WHAT:

Opera: CUA Presents Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Medium" and Leonard Bernstein's "Trouble in Tahiti"

WHEN:

7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25, and Saturday, Feb. 26 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27

WHERE: The Catholic University of America Ward Hall, Recital Hall 3801 Harewood Road, N.E. Washington, D.C.
DETAILS: The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music will stage three performances of two 20th-century American operas: Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Medium" and Leonard Bernstein's "Trouble in Tahiti."

In "The Medium," Madame Flora, a fraudulent psychic who cheats her clients through false contact from the beyond, feels the touch of a cold hand during one of her own séances. Believing she has made actual contact with the dead, Madame Flora is driven to insanity and murder.

"Trouble in Tahiti" is a one-act opera about an average family in an anonymous 1950s suburb. Husband Sam and wife Dinah seek reconciliation for their troubled marriage but are continuously peeved by each other's habitual annoyances. The couple's antagonistic actions are narrated by a contrastingly cheerful chorus who reveal the couple's unspoken desires for a life reflecting the harmonious and romantic story line of the feature film "Trouble in Tahiti."

The operas are directed by Jay D. Brock, lecturer in drama, and conducted by Murry Sidlin, professor of music. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 for students, senior citizens, and CUA alumni.

For more information, call 202-319-5416 or visit http://music.cua.edu .

SPONSOR: Benjamin T. Rome School of Music