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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (3/04)
Contact: Hurley School of Music, 318-869-5235, or Lynn Stewart, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120

Hurley School of Music’s Opera Centenary Announces Upcoming Concerts March 26 and 28

SHREVEPORT, LA — The Hurley School of Music's Opera Centenary will present two short productions — the finale to The Secret Marriage and Trial by Jury — on Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 28, at 2 p.m.

The finale to Cimarosa’s The Secret Marriage, in a new English translation by Gale Odom, is a comedy of manners set in the 18th century. The plot revolves around the efforts of nouveau-riche father Geronimo to marry off his eldest daughter, Elizetta, to nobleman Count Robinson. Sterling Allen will sing the role of Geromino, his sister Fidalma is Mary Greenwood, Elizetta is Sarah Kate Ross, and Elizetta’s younger sister Carolina is Lauren Thrift.

Paolino, the secret husband of the title, is Nolan Budgewater, and nobleman Count Robinson is Billie Harland. In this finale to the opera, Elizetta wakes the household in the middle of the night to expose Count Robinson’s treachery, only to discover that she, along with everyone else, has been hoodwinked in an unexpected way.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury is a satire of the Victorian-era British court system. Defendant Edwin has been sued by his fiancé Angelina for damages in a breach-of-promise suit. Arriving with his new girlfriend, Edwin is widely condemned by both the unconventional jury and the waiting public. In response, Edwin offers to marry both his fiancé and his girlfriend, but the judge has a different solution to Edwin’s dilemma. The judge is sung by Michael Petty, the usher by Cory Olson, Edwin by Codey Whitt, Angelina by Nancy Carey, Counsel for the Plaintiff by DeAndre Johnson, the jury foreman by Billie Harland, and Edwin’s new girlfriend by Amy Williams.

The performances will be in the Anderson Auditorium of the Hurley School of Music at Centenary College. Admission is free and open to the public. Opera Centenary is directed by Gale Odom. Cathy DeRousse is the accompanist.

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