The Blinn College Division of Visual & Performing Arts will host four live musical performances in nine days beginning with a percussion studio recital on Friday, April 10.
All performances start at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. The Dr. W.W. OโDonnell Performing Arts Center is located at 600 Blinn Blvd (map) on the Collegeโs Brenham campus.
The opening performance on April 10 is a Percussion Studio Recital that will feature solo performances from students Michael Roque (Robinson), Timothy Perez (Somerville), Brandi Hurst (La Grange) and Alexis Leija (Houston).
Music instructors Sarah Burke and Todd Quinlan will perform, including a collaboration with special guests Jon Seale from College Station High School and Michael Champagne from A&M Consolidated Middle School.
On Thursday, April 16, the new Opera & Musical Theatre Program will make its debut performance with โA Night at the Opera.โ Dan Bircher, director of Vocal Studies, will direct this performance, which includes an array of famous opera scenes.
โThis is the first time, to my knowledge, that Blinn has ever presented an opera production,โ Bircher said. โIf you enjoy musical theatre such as โInto the Woodsโ and โLes Miserablesโ then you will enjoy this evening of performances.โ
โA Night at the Operaโ will feature a wide range of dramatic and comedic works, including: โRiders to the Seaโ by Vaughn Williams, โThe Chocolate Soldierโ by Oscar Straus, โThe Coffee Cantataโ by J.S. Bach and many more.
On Friday, April 17, Blinnโs Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony will host their Spring Concert. Burke and fellow instructor Robert McElroy will serve as conductors and student James Wilbanks (Schulenburg) will be the featured tuba soloist after being declared winner of the student concerto competition earlier this year. The two bands will perform standard band literature.
On Saturday, April 18, student groups will perform various pieces from the percussion ensemble literature during the Percussion Ensemble Concert. Burke and Quinlan will also perform along with the students during certain selected works.
Blinnโs Division of Visual & Performing Arts offers courses in architecture, arts, music, theatre and communication studies. For more information, visit: www.blinn.edu/vpa.
