Virginia Opera's "Student Night at the Opera" returns for its second season with steeply reduced ticket prices for students to all performances of the company's 2007-2008 season operas here at the Landmark Theater, all with strong ties to the Virginia Standards of Learning.
Last season, nearly 4,000 students attended "Student Night" on the Wednesdays before opening nights of just two operas. This season, Virginia Opera quadruples its offering with highly discounted subscriptions and tickets for students in the upper balcony during all eight mainstage performances, which take place Fridays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.:
* Tales of Hoffmann (Oct. 19 and 21, 2007)
Critics are calling this one of Virginia Opera's best productions in recent years, with the debut of French soprano Manon Strauss Evrard as all leading ladies.
* Pirates of Penzance (Nov. 23 and 25, 2007)
Sung in English, this production features the Virginia Opera debut of Richmond's William Ferguson, who was inspired to his operatic career at age 15 by the company's production of "Il Trovatore."
* Eugene Onegin (Feb. 29 and March 2, 2008)
Virginia Opera premieres its first Russian opera, by Tchaikovsky.
* Lucia di Lammermoor (April 11 and 13, 2008)
Manon Strauss Evrard returns as the famous bride who descends into madness on her wedding day.
The price of admittance is just $8 for one performance, or $25 for the entire season - less than the cost of an average movie ticket. Regularly priced opera tickets in Richmond range from $20 to $85.
The program is targeted primarily toward middle and high school students, with the goal of allowing them an unparalleled opportunity to experience the power of a live professional opera performance and the excitement of a sophisticated event that will help them develop an appreciation for the cultural arts, and a desire to keep coming back as they grow older. -- www.vaopera.org
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