CCPA readies for spring performances

Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts has many new performances scheduled for the spring semester.

CCPA Dean Henry Fogel highlighted three major productions each for the Music Conservatory and the Theatre Conservatory.

The CCPA Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will perform Feb. 2 at the Harris Theatre for Music and Dance at Millennium Park. Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D Major" will be performed by student competition winner David Lakirovich, and Beveridge's "Yizkor Requiem," will be performed by the ensemble. The ensemble will be conducted by Leslie Dunner.

"Live performance is the best way to experience music because it is all about communication with the audience," Music Conservatory Director Linda Berna said. "Students who attend our concerts will be able to hear and feel the joy and excitement that their fellow students have in the music they are performing and to see their hard work and professionalism."

"The ‘Yizkor Requiem' is of particular relevance, because in these difficult times, its combination of the Jewish and Catholic liturgies into one piece of music speaks to the ability of art to bring together different religious traditions into one very moving, unified whole," Fogel said.

CCPA student performers and the CCPA Symphony Orchestra will perform March 2 and 3 at the Benito Juarez Community Academy and March 5 and 6 at Senn High School. Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" will be performed, and the opera will be conducted by Michael Morgan. These performances will include supertitles in English and Spanish.

The CCPA Symphony Orchestra will perform April 16 at the Benito Juarez Community Academy and April 17 at Orchestra Hall in Symphony Center. Ravel's "Sheherazade" will be performed by student competition winner Megan Williams, orchestral music by Berlioz and Ravel will be performed by the Orchestra, along with Revueltas's "La Noche de Los Mayas." Guest conductor Alondra de la Parra will conduct.

"All Music Conservatory concerts and recitals are free of charge," Berna said. "We welcome audience members from our community and hope you will be able to attend."

The romantic comedy, "The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild: A Road Trip" by Greg Owens will be performed February 17-19 at the O'Malley Theatre and documents the adventures of Tulsa Lovechild and the characters she meets as she travels across the country to deposit her mother's ashes at the site where Tulsa was born.

"Each student spends at least six weeks in rehearsals, five nights a week from 6:30-10 p.m., and the shows only get to run for a weekend," Theatre Conservatory Director Sean Kelley said. "It's about the training here for us, and for the students, it is a chance to showcase their talent. I am very proud of each production we put on here, the hours of work put in by faculty, staff and each student, and for an audience, the joy of seeing live theatre is like nothing else."

The play, "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams will be performed March 9-11 at the O'Malley Theatre and focuses on Blanche DuBois, who visits her sister in New Orleans, attempting to find solace in a new romance but instead finding conflict with her sister's husband Stanley.

"I think all productions have amazing casts and have great entertainment value for your dollar," Kelley said.

"You aren't going to see this quality of work for this price anywhere in the city. As the undergraduate enrollment grows at Roosevelt, it is wonderful to see the support students are giving for each other's work. If you haven't seen a show here, now is the time."

The musical, "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" by Frank Loesser will be performed April 19-22 at the O'Malley Theatre and is a parody of 1950s corporate America, following J. Pierrepont Finch and his attempts to become more successful in his company.

Both Conservatories will perform in CCPA's annual gala, "Vivid," April 10 at the Auditorium Theatre. The gala will feature top theatre and music theatre student performers and four jazz combos.

"One of the things I look forward to most every spring is ‘Vivid,' because we get an opportunity to perform in the Auditorium Theatre, one of the glories of Chicago and a stunningly beautiful space, and because it is one of the few things we do that combine the talents of both the Music and Theatre Conservatories in one performance," Fogel said.

The full CCPA performance calendar can be found at ccpa.roosevelt.edu/ccpa-calendar.php.

"I think that CCPA is a jewel for Roosevelt University," Fogel said. "It's one way the University can demonstrate to all the high quality of education that is attained here.  I hope that many readers of the Torch will take advantage of the opportunity to experience the extraordinary level of performances from our students."