes resembled the colors and fantasy themes of Tim Burton’s recent Oscar winning movie Alice in Wonderland and pop culture references were incorporated into the costumes, staging and adaptation of the text. The opera was highly successful with sold out houses to approximately 440 audience members on the CSUSB campus.
Newspaper articles and promotions as well as live interviews on this original adaptation of the contemporary setting of Hänsel und Gretel appeared in The San Bernardino Sun, the Press Enterprise, Coyote Chronicle, IE Weekly and CSUSB Magazine. A documentary on the making of the CSUSB Opera Theatre production of Hänsel und Gretel will air on CSUSB TV later this fall 2012.
Opera News
03.15.13
Trouble in Tahiti tickets are on sale now! To get your tickets click on the "Buy Tickets Now" link on the left hand side of our website or visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/csusbmusic and click on the "Get Tickets" tab. Tickets are $11 for students, $13 for staff/faculty/seniors and $17 general admission.
05.02.12
FRIDAY NIGHT SOLD OUT
As of 8:00am Wednesday morning, this years Opera Theatre production has sold out its opening night. The Friends of Music Reception has also reached its expected attandence.
04.10.12
Hansel and Gretel go to a coffeehouse
You never know what surprises await Hansel and Gretel when they walk into their local popular coffeehouse and begin feasting. But it's not gingerbread, and audiences will see why in the May 4 and 6 performances of 'Hansel and Gretel' at Cal State San Bernardino.
03.28.12
UPDATE: The CSUSB Opera Theatre will be performing prior to the "Live in HD" transmission of Verdi’s La Traviata at the AMC in Ontario. CSUSB Opera Theatre will be perfoming on Saturday, April 14 at 9:45am and the live broadcast will start at 9:55am. Click here for Tickets.
In preperation for the upcoming Opera Theatre prodution of Hansel und Gretel by Englebert Humperdinck, a selection of the cast will be performing breifly prior to the "Live in HD" transmission of Manon at the AMC in Ontario 9:00am Saturday, April 1, 2012.
This is a great opportunity for Opera Theatre to perform for a captive audience of opera enthusiasts. It also allows the Music Department to get some off-campus exposure.
"Hansel und Gretel" will run Friday, May 4, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 2 p.m. Tickets prices to be announced. Parking is $5 per vehicle. For tickets and more information, call the CSUSB music department box office at (909) 537-7516.
10.13.11
After the highly successful performances of our Wild West version of Mozart's "Impresario" this past April, Cal State San Bernardino's Opera Theatre will stage Engelbert Humperdinck's take on the popular fairytale, "Hansel and Gretel."
The production will feature pop culture references and give an amusing, clever and sympathetic voice to social comments on greed, poverty and commercialism. You may recognize some of the colors and fantasy themes from recent Oscar-winning movies, such as Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland." But you can be sure of one thing: that traditional gingerbread house will have a modern twist. Stacey Fraser, soprano and director of CSUSB's Opera Theatre, will be performing again with accomplished CSUSB faculty and voice students of the opera program. And, this year, the university introduces Kosta Popovic. Most recently with the Metropolitan Opera, Popovic is the university's new director of choral activities and will conduct the singers and the opera orchestra.
"Hansel and Gretel" will run Friday, May 4, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 2 p.m. Tickets prices to be announced. Parking is $5 per vehicle. For tickets and more information, call the CSUSB music department box office at (909) 537-7516.
01.12.11
The opera house was on the verge of bankruptcy. But Mr. Bluff, who was very enthusiastic about his abilities, insisted that the house could make profits once again if it cast him in a role, and then a local banker offered his support if his aging diva mistress was given a part, too.
That is the beginning of woes in Mozart's comic opera, "Impresario," being staged April 29 and 30 at Cal State San Bernardino.
06.01.09
The Opera Workshop's first attempt at a full scale opera (complete with orchestra) proved to be a success. The double casted ensemble (pictured second from top and second from bottom), directed by Dr. Stacey Fraser, performed it's "roaring 20's" version of Jacques Offenbach's RSVP or a Musicale at Mr. Cauliflower's to a full hall each night of the two-night production. Stay tuned for the theme of the highly anticipated 2010 Opera Workshop production of Mozart's famous comic opera Cosi Fan Tutte, which will be set in the City of San Bernardino to commemorate the city's Bicentennial celebration. Mark your calendars for May 7th and 8th, 2009!