Rice Shepherd School to present spring opera, ‘La finta giardiniera,’ March 5, 7 and 9

The Shepherd School of Music’s Opera Department and Chamber Orchestra will present Mozart’s “La finta giardiniera” (“The Disguised Gardener”) at 7:30 p.m. March 5, 7 and 9 at Wortham Opera Theatre in Alice Pratt Brown Hall.

Composed when Mozart was only 18 years old, this comic opera revels in the romantic escapades of several couples looking for love.

Set at the home of the mayor of a small town in Italy, the opera features three couples who are driven to madness by love. Marchioness Onesti, the titular “pretend” gardener whose alias is Sandrina, is searching for Count Belfiore, who stabbed her in a moment of jealous rage. The count is engaged to the mayor’s niece, Arminda, who is beloved by cavalier Ramiro. The servant Serpetta wants to marry the mayor, but Sandrina’s servant Nardo is in love with Serpetta. Through a series of mix-ups and mishaps, the exuberance and torture of love is explored, and in the end, of course, three couples are triumphantly united in marriage.

The production will be conducted by David Effron, guest music director, and staged by Shepherd School faculty member Debra Dickinson. The opera will be presented in Italian with English surtitles.

Tickets are $12 for the general public and $10 for students and senior citizens. For tickets, call the Shepherd School Concert Office at 713-348-8000. For more information on the performances, visit https://music.rice.edu/Shepherd-school-spring-opera-2018.

The parking lot across from Alice Pratt Brown Hall is closed for the construction of a new music building. West Lot 2 is now the parking lot for all Alice Pratt Brown Hall/Shepherd School of Music events. Access this lot by entering campus from Entrance 18 off Rice Boulevard and turn right at the parking gates to West Lot 2. For visitors with disabilities, accessible parking is available at the south end of the lot. This is the closest lot to a temporary sidewalk that services the west entrance to Alice Pratt Brown Hall’s Grand Foyer.