As performance halls around the world open their doors again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rice University's Shepherd School of Music will officially open the new Brockman Hall for Opera with a series of public events scheduled for next month.
"We really want the people of Houston to come out and experience this amazing new facility for themselves," said Shepherd School Dean Matthew Loden.
The entire Houston community will be invited April 9 for a behind-the-scenes look at the venue and what it takes to stage an opera performance. Visitors will not only enjoy live performances, but also watch demonstrations, tour dressing rooms and rehearsal spaces, gain fascinating insights on how the new venue's acoustics were created, and even dress up as opera singers and pose for photos on the stage of the hall's Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theater.
Mozart's "Don Giovanni" will be the first opera performed for the public in the new building at 7:30 p.m. April 14 and 16. The comedic opera, considered one of the legendary composer's greatest achievements, tells the tale of an incurable young playboy who charts the course of his own demise in a single day.
"We have a remarkable cast of Shepherd School students bringing Mozart's opera to life, and from the orchestra students in the pit to the technical crews managing the rigging, we can't wait to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Houston community," Loden said.
