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Opera Scenic Design

IU Opera Theater presents Puccini's 'La Rondine'

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A young Parisian is lavishly maintained as a mistress of a rich older banker. Modern, yet vulnerable, she harbors fantasies of romantic love and falls for the son of a respectable family from southern France. Will love triumph over financial power? Set in 19th-century France, Giacomo Puccini's opera La Rondine opens the way to a powerful exploration of one of high society's stories. Written with Italian playwright Giuseppe Adami and premiered in 1917, Indiana University Opera Theater's forthcoming new production opens on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m., with additional performances on Feb. 27 and March 5, 6 at the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington.

IU Opera Theater presents 'wild' new production of Mozart's 'Die Zauberflote'

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An expansive new production of W. A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, a co-production of Indiana University Opera Theater and The Atlanta Opera, will be premiered Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. at the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington. Additional performances in Bloomington are Nov. 14, 20 and 21. This completely new production, guest stage directed by Tomer Zvulun and guest conducted by Mark Gibson, with sets and costumes designed by Jacobs School of Music Professor C. David Higgins, is "not your average Magic Flute," said Higgins.

Illustrious set designer Robert O’Hearn retires from IU following "A Wedding"

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When the curtain rises on this weekend's performance of A Wedding, the third of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom's operas to have its collegiate premiere at Indiana University, it will reveal the final creations of illustrious set designer Robert O'Hearn, who retires following the opera's run, at the age of 86.

Spectacular new set design makes IU Opera Theater's "La Bohème" a feast for the senses

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Audiences will experience Giacomo Puccini's classic La Bohème like never before when they attend the Indiana University Opera Theater's all new production, which opens Nov. 9 in the Musical Arts Center on the IU Bloomington campus. A cutting-edge set by IU Jacobs School of Music master designer C. David Higgins recreates the streets of 19th-century Paris on three towering, intricately detailed, rotating stages, offering audiences an awe-inspiring visual experience equaled only by the beauty of the opera itself.

Setting the stage: The enduring legacy of Max Röthlisberger

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When IU Opera Theater kicks off its 2007-2008 on Sept. 21, with Giuseppe Verdi's ever-popular Rigoletto, few opera-goers sitting in the Musical Arts Center may realize that the opera's lavish set was built 33 years ago and is part of the oeuvre of legendary set designer Max Röthlisberger. Swiss-born Röthlisberger had acted, directed and designed sets in Europe's leading opera houses for more than 40 years and was in his 60s when he was recruited to IU by former School of Music Dean Wilfred Bain in 1973. Rigoletto's set was first used in 1974 and is being used for the last time for this season's production, which runs at 8 p.m. Sept. 21, 22, 28 and 29 in the MAC. Pre-show "Opera Insights" begins at 7 p.m. in the MAC Mezzanine before each performance.

Yugoslavian costume designer to visit IU

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Milanka Berberovic, an internationally-known costume designer, will be in Bloomington for the next two weeks for workshops with IU theatre and opera design students.