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Examining Israel

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A preview of Michigan Opera Theatre's spring season
will be performed in a concert at Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

A

Special to The Jewish News

uthentic opera is conn-
ing to Congregation
Shaarey Zedek.
Four singers from
Palermo, Italy, accompanied by a
pianist, will be introduced
Thursday, April 22, by David
DiChiera, founder and general
director of the Michigan Opera
Theatre, in a program that is free
and open to the community.
Selections from the MOT
spring season — Madame
Butteifly, Eugene Onegin and

Samson and Delilah — will be
sung along with favorite arias of
the performers, who will be in
town representing Teatro Massimo
as part of an exchange program.
This is pretty much a concert, so
nothing is going to be staged,"
explains DiChiera, who participates
in many opera outreach events
throughout Detroit and the suburbs.
The program is for adults interested
in knowing more about opera and
listening to some of the beautiful
music in the operatic repertoire."
Young adults in the audience are
among the fans making opera one
of the fastest growing art forms,

particularly with the 18-24 age
group, according to DiChiera.
MOT is finding that the large
musical forces in opera — a big
chorus, huge orchestra, dancers and
changing scenery — correspond to
that age group's interests in multi-
sensory impressions, derived from
their enjoyment of rock concerts,
light shows and loud music.
"These three operas are about
the complexities of human emo-
tions," the MOT director says.
"They'fe not typical operas because
people are not killing one another."
Puccini's Madame Butterfly,
performed in Italian and MOT's

opening production, runs April
17-May 2.
"Madame Butterfly is probably
one of the most popular operas
being performed today," DiChiera
says. "It's a heartbreaking story tak-
ing place during the 19th century
in Japan and is basically the story of
Miss Saigon," which was updated to
the Vietnam era for Broadway, [In
Madame Butterfly], a young girl is
bought in marriage by an American
sailor who is looking for a toy for
himself while he's traveling. The
Japanese girl is very much in love
and has a child. When he comes
OPERA on page 88

4/16
1999

Detroit Jewish News

77

