BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 13, 2012 —The auditorium at The Arts Center at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College  will be filled with beautiful music when The Bravo Opera Company, the university’s premiere operatic music and stage group under the direction of Carol J. Sachs, perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18 as part of the 28^th season of Patron of the Arts.

 
Jessica Rosas and her fellow Bravo Opera Company members perform a selection from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Mikado'. 

“Our goal for the evening is for our audiences to have an enjoyable evening or afternoon watching these scenes and take with them a deeper appreciation and love of the art-form,” said Sachs.

The company’s repertoire for the evening will include scenes from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Mikado” and “Pirates of Penzance”; Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods,” and “Sunday in the Park with George”; and Bernstein’s “West Side Story” and “Candide”.

“Opera has a long, rich history that has survived for hundreds of years,” said Sachs. “These stories and music continue to delight audiences around the world, transcending language and nationality.”

The night will include more contemporary opera pieces, all in English, that Sachs said she hopes will appeal to more mainstream audiences in the community.

“The works by Sondheim and Bernstein are often included in the repertoire of opera companies and are considered as ‘cross-over’ stage productions,” said Sachs. “For some people, the word ‘opera’ has a negative connotation; my hope is that we can change their opinion and help them see that opera can be fun as well as beautiful.”

The fifty member strong opera company’s performance will include the final opera performances by senior opera students and music education majors Jason Whitney and Jessica Rosas. 

Whitney said he has seen the Bravo Opera Company grow at an astounding rate since he joined in the fall of 2008.

“The set design and production values compared to when I started are on another level,” said Whitney, 22. “The whole experience expands and grows every fall. This performance is going to be really great, visually.”

Whitney will play the title role in the selections from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Mikado”; he said the Mikado might be one of his favorite roles that he’s played. Rosas will perform as fellow lead character, Yum-Yum, the love interest of the Mikado’s son, Nanki-Poo, and the most beautiful girl in the village during “The Mikado.”

“From the songs we’ll be performing on Saturday, my favorite song from ‘The Mikado’ is ‘The Sun Whose Rays are all Ablaze,’” said Rosas.

Rosas is an international student from Mexico. She said that being in the Bravo Opera Company has made her more confident in her English, her skills as a performer and made her overall more comfortable on the stage.

The two students said they hoped that the audience would appreciate the hard work that goes into each performance.

“We want the audience to enjoy the show, have a laugh and have fun,” said Whitney. “Our show is definitely worth the price of admission to watch.”

For more information, contact Patron of the Arts at 956-882-7025 or Patron@utb.edu