Oakland University to Present Chamber Opera PAT AND EMILIA, 9/25

At 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, the music program at Oakland University will host a performance of the inventive and provocative mixed-media chamber opera "Pat and Emilia," which is based on the lives of two Windsor, Ontario artists - portrait photographer Pat Sturn (1910-2011) and opera singer Emilia Cundari (1930-2005).

Creative director Tara Sievers-Hunt, who is assistant professor of music at Marygrove College and a doctoral candidate at OU said, "Like the complex layers of a mixed-media art piece, 'Pat and Emilia' is a celebration of new and established music, prose, theatre, journalism, historical and archival research, photography, and the experiences of women."

The production features both significant opera arias from Emilia's repertoire and original songs written by her good friend and Windsor Poet Laureate Marty Gervais, set to music by Ontario composer Jeff Smallman. Tara Sievers-Hunt will sing the role Emilia Cundari, and fellow OU doctoral candidate Jocelyn Zelasko will sing the role of Pat Sturn. They will be accompanied by a chamber ensemble.

"Pat and Emilia" will be performed in Varner Recital Hall, which is located on the Oakland University campus. Maps of the campus are available at oakland.edu/map or by searching for "Varner Hall" on a smartphone. Ample free parking will be available.

Tickets are $14 general and $8 for students. They may be purchased online without service fees at startickets.com or by phone at (800) 585-3737. They can also be purchased at the Varner Box Office on OU's campus in advance or before the show. Complete ticket information is available at oakland.edu/mtd/tickets.

For more information on Music, Theatre and Dance programs and performances, call (248) 370-2030 or visit oakland.edu/mtd.