Opera Scenes to Journey Through G&S

Ashland University Department of Music presents two evenings of opera scenes which will take audiences on a journey through some of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's most-loved comic operas. The performances which are free and open to the public are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16, 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre at Ashland University.

With scenes from five different Gilbert & Sullivan operas each evening, the program presents scenes from The Pirates of Penzance, Patience, The Gondoliers, Ruddigore and The Mikado. Under the direction of guest artist Sandra Ross, this annual event features vocal performances from student singers. This year's female cast includes sopranos Abigail Brady (Geneva), Gracie Fumic (Avon), Elisha Hofer (Sandusky) and Fatima Imani Smith (Copley) along with mezzo-sopranos Grace Keller (Perrysville) and Hannah Wise (Hartville). Male singers include tenor Jacob Poiner (Wellington) and baritones Deric Dove (Newark) and Darion Dow (Bedford Heights).

Equally at home on both operatic and musical theater stages, Ms. Ross has performed with Cincinnati Opera, Cleveland Opera, Central City Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, Opera North, Sorg Opera and nine seasons with the Ohio Light Opera. Some of her favorite roles have been Orlovsky, Carmen and Cherubino. In Hamburg, Germany Ms. Ross appeared for 2 years as Madame Giry in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera. A frequent concert soloist Ms. Ross has performed works including Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings Symphony, under the direction of the composer, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Prokofieff’s Alexander Nevsky, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Mass in Bflat Major, Handel’s Messiah and Vivaldi’s Gloria, with organizations including the orchestras of Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Ashland, Toledo and Youngstown. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio Ms. Ross holds a bachelors degree from Heidelberg University and a masters degree from the New England Conservatory where she studied with the renowned Ed Zambara.