{"id":507,"date":"2015-10-04T16:25:08","date_gmt":"2015-10-04T21:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.praeclara.org\/?page_id=507"},"modified":"2018-03-24T19:20:07","modified_gmt":"2018-03-25T00:20:07","slug":"carmina-burana","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.praeclara.org\/?page_id=507","title":{"rendered":"Carmina Burana"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, Apr. 29\u00a0and Wednesday, Apr. 30, 2014<\/strong>
\nMaumelle Performing Arts Center, 100 Victory Lane,\u00a0Maumelle, AR<\/p>\n

\n

\"Carmina<\/a>Music by Carl Orff<\/strong>
\n Original libretto by Bevan Keating and Bruce Rentz<\/strong>
\n Original choreography by Rebecca M. Stalcup<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carmina Burana<\/em> was the\u00a0first production on which Bevan Keating, Bruce Rentz, and Rebecca Stalcup collaborated, bringing together six vocal soloists, a company of ballet dancers, a 230-voice choir, and a live orchestra for two spectacular performances of Carl Orff’s masterwork. Nearly 1200 audience members attended each performance at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center. The success of this groundbreaking production laid the foundation\u00a0for a new performing arts organization — Praeclara — to be formed over\u00a0the summer, launching its inaugural season with\u00a0Peter Grimes<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0September 2014.<\/p>\n

The story begins with<\/p>\n

Touching on themes of love and loss, victory and despair, and suffering and ecstasy, Orff\u2019s powerful music is a perennial favorite at symphony houses and stages around the world. The opening and closing movement, Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi<\/em>, permeates popular culture as background music for numerous movies, advertisements, and video games.<\/p>\n

Keating, Rentz, and Stalcup dramatize Orff’s music through the stories of three young men and three young women poised at the beginning of life’s adventure.\u00a0 The characters in each couple are personified by both a singer and a dancer who work together to express the story through both sound and movement. The characters come from varying stations and circumstances, but all have full and exciting futures ahead of them as the performance begins.\u00a0 They soon find, however, that their lives are subject to the whims of fortune — personified in the goddess Fortuna — and that the happy endings they may have envisioned for themselves are not so easily attained.<\/p>\n

The couples embark on journeys of hope and love, only to find themselves confronted with obstacles and temptations they had not anticipated. All the characters are tested: some do not survive, and none remain unscathed.\u00a0 The production’s finale offers no respite, for even when one couple believes they have conquered Fortuna’s trials, the concluding number reminds the audience that the wheel continues to cycle.\u00a0Fortuna’s wheel comes\u00a0full circle, sending the children of the next generation into the world to seek their destiny.<\/p>\n

Cast<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Rachel<\/a>Fortuna, goddess of fortune, luck, and destiny<\/strong>
\ndanced by\u00a0Rachel Powell<\/p>\n

Celeste, a young virtuous noblewoman<\/strong>
\nsung by Elizabeth Riddick, soprano; danced by Caroline Young<\/p>\n

Richard, a wealthy and powerful feudal lord<\/strong>
\nsung by James Wafford III, baritone; danced by Anthony Bryant<\/p>\n

Odette, a hard-working servant woman of simple beauty<\/strong>
\nsung by Shea Williamson, soprano; danced by Emily Karnes<\/p>\n

Thomas, a working class man of rural origins<\/strong>
\nsung by Daniel Foltz-Morrison, tenor; danced by Trent Montgomery<\/p>\n

Monique, an alluring temptress<\/strong>
\nsung by Satia Spencer, mezzo-soprano; danced by Julia Aronson<\/p>\n

Patrick, an abbot tempted by material pleasures<\/strong>
\nsung by Luke Angelo, tenor; danced by Matthew Morley<\/p>\n

Ensemble singers<\/strong>\u00a0—\u00a0Noah Adams, JJ Albrecht, Kamisha Banks, Leah Carroll, Jonathan Casey, Kathleeen Combs, Bill Downs, Brianna East, Ethan Ezell, Kevin Ezell, Carly Fehlberg, Lawson Glover, Meredith Howard, Grace Jensen, Stephen Kahler, Thomas Kaiser, Kira Keating, Camren Kvaternik, Micheal Lowe, Carol Majors, Daniel Manasco, Malissa Mathis, Laura McClellan, Heather McPherson, Daniel Morris, Claudia Moskova-Cremeens, Thomas Nelson, Steevan Novero, Laura Pierce, Kenneth Rich, Nina Spinner, Shay Watson, and Melissa Wilcox\"Arm<\/a><\/p>\n

Ensemble\u00a0Dancers<\/strong> —\u00a0Mary Helene Brady, Caroline Caldwell, Catherine Caldwell, Laura Craig, Elizabeth Dawson, Catherine England, Lauren Estes, Victoria Fender, Julianne Fletcher, Mary Claire Fox, Anna Gaydos, Rebekah Gee, Ali Herring, Kyndall Jackson, Aly Jameson, Danny Jiminez, Blythe Keating, Brock Keating, Jane Landrum, Bella Marbaise, Alexandra Marshall, Grace Pitts, Addison Pledger, Grace Rew, Marilyn Ronnel, Mersey Fulper Smith, Jaclyn Speights, Avaleigh Stalcup, Farah Stalcup, Holland Stalcup, Georgia Thomas, Louisa Utley, and Elizabeth Hartzell Wood.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Featured Choirs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"The<\/a>University of Arkansas at Little Rock Community Chorus<\/strong>
\ndirected by Bevan Keating; assistant director Vicki Lind<\/p>\n

Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock Adult Choir<\/strong>
\ndirected by Bevan Keating<\/p>\n

Central High School Choir<\/strong>
\ndirected by Scott Whitfield<\/p>\n

Parkview High School Choir<\/strong>
\ndirected by Carolyn Foreman<\/p>\n

Mount St. Mary Academy Concert Belles
\n<\/strong>directed by Jennifer Boccarossa and LaSheena Gordon<\/p>\n

Maumelle High School Choir<\/strong>
\ndirected by Adam Stanley<\/p>\n

J.A. Fair\u00a0High School Choir<\/strong>
\ndirected by\u00a0Edmond Hampton<\/p>\n

\n

Photo credits:<\/strong>\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em> poster photos of James Wafford III and Emily Karnes by Michael Baxley, poster design by Kathy Oliverio and Karen Kuralt; Carmina Burana<\/em> performance photography by Kelly Hicks .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, Apr. 29\u00a0and Wednesday, Apr. 30, 2014 Maumelle Performing Arts Center, 100 Victory Lane,\u00a0Maumelle, AR Music by Carl Orff Original libretto by Bevan Keating and Bruce Rentz Original choreography by Rebecca M. Stalcup Carmina Burana was the\u00a0first production on which Bevan Keating, Bruce Rentz, and Rebecca Stalcup collaborated, bringing together\u2026<\/p>\n

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