Tuesday, April 26
1 p.m.
Community Room
An Afternoon at the Opera with Dr. James Kolb
Trouser Roles (Breeches Parts) in Opera
Numerous Italian, French and German operas include male roles to be sung by women (usually contraltos or mezzo-sopranos). Some of the best known include Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Siébel in Gounod’s Faust, and Octavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. The phenomenon of cross-gender role-playing will be examined with multiple examples. Dr. Kolb is a Professor of Drama and Dance at Hofstra University