UO Opera Ensemble places in national competition

Although 2013 is only about a week old, it has already unveiled accolades for students and staff at the University of Oregon. Following the championship at Fiesta Bowl on January 3, 2013, the UO Opera Ensemble also brought home 2nd place in the National Opera Association’s annual Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition, Division II for performers age 23 and older.

UO students (left to right) Alyse Jamieson, Rebecca Sacks, Caitlin Hennessy, and Alishia Piper placed 2nd with a scene from “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” at the National Opera Association’s Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition on Jan. 3, 2013.

“I am so proud of our singers for achieving this strong second place,” said Dr. Karen Esquivel, director of the UO Opera Ensemble. “There was a lot of stiff competition from other schools,” Esquivel continued, “and the fact that this honor was awarded in our own backyard of Portland secured some national attention for our UO singers and programs.”

UO student performers who participated in the competition included Caitlin Hennessy, Alyse Jamieson, Alishia Piper, and Rebecca Sacks. The ensemble won with the final duet from Act I of Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto.”

This year’s competition took place at the Hilton Portland and Executive Towers in Portland, Ore. It not only gave students a learning opportunity in a competitive environment but also demonstrated once again the prominence of the UO School of Music and Dance as the state’s flagship higher education institution of music and dance.

Now that the ensemble has returned from Portland, Esquivel and other members are preparing for “Una Noche Encantada: An Evening of Spanish Opera,” a concert of two family-friendly one-act musical stage works in Spanish. The performance will be on April 20 and 21, 2013 in the Hult Center’s Soreng Theater. Tickets are available at the Hult Center box office, 541-682-5000.

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