On Monday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Winthrop Opera Theatre is presenting “A Night of Musical Theatre,” a music concert showcasing several of Winthrop’s talented vocalists, in Barnes Recital Hall, located in the Conservatory of Music.
This event is directed by associate professor of music Jeffrey McEvoy. Admission is free and will count as a cultural event credit for students who are interested.
Colleen Guseman, a senior vocal performance major, is one of the 10 students performing at the upcoming event.
“We’re doing a musical theatre, kind of a cabaret–style event,” Guseman said. “We’ll all be singing different songs from musical theatre shows, and the official opera of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ will be held in February.”
Guseman will be performing two songs for the opera concert.
“I’m going to be singing ‘When I Look at You’ from the musical ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel,’” Guseman said. “And I’m going to be singing ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ from the musical ‘Funny Girl.’”
Each student was able to have some say in the songs that they wanted to sing for this event.
“The first one from ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel,’ it was just assigned to me from my voice teacher,” Guseman said. “It seemed best for me because of my vocal repertoire, because of where it sits in my voice. It’ll challenge me. And I chose the second song because I just love Barbra Streisand, and I just idolize her and everything she does.”
Another senior and performer, Lauren Pace, is also ready for the showcase.
“I’m doing ‘Vanilla Ice Cream,’ from ‘She Loves Me’ and ‘And This is My Beloved’ from ‘Kismet,’” Pace said. “I was a big musical theatre fan before I got to Winthrop, then I got here and realized I really enjoyed opera music, and the pieces I’m singing are more legit rather than me screaming the whole time; it feels a lot more fun.”
Senior and musical performer, Sarah Ochoa, is singing two songs for the event as well.
“I’m singing ‘Waitin’ for My Dearie’ from ‘Brigadoon,’ and I’m also singing ‘I Could Have Danced All Night,’ from ‘My Fair Lady,’” Ochoa said. “ I chose my pieces because they were required for my class, so I was assigned these pieces, but I also really like how they fit in my voice because I’m so used to singing classical pieces, but they’re not super belty.”
“Being a music major or in the arts, in general, comes with hardships,” Ochoa said. “It is something that we all really love, and we want to do, but it can get rough, it can be a huge burnout…but at the end of the day, you’ll realize that it’s something you’ll always love, and it’s worth it, it’ll give you a lot of opportunities.”
According to these performers, it’s all about balance when it comes to the performing arts.
“As a music major, the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you have to separate work from your social life,” Pace said. “If you’re a singer, sing the song you want to sing when you’re not in school or in class. Having the separation and understanding that it’s merging the two but also having some distance.”
Winthrop has a big performing arts program that has allowed students to find their place on campus.
“I definitely like being a part of the music program here specifically because it’s given me the opportunity to make friends who have similar interests and I see on the daily,” Guseman said. “I’ve been able to form deeper bonds with people since we have this shared experience. And it’s great to see each other on this journey as well.”
“A Night Of Musical Theatre” will be performed on Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
