ROWAN COMPANY OFFERS DRAMATIC EVENING OF OPERATIC MASTERPIECES

(GLASSBORO, NJ) -- Combining a variety of works into one dramatic musical evening, the Rowan Opera Company presents Operatic Masterpieces on November 19 and 20, 2010 at 8 pm in Pfleeger Concert Hall on the Glassboro campus.

Under the direction of acclaimed artists Marian Stieber and Jon Garrison, the company offers a diverse night of scenes from a mix of classic operas with piano accompaniment. The program features the "Flower Duet" from Delibes' Lakme, selections from Strauss' Die Fledermaus, "Regina coeli" from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, "Fredda ed immobile" from Rossini's The Barber of Seville, the final scene from Verdi's La Traviata, a duet from Bellini's Norma and more.

Stieber is professor of Voice and head of the Vocal Division at Rowan in addition to leading the Opera Company. She has earned critical acclaim as both an opera singer and concert artist, performing roles such as Mimi in La Boheme, Violetta in La Traviata, Marguerite in Faust, The Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro and the title role in The Merry Widow. Stieber has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Singers, Basically Bach Festival, Germantown Oratorio Society, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra and Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and has frequently appeared with The Philadelphia Singers at The Kimmel Center and at Carnegie Hall in New York. At Rowan, she has directed previous Opera Company productions of Carmen, The Magic Flute, Dido and Aeneas, The Pirates of Penzance and more. She has served as vocal director for numerous musical theater productions at The Ritz Theatre.

Garrison has enjoyed a long international career singing with conductors, opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout the world. His operatic debut was as Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi with New York's Metropolitan Opera and he has subsequently sung 21 roles in more than 200 performances with The Met. He also has sung with more than 50 different opera companies across the United States and around the world. A renowned interpreter of 20th and 21st century music, he performed the leading tenor role in world premieres of The Gardens of Adonis by Hugo Weisgall; Holy Blood, Crescent Moon by Stuart Copeland; and Rasputin by Jay Riese; the American premiere of Mary, Queen of Scots by Thea Musgrave; and the premiere of The Song of Majnun by Bright Sheng. As a concert soloist, he has appeared with more than 90 symphonies here and abroad. He performed the title role in Harrison Bertwhistle's The Mask of Orpheus with the BBC Symphony, the recording of which won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Recording in 1997.

Pfleeger Concert Hall is located in Wilson Hall on the campus of Rowan University, Route 322 in Glassboro, NJ. Tickets are $10, general admission; and $5 for seniors, non-Rowan students, Rowan staff & alumni. Rowan students are admitted free with valid ID. For tickets and information, visit www.rowan.edu/fpa or call the box office at (856) 256-4545.