January 18, 2012

KENTUCKY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY OPERA BRING ‘SAMSON AND DELILAH’ TO THE STAGE

by Michael

Singing the role of the Philistine sympathizer and seductress Delilah will be renowned mezzo soprano Stacey Rishoi, of Bellevue, Ky. Internationally recognized tenor Michael Hendrick will sing the role of the Hebrew hero, Samson, whose fatal attraction leads to his demise.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 18, 2012) − From the Bible to the stage, University of Kentucky Opera Theatre and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will come together to present two performances of “Samson and Delilah,” a story of power, treachery and seduction. The Camille Saint-Saëns opera, taken from the Old Testament, will be presented for Northern Kentucky audiences on Jan 20, in Florence, and then will travel to Lexington for a performance on Jan. 22, at theSingletary Center for the Arts.

“This is a great opportunity to partner with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Cassidy for this exciting event,” says Everett McCorvey, director of UK Opera Theatre. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the opera students to partner with a professional orchestra.”

Saint-Saëns’ “Samson and Delilah” concentrates on the manipulative Delilah and the inspiring Hebrew leader Samson, who succumbs to her wiles. While taken from chapter 16 of the Book of Judges, the opera does not include accounts of Samson’s heroic deeds nor his numerous attempts to conceal the secret of his strength, his hair.

For this concert presentation of “Samson and Delilah,” KSO has teamed up again with UK Opera Theatre, under the direction of McCorvey. Singing the role of the Philistine sympathizer and seductress Delilah will be renowned mezzo sopranoStacey Rishoi, of Bellevue, Ky. Internationally recognized tenor Michael Hendrick will sing the role of the Hebrew hero, Samson, whose fatal attraction leads to his demise.

UK Opera Theatre vocalists will fill out the secondary roles for “Samson and Delilah.” The following UK students will perform with KSO: graduate student Michael Preacely, singing the role of the High Priest; music performance senior Nicholas Davis, singing the role of Abimélech; music performance senior Jason Brown, singing the role of the Philistine Messenger; music performance junior Evan Johnson, singing the role of the First Philistine; graduate student Andre Campelo, singing the role of the Second Philistine; and accounting and music senior Matt Turner, singing the role of the Old Hebrew. The KSO Chorale will vocally portray both the Hebrews and Philistines. The opera sung in its original French is in three acts, and will be accompanied by projected English translations.

KSO and UK Opera Theatre’s first concert presentation of “Samson and Delilah” will take to the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, at the Florence Baptist Church at Mt. Zion, in Florence. Tickets for this performance range from $23 to $28 with discounts available to seniors ($18) and students ($10). Information and ticket performances for this production can be made through KSO by calling (859) 431-6216 or visiting online here.

The Lexington performance of “Samson and Delilah” will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Singletary Center for the Arts. Tickets for this performance are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors and UK faculty/staff, $15 for students and $10 for children (plus processing fees). To purchase tickets to the Singletary Center performance, contact the Singletary Center ticket office at(859) 257-4929, visit online at www.singletarytickets.com, or purchase in person at the venue.

The critically acclaimed UK Opera Theatre program is part of the voice program at the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts.

Formed in 1992, KSO’s mission is to make classical music attractive, accessible and affordable to people in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area. James R. Cassidy serves as musical director of KSO.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-8716 or [email protected]