Young opera singers will bring ancient myths to Brooklyn audiences starting Saturday with performances of John Blow’s “Venus and Adonis,” Christopher Cerrone’s “All Wounds Bleed,” and “A Brooklyn Cabaret: Temptations.”
The Aug. 18-24 performances are the culmination of the Brooklyn Music School’s Summer Vocal Arts Program, an intensive five-week performing arts program for students and adults. The opera “Venus and Adonis” will delve into the life of the goddess and her young lover, while the one-act chamber opera “All Wounds Bleed” takes a contemporary look at the myth of Echo and Narcissus. In “A Brooklyn Cabaret: Temptations,” students will perform songs spanning from Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars” to Freddie Mercury’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
Anthony Laciura, the director of the cabaret, who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera more than 800 times, stressed the importance of performing arts education for young people. When Laciura was 11, he performed alongside opera singer Norman Treigle in “Louise.” “He made me promise that when the time came I would also help other young people, so that’s why this summer program in Brooklyn is so perfect for that,” he said.
Laciura said that there will be something at the cabaret for everyone.
“‘One Life to Live,’ ‘Song of Black Max,’ ‘I Put a Spell on You.’ You couldn’t have more crowd-pleasing songs,” he said.
He commended Brooklyn Opera Works founder and artistic director Lina Tetriani on her work directing “Venus and Adonis” and said that the program provided young people an excellent opportunity to perform.
“Continuation of this art form is really important, and I chose to be a part of that. I want to do that,” he said.
A mythic lineup
Performances will take place at the Brooklyn Music School at 126 Saint Felix St. at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule and pricing are as follows:
Aug. 18 “A Brooklyn Cabaret: Temptations” $20
Aug. 22 “Venus and Adonis” and “All Wounds Bleed” $25
Aug. 23 “Venus and Adonis” $25
Aug. 24 “Venus and Adonis” and “All Wounds Bleed” $25
