ROWAN'S GOT OPERA!

(GLASSBORO, NJ) -– Showcasing the vocal talents of its students from around the region, the Rowan Opera Company presents a diverse evening of pieces from classic and more contemporary works in Rowan's Got Opera on November 18 and 19, 2011 at 8 pm in Pfleeger Concert Hall on the Glassboro campus.

Under the direction of Marian Stieber and Jon Garrison, the Company performs scenes and selections from a variety of works, including Candide by Bernstein, Der Rosenkavelier by Strauss, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute by Mozart, H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert & Sullivan, Madama Butterfly and Tosca by Puccini, The Old Maid and the Thief by Menotti, Rigoletto by Verdi and Susannah by Floyd.

The performers include Rajeer Alford from Cherry Hill, Andrea Berges from Egg Harbor Township, Matthew Bratsch from Matawan, Sean Clancy from Bellmawr, Rebecca Clement from Mullica Hill, Jessica Rose Cohn from Philadelphia, Paula DiGianivittorio from Philadelphia, Brian Graziani from Winslow, Brittany Griffith from Egg Harbor Township, Janay' Hair from Millville, Kathleen Hickey from Point Pleasant, Stephanie Krizek from Keyport, Navise Lockett from Cherry Hill, Michael McEntee from Budd Lake, Cassandra Moore from Woodstown, Paul Proulx from Audubon, Alicen Ragonese from Elk Township, Jelisa Ransom from Vineland, Corrie-Rose Recchia from Ocean Township, Kaitlyn Shaginaw from Atco, Marissa Truglio from Matawan, D. Travis Washington from Pine Hill and Michael A. Wolf from Marlton.

Stieber is professor of Voice and head of the Vocal Division at Rowan in addition to leading the Opera Company. She has earned 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 with the Philadelphia Singers, Basically Bach Festival, Germantown Oratorio Society, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra and Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and has appeared at The Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall. At Rowan, she has directed 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 throughout the world. His operatic debut was as Rinuccio in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi with New York's Metropolitan Opera and he has sung more than 20 roles with The Met. He has appeared with more than 50 opera companies and 90 symphonies. A renowned interpreter of 20th and 21st century music, he played 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. The recording of Bertwhistle's The Mask of Orpheus, with Garrison in the title role, 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 and Rowan alumni. Tickets for Rowan students and staff are free with valid ID. For tickets and information, visit www.rowan.edu/fpa or call the box office at (856) 256-4545.