LOCOS Turns to Mozart This Year

After a dozen years of its delightful and enthusiastically received presentations of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas, The Light Opera Company of Salisbury is expanding its horizons and bringing a new production of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro†to Walker Auditorium at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Sept. 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m. The cast is made up of young professionals who have sung at such places as New York City Opera, Connecticut Opera, and Grandview Opera, joining a group of stalwart local singer/actors who have been rehearsing all summer under the guidance of LOCOS’s new artistic director, Ray Calderon.

   Reached by phone, Calderon said that he hopes that this will be the beginning of a new era for the group, founded by singer/director Georgia McEver. There had been plans, never realized, of venturing outside the G & S canon in the past to do “The Merry Widow†or “Die Fledermaus,†he said, and if all goes well, there is talk of a winter production in addition to the traditional Labor Day weekend series. The Baroque opera repertoire and collaborations with Crescendo are also under discussion.

   Trained at the Manhattan School of Music and the Hartt School, Calderon brings a multifaceted background — singer, conductor and stage director —  to LOCOS, with whom he has worked onstage for many seasons. Moving down into the pit for “Figaro†is a joy, he says, and the sound of the ensemble is “fantastic! I’m extremely proud of the LOCOS cast. They’re wonderful to work with, and there has been a spirit of collaboration among the soloists, who have staged many of their arias themselves, based on their collective experience. The show is full of humor from the opening moments. And the set is amazing— we’re doing animations and projections with a minimal set, and traditional 17th-century costumes.†  

      Now, with the recent demise of the Berkshire Opera and other arts organizations around the country gasping for funds, Calderon hopes that the audience will turn out in large numbers to support local talent and keep opera alive in the Northwest Corner.

   The opera, performed in English with piano accompaniment, contains some of Mozart’s most entertaining music. Recitatives and a few arias have been cut to keep the running time under three hours, including intermissions. Tickets are $20 and are available online at locosct.org, by phone at 860-364-7486 or at the Salisbury Pharmacy, Oblong Books, Sharon Pharmacy and Petpourri.

   The Hotchkiss School will open its own concert season on Sept. 26 with renowned jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader John Pizzarelli, together with his wife Jessica Molaskey and a trio. Tickets are $30 at the door or at 860-435-4443. Seating is limited.

   At Infinity Hall in Norfolk, you can hear another great guitarist, the eclectic Bill Frisell, on Sept. 10, with Eyvind Kang and Rudy Royston. Frisell is a master at combining the different strands of folk, blues and jazz into his own unique blend that has won him acclaim from critics at Downbeat and the New York Times. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets: $25-40. September 9 it’s BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet. Tickets: $30-45 at infinityhall.com. More information at 866-666-6306.