Pirates land at the Ogle Center
Rick Rebilas performing as The Pirate King in IU Southeast’s production of The Pirates of Penzance.
April 15, 2015
The stage at the Ogle Center became homeport for a rousing performance of the 1879 comedic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance. Choral directors, professors students and community members left their ordinary lives behind this past Sunday, April 12, and journeyed to the make-believe seaport and opera’s namesake, Penzance.
The abridged opera, formally titled The Pirates of Penzance or The Slave of Duty, opened strongly, each scene framed and shaped by the richly talented IU Southeast Orchestra – conducted by Joanna Goldstein. Chorus vocals were performed by the IU Southeast Chorus – accompanied by Lea Wiseheart, and the IU Southeast Concert Choir – accompanied by Janet Hamilton.
The solo vocal performances included the strong bass styling of the Pirate King, played by Rick Rebilas, an IU Southeast adjunct professor of voice. As Mabel, Amanda Boyd, adjunct instructor of voice, showed us her powerful soprano chops.
Aaron Lundy, a visiting lecturer of voice and choral activities here at IU Southeast, mesmerized the audience with his energetic rendition of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.”
Also with strong performances were community members Sam Soto, as Frederic, the pirate longing to be free, Maggie Schwenker as his servant, the long suffering Ruth, and Alex Redden as the Sergeant of Police.
Curtis Merrill, an audio engineering senior, performed solo as one of the pirates and enjoyed being part of this production. “Participating in the choir is mandatory for audio engineering students and we do about three performances a year,” said Merrill.
(Story continues below.)
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IU Southeast’s Choral and Community Choir performing in IU Southeast’s production of “The Pirates of Penzance”
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Aaron Lundy, Visiting Lecturer of Voice and Choral Activities, in his role as the Modern Major General in IU Southeast’s production of The Pirates of Penzance.
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Curtis Merrill, senior Audio Engineering major (right) and Rick Rebilas, Adjunct Professor of Voice performing in IU Southeast’s production of The Pirates of Penzance.
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Joanna Goldstein, Conductor of the IU Southeast Orchestra, along with Sam Soto as Frederic and Maggie Schwenker as Ruth in the production of The Pirates of Penzance..
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Supporting vocals were provided by 47 combined members of IU Southeast Concert Choir and the IU Southeast Community Chorus. The IU Southeast Concert Choir is comprised of mostly IU Southeast music majors and students with singing backgrounds.
The IU Southeast Community Chorus is mostly comprised of community members, but is open to IU Southeast students, faculty and staff. Both organizations perform four to five concerts annually here on campus.
