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.

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less