Lamar Opera Theatre presents “La Traviata”
The Lamar Opera Theatre will present “La Traviata” on May 3-4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rothwell Recital Hall. This 
free, modernized opera will be presented in four chapters, sung in Italian with supertitles.
“La Traviata,” one of the world’s most popular operas, was composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and premiered in 1853 at La Teatro Fenice in Venice. Based upon the 1852 play by Alexandre Dumas Fils (La Dame aux camélias), the opera marked a large step forward for Verdi in his quest to express dramatic ideas in music.
“‘La Traviata’ means the fallen woman, or the one who goes astray, and refers to the heroine of our show, Violetta Valéry, a courtesan. The plot of the opera revolves around her love affair with Alfredo Germont, the sacrifice she has to make for true love and ultimately, her death,” said Serdar Ilban, associate professor of opera and director of the production.
Lamar Opera Workshop and Opera Theatre proudly provide a multitude of enriching performance experiences for both graduate and undergraduate students with operatic potential. The goal is to teach students the skills necessary to perform on the operatic stage with confidence and to prepare them for further study in the field of vocal performance. They have the opportunity to work with artist teachers and dedicated educators who bring a wealth of professional experience into the academic setting. In addition, Lamar Opera Theatre directs itself toward becoming accessible to all segments of the greater community in the greater Beaumont area by promoting and increasing public knowledge and appreciation of opera.
“I am extremely grateful to my students who with relentless passion and positive attitude worked together and are able to present their musical and emotional journeys with these characters to stage. They have been involved in every aspect of the production from building the scenery in order to transform this recital hall to a modest operatic venue, to final adjustments of the costumes; from makeup to stage management,” said Ilban.
Admission to La Traviata is free and open to the public. For more information about the Lamar Opera Theatre or the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music, please visit lamar.edu/music.
free, modernized opera will be presented in four chapters, sung in Italian with supertitles. “La Traviata,” one of the world’s most popular operas, was composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and premiered in 1853 at La Teatro Fenice in Venice. Based upon the 1852 play by Alexandre Dumas Fils (La Dame aux camélias), the opera marked a large step forward for Verdi in his quest to express dramatic ideas in music.
“‘La Traviata’ means the fallen woman, or the one who goes astray, and refers to the heroine of our show, Violetta Valéry, a courtesan. The plot of the opera revolves around her love affair with Alfredo Germont, the sacrifice she has to make for true love and ultimately, her death,” said Serdar Ilban, associate professor of opera and director of the production.
Lamar Opera Workshop and Opera Theatre proudly provide a multitude of enriching performance experiences for both graduate and undergraduate students with operatic potential. The goal is to teach students the skills necessary to perform on the operatic stage with confidence and to prepare them for further study in the field of vocal performance. They have the opportunity to work with artist teachers and dedicated educators who bring a wealth of professional experience into the academic setting. In addition, Lamar Opera Theatre directs itself toward becoming accessible to all segments of the greater community in the greater Beaumont area by promoting and increasing public knowledge and appreciation of opera.
“I am extremely grateful to my students who with relentless passion and positive attitude worked together and are able to present their musical and emotional journeys with these characters to stage. They have been involved in every aspect of the production from building the scenery in order to transform this recital hall to a modest operatic venue, to final adjustments of the costumes; from makeup to stage management,” said Ilban.
Admission to La Traviata is free and open to the public. For more information about the Lamar Opera Theatre or the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music, please visit lamar.edu/music.
Posted on Fri, April 26, 2019 by Shelly Vitanza
