College to present "Down in the Valley" folk opera

Kurt Weill 1900-1950

The Playmakers of Lenoir-Rhyne College, the Lenoir-Rhyne College School of Fine Arts, and the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music will present “An Evening of Kurt Weill Music” with the American Folk Opera “Down in the Valley.”  Featuring a 20-piece orchestra, conducted by John Gordon Ross of the Western Piedmont Symphony, ¨Down in the Valley¨ was initially composed and conceived for the radio.  It is an American Folk Opera, using famous American tunes to carry the story (Down in the Valley, The Lonesome Dove, Hop Up, My Ladies) and connected by original choral music. John Gordon Ross brings this collection of songs to life and pays tribute to the music of a Broadway pioneer. 

Kurt Weill, a contemporary of George Gershwin, was born in Germany in 1900 and moved to the United States in 1935.  His most important works are: the “Violin Concerto” (1925), “The Threepenny Opera” (Bertolt Brecht, 1928), “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany” (Brecht, 1930), “The Pledge” (Caspar Neher, 1932), “The Seven Deadly Sins” (Brecht, 1933), “Lady in the Dark” (Moss Hart and Ira Gershwin, 1941), “Street Scene” (Elmer Rice and Langston Hughes, 1947), and “Lost in the Stars” (Maxwell Anderson, 1949). Weill studied with Engelbert Humperdinck in Germany and collaborated with Ogden Nash and Ira Gershwin while in New York. His music has been performed by Bob Dylan, Bobby Darin, Jimmy Buffet, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra.  It was for “The Threepenny Opera” that his most popular piece, “Mack the Knife,” was composed. 

Performance dates for “An Evening of Kurt Weill Music” are Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 9-10 at 8 p.m., and a Sunday matinee Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, children, and students and may be purchased one hour before each performance. Special rates are given for Senior Bears, and group rates for 10 or more are available as well. This performance is funded in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music Inc., 7 East 20th Street, New York, N.Y. 10003.

For reservations, please call the Playmakers daytime Box Office at 328-(PLAY) 7529.  Daytime Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. beginning Monday, Jan. 29, and continuing till Friday, Feb. 9.  In addition, the Box Office will be open Saturday, Feb. 10, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.  All performances take place at P.E. Monroe Auditorium, located at 775 6th St. NE, on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne College.  For additional information visit the Music Program's web site: http://www.lrc.edu/mus/Pages/Concert-Series/Down_In_The_Valley.htm

© 2007 Lenoir-Rhyne College