MOBILE, Ala. – The Alabama School of the Arts at the University of Mobile will present a MainStage Opera double-bill performance of Mozart’s “The Impresario” and Salieri’s “Prima la Musica e poi le parole” on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. and 31 at 2 p.m.
Performances will be held at Murphy High School, 100 S. Carlen St., Mobile, Alabama.
Tickets are $25 and attendance will be capped at 200 persons in order to abide by COVID-19 guidelines. For tickets and streaming options, please visit umobile.edu/pas or call the Alabama School of the Arts Box Office at 251.442.2383.
In accordance with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, State of Alabama and University of Mobile mandates, face masks or face shields will be required. For more information on COVID-19 guidelines, please visit umobile.edu/coronavirus.
“In 1786, Emperor Joseph II commissioned Mozart and Salieri to write competing comic operas to show the dominance of German Singspiel or Italian opera buffa,” said Dr. Patrick Jacobs, director of opera and professor of music at the University of Mobile.
“Mozart wrote a Singspiel: ‘Der Schauspieldirektor’ (The Impresario) and Salieri composed an opera buffa: ‘Prima la musica e poi le parole’ (First the music and then the words). Our performance pairs these works again and gives our audience the opportunity to decide for themselves which piece is more beautiful and hilarious,” said Jacobs, who serves as producer and stage director for the productions
During Mozart’s “The Impresario,” The Impresario, Frank, must put together a company of actors and singers while dealing with their impulses, rivalries and hypocrisy. Actors and actresses are auditioned in a series of dramatic scenes, and as performers learn of each other’s varying wages and roles under which they were hired, jealousy and anger ensues.
Salieri’s “Prima La Musica e poi le parole” contracts a composer and poet to write a new opera in four days. The composer has already created the score, but the poet is crippled with writer’s block and, in desperation, attempts to adapt the lyrics he has already written to the existing music.
Both productions feature University of Mobile students, faculty and staff. Guest artist Curtis Tucker, artistic director of First Coast Opera, will serve as conductor and music director.
For more information on the MainStage Opera or other Alabama School of the Arts 2020-2021 Performing Arts Series events, please visit umobile.edu/pas.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For more information about the University of Mobile, visit the website at www.umobile.edu or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
Zac Douglas is the marketing communications specialist for the University of Mobile. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in integrated marketing and communications. As marketing communications specialist, Zac is responsible for writing and strategizing content about the university, assisting with media relations, and handling other marketing and communications projects. He is an active member at Cottage Hill Baptist Church and enjoys spending his time surfing, skating and climbing.