Portland State Magazine Winter 2009

Taking on Verdi UN IVE RS ITI ES RARE LY perform Verdi operas with their demanding voice and instrumental scores. But PSU is doing just that with a student orchestra and an almost all-student cast. GiuseppeVerdi'sFalrtajfplaysApril 13, 15, 17, and 19 under renowned stage clirector Tito Capobianco. Local profes– sional Richard Zeller plays Falstaff. With Lincoln Hall under construction, the performances will be at St. Mary's Academy, 1615 SW Fifth Ave., at 7:30 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. The opera will be sung in Italian with English surtitles. ABOUT THIS PAGE Tito Capobianco, an internationally renowned stage director, returns to PSU to direct Falstaff this spring.The opera includes a full student orchestra. The lyric comedy opera is based on Shakespeare's larger– than-life character, Falstaff, as he comically attempts to woo two wealthy married women using identical love letters. Capobianco returns to PSU for his fourth year as a Jeannine B. Cowles Distinguished Professor. Under his direction, PSU's spring 2007 production of Cosi fan tutte won the second place award in category I in the National Opera Association's opera production competition, a major step up for the University, which previously competed in category II. We want to hear about your books and recordings and your future exhibits, performances, and directing ventures. Contact the magazine by e-mailing psumag@pdx.edu, sending a fax to 503-725-4465, or mailing Portland State Magazine, Office of University Communications, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751. 6 PO RTLAND STATE M AGAZINE W INTER 2009