Shepherd School Opera and Chamber Orchestra to present Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’

The Shepherd School of Music’s Opera Department and Chamber Orchestra will present its fall opera, Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” Nov. 1, 3 and 5.

The four-act comic opera is one of Mozart’s best-known and most beloved works. The production will be directed by Richard Bado, director of Rice’s Opera Studies Program, and staged by guest director Vera Calábria.

“We are delighted to be producing the ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ at the Shepherd School,” Bado said. “I have found that all of our students – singers and instrumentalists alike – grow more from working on a Mozart opera than any other composer. The work is timeless in its lessons on life and humanity.”

Calábria added that Mozart achieved what few other composers could; he attracted public attention and critical acclaim while instilling his music with “human depth.”

“No one’s music has ventured deeper and more profoundly into the human soul and its complexities,” Calábria said.

Performances will take place in Wortham Opera Theatre at the Shepherd School as part of the Leon Wilson Clarke Opera Series. Performances Nov. 1 and 5 will begin at 7:30 p.m. The Nov. 3 performance will begin at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and senior citizens. For tickets, call the Shepherd School Concert Office at 713-348-8000.