What: UNT Opera presents Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) which chronicles the eccentric complications that prevent the poet Hoffmann from finding a woman to love. Guest directed by John de los Santos, conducted by UNT Opera Music Director Stephen Dubberly, and featuring tenor and Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice William Joyner.
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 6 (Fridays); 3 p.m. March 1 and 8 (Sundays). There will be an "In The Know" lecture 45 minutes prior to each performance. The lecture, presented by Dubberly, will offer insight into the opera and the time period in which it was written.
Where: Lyric Theater in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Denton.
Cost: $15-$35 for adults, with discounts available for senior citizens; students; children; UNT faculty, staff and retirees; and groups of 10 or more. The $35 tickets include dessert and wine. Purchase tickets online or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802.
More information: For a complete list of UNT College of Music events, including faculty and student recitals, visit the College of Music online calendar. Visit the College of Music Facebook page or on Twitter @UNTCoM.
DENTON (UNT), Texas – UNT Opera welcomes a guest director John de los Santos, a nationally renowned director and choreographer, for its latest production that tells the tale of the eccentric and tragic love life of a poet.
Internationally renowned voice professor and tenor William Joyner performs the lead role in Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann). The opera will be performed in French with English supertitles at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 6 (Fridays); 3 p.m. March 1 and 8 (Sundays). UNT Opera Music Director Stephen Dubberly leads an "In The Know" lecture 45 minutes prior to each performance, offering insight into the opera and the time period in which it was written.
Based on three short stories by German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, the opera places romantically hopeless versions of the author in the lead role, portrayed by Joyner. Hoffmann first finds love with a beautiful doll of a girl, only to find out that she actually is a mechanical doll. His next love has a beautiful voice, but her singing leads to her death. His third love is a courtesan who tricks him into loving her for her own personal gain. In the end, Hoffmann loses his interest in finding love, but realizes he still has purpose.
The UNT Opera production offers an opportunity for student vocalists to work with talented professionals. As the lead role of Hoffmann, Joyner joins students onstage, offering them great insight into what it takes to prepare an operatic role in a fully professional manner. In working with Santos, students will receive guidance from a professional with national recognition as a choreographer and director of operas, musicals, plays and ballets.
Tickets are $15-$35 for adults, with discounts available for senior citizens; students; children; UNT faculty, staff and retirees; and groups of 10 or more. The $35 tickets include dessert and wine. Purchase tickets online or by calling the Murchison Box Office at 940-369-7802. The performances will be held in the Lyric Theater, in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, 2100 Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Denton.
For a complete list of UNT College of Music events, including faculty and student recitals, visit the College of Music online calendar. Visit the College of Music Facebook page or on Twitter @UNTCoM.
About John de los Santos
Director and choreographer John de los Santos has been called a "brilliant combination of literary insight and choreographic creativity." A San Antonio native, De los Santos' productions across the United States include The Music Man for Utah Festival Opera, Carousel for Ashlawn Opera, Cendrillon for Kentucky Opera, María de Buenos Aires for Lexington Philharmonic, and Green Sneakers for the Southside Theatre at San Francisco's historic Fort Mason Center. His choreography has also been seen at the Washington National, Florida Grand, Philadelphia, Des Moines Metro and Austin Lyric Opera Companies. In 2003, he became the resident choreographer for the Fort Worth Opera, and in 2009 he made his directing debut with the company. In 2010 he made his choreographic debut for the Dallas Opera. De los Santos has served on the directing faculty of the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake, NY since 2005. He has directed and choreographed for a variety of acting companies and music ensembles across the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. He received his BFA in Theatre/Film Performance & Direction from Texas Christian University.
About William Joyner
Over the course of his career, tenor William Joyner has given nearly 550 performances of some 55 different roles, in 12 countries on 3 continents. He has sung in some of the world's foremost opera theaters, including Milan's Teatro alla Scala, Bologna's Teatro Comunale, Venice's Gran Teatro la Fenice, Paris' Opéra National (Bastille), Brussels' Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Berlin's Deutsche Oper and Deutsche Staatsoper, The Washington National Opera, Miami's Florida Grand Opera, The New York City Opera, and The Santa Fe Opera. William Joyner has performed with the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Munich Radio Orchestra, and has worked with some of the greatest maestri of our time, including Daniel Barenboim, the late Gary Bertini, Bertrand de Billy, John DeMain, Heinz Fricke, the late Armin Jordan, Vladimir Jurowski, Anne Manson, Antonio Pappano, Georges Prêtre, and the late Marcello Viotti.
About the UNT College of Music
The UNT College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the country. More than 1,600 music students attend UNT each year, participating in more than 50 widely varied ensembles and pursuing specialized studies in performance, composition, music education or music scholarship. UNT faculty members and students have made appearances on the world's finest stages and have produced numerous recordings, many receiving Grammy awards and nominations. Distinguished UNT alumni can be found around the globe, in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities and schools.