Music

UH Opera starts season at local bar

Given the age-old myth that high-pitched opera voices can shatter glass, a bar seemed an odd location for an opera show.

However, no wine glasses were broken Saturday evening when opera ensembles of up to three people performed at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, a Houston legacy and a well-known pub and live music venue in the Upper Kirby neighborhood.

The UH Moores Opera Center held its “What’s Opera, Duck?” night at the dim-lit bar, showcasing a number of the program’s senior and master’s students, who had to be 21 to perform at the bar. The evening of music benefited the Moores Opera Center, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its opening in 1986.

“What’s Opera, Duck?” contained a variety of musical performances — from traditional opera pieces to musical theater, including a number from the long running musical adaptation of the novel “Les Misérables,” — accompanied only by a piano.

The center’s founder and director Buck Ross introduced each ensemble group, some of which were comprised of current or ex-Mucky Duck employees. Ross also spoke about this year’s shows at the Moores Opera Center.

The first official show of the 2010-2011 season, “La Vie Parisienne” by Jacques Offenbach, will run from Oct. 22-25. The Moores Opera Center will also revamp and modernize Mozart’s well-known opera “The Magic Flute,” which will be performed from Jan. 27-31, 2011.

Perhaps the season’s most anticipated moment will come in April 2011 when the Moores Opera Center will present the first Texas production of Daniel Cátán’s “Il Postino.”

“Our season proves that opera does not have to be stuffy. We promise that you will laugh, you will cry and you will hear memorable music in Houston’s best theater,” Ross said in a press release. “It is an enormous honor for the University of Houston to be asked to do the second production of ‘Il Postino.’”

All performances are held in the UH Moores Opera House. Tickets are $15 for general admission, but are $10 for students and senior citizens. A season pass is also available for $45. For more information on the UH Moores Opera Center, call 713-743-3009 or visit www.music.uh.edu/opera/boxoffice.

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