The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 31, 1997, Garnet and Black, Page 4, Image 4
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AMY SHARON Staff Writer
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On a windy Tuesday night, hidden <
inside a small room in the bottom of
the USC School of Music builclingr^
four awe-inspiring voices weave
themselves around skillful piano
accompaniment during a rehearsal
of the lighthearted opera, "The Old
Maid and the Thief."
In complete contradiction to the
familiar stereotypes a person hears
about opera, (such as, "It's long,
boring, stuffy, and no one can
understand it") this short one-act
opera is a comedy replete with humor
and sexual innuendoes.
Even better, the musical lyrics
are all sung in English.
WUSC spices up i
So you say you've been longing
for a taste.of Irish culture, but so far
the only things you've been able to
find are Cheers re-runs and
commercials for Irish Springs soap?
Well, turn off that television, and
tune-in, baby, because WUSC-FM
90.5 has just what you're need.
Each Tuesday from 8 p.m. to 10
p.m., WUSC offers a healthy dose
of traditional Celtic music on the
Amplified Folk show, and, as a bonus,
there's no canned laughter. The show
offers a range of Celtic music, with
a focus on Irish and Scottish music..
Amplified Folk is hosted by
Wilson, a USC English senior. He's
done the show for a year, but this is
the first semester featuring an allCeltic
format. Before, it featured all
types of folk music with an emphasis
on Celtic music.
"It's amazing how many people
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The Preacher's Wife (PG)
1:20 4:20 7:15 9:50
Mother (PG 13)
12:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45
Beverly Hills Ninja (PG 13)
1:15 3:15 5:15 7:25 9:40
Evita (PG)
1:00 4:00 7:00 9:50
The Relic (R)
1:35 4:10 7:20 10:00
The Crucible (PG 13)
1:10 4:15 7:10 9:55
English Patient (R)
1:30 4:45 8:00
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"Opera is meant to be
entertaining," said Donald Gray,
DSC music professor and director of
The Old Maid and the Thief." Gray
also directs the Palmetto Master
Singers and the music program at
Eastminster Presbyterian Church.
To catch this year's debut of Opera
at USC, act fast since the production
starts tonight and ends Sunday
afternoon.
The show, entitled Two by
Menotti, will be held in the USC
School of Music recital hall. It begins
at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets
cost $5 for students and $10 for
general admission.
In addition to "The Old Maid and
the Thief," the performance includes
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have picked up on the show," Wilson
said. "There's already a lot of people
who are dedicated to it. I'm getting
a lot of calls, and people seem
interested."
He said there's been a renewed
interest in the Celtic music in the
last few years.
"If s become really popular because
of Braveheart and because of Rob
Roy," he said "It used to be classified
as new age music, which isn't
accurate. But now it's become more
popular and more recognized."
"It's incredible, beautiful music,"
he said. "It's so epic sounding. It
sounds like there's a battle in the
music. Half of the songs tell about
the stories of different battles. It's
about battles between the English
and the Scottish and the Irish. There's
a lot of history in the music."
The term "Celtic" leaves a certain
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a second one-act opera, "The
Telephone."
Also a comedy, "The Telephone"
tells the funny story of two lovers
who find themselves constantly
interruptedly a ringing telephone.
The continuous and bothersome
summoning of the telephone manages
to keep the lovers apart and the
audience in laughs.
This opera will be directed by
Cameron Aiken, a graduate music
student. Tonight and Sunday,
Elizabeth Hill and Reginald Jennings
will lead the cast. Tomorrow night,
their roles will be played by Kathryn
Seppamaki and Andrew Rye.
The other half of the evening
features "The Old Maid and the
Thief." This opera recounts the
ste of tradition
mystique about the music. The Celts
are no longer a discernible people,
and very little is known about them.
But the traditional music of the
Celts lives because strong pockets
of Celtic tradition exist in Ireland,
Scotland, Wales, Brittany (in France)
and Galicia (in Spain). And a less
concentrated strain of Celtic ancestry
exists in Canada and America.
Wilson said his interest in Celtic
music was more than an interest in
his personal ancestry.
"At first, my interest came from
the fact that I always kind of dug
the bagpipe sound," he said. "I have
a friend from Scotland and he got
me into it from that point. 1 got
started really slowly. I started by
listening to Enya and the Chieftans,
but I always thought there had to
be more to the music than that."
"It's just the beauty of the music
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humorous tale of two well-intentioned
women who decide to open their
house up to a handsome beggar from
the street. They choose to take the
poor man into their home because
they want to be "good Christians,"
and quite desperately, they feel in
need of a man.
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smile, they offer him food and a bed.
As it turns out, the beggar is really
an escaped convict When the women
find out, the situation they have
created for themselves and the beggar
becomes even more comic, and their
fate proceeds from there.
The cast of "The Old Maid and
the Thief" stars Jennifer Evans,
Christie Inman, Andrew Rye,
Quandra Battle, and Liana Valente.
al Celtic
that draws people in," he said. "It's
not an easy thing to sit down and
play. The bagpipe, for example, takes
years and years to learn to play. But
I do think the music rises above a
mere cultural appeal. There's
something interesting about the
music."
"Most of the songs tell stories
about the Celts and their suffering,"
Wilson said. "It's not just about
suffering though. It's just their tales,
their stories. There's a lot of humorous
stories. Stories of their great heroes
and other folklore. The music is the
way a lot of their stories have been
passed down."
On Amplified Folk, Wilson pulls
together music from the different
countries with Celtic influences.
The show is sponsored by the Publick
House, a Columbia pub that hosts
live Celtic music on Sundays nights.
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jibson and Guild Dealer Guitars,
nstruments New and Used
s Records & Tapes Books
irass jam session every Friday night
Concert every Saturday night
e South Carolina Philharmonic in a
k and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7.
ired in his'Texas Tlix'! Dress is casual,
r other comfortable attire.
i. Roger Center for the Arts
servations Call 254-PHIL (7445)
s begin at $6.
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"They're hard workers. They had
to do a lot of memorizing over
Christmas break to be prepared for
rehearsals when they came back,"
Gray said.
Tuesday night's rehearsal, like
the opera itself, remained lightspirited
even though certain scenes
required several run-throughs. At
times the repetition seemed tedious,
but the cast joked and laughed at
the sexual references.
Only after their voices achieved
perfect timing with the music did
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they worked on refining minor
subtleties, the four dynamic voices
spanned an impressive range of
sound.
Their dramatic countenances and
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Wilson cheehs his levels while on
Amplified Folk, features all types of
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WYNNS1
5320 Forest Drive
(across from Super Wal-Mart)
Columbia, SC 29206
IN LOVE AND WAR (PG-13) (THX)
1:00 4:10 7:10 9:30 12:00
MICHAEL (PG)
1:15 4:00 7:00 9:40 12:15
101 DALMATIANS (G)
1:00 7:00
JERRY MAGUIRE (R) (DTS)
4:00 9:15 12:00
FIERCE CREATURES (PG-13) (DTS,THX)
1:10 3:20 5:30 7:40 9:50 12:00
STARWARS (PG) (DTS,THX)
12:00 2:30 5:00 7:30 9:50 12:15
SPACE JAM (PG)
1 :OQ 3:00 5:00
TURBULENCE (R)
7:30 9:40
SECRETS AND UES (R)
12:55 3:50 7:00 9:50
GHOSTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI (PG 13)
7:10 9:50
METRO (R)
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*Bargain Matinee $3.00(B
There are no sho
Monday
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exaggerated gestures further
enlivened the rehearsal.
Both "The Telephone" and "The
Old Maid and the Thief" were
composed by Gian Carlo Menotti. At
the age~of 13, he had already written
two operas.
Menotti started his musical studies
in Milan, Italy, and later trained in
Philadelphia, Penn. Throughout his
career, he received critical acclaim
and composed the first opera created
for television.
"Two one-act operas by the same )
composer make a nice evening, and
they're on the lighter side, humorous,"
Gray said.
The USC School of Music can be
reached at 777-4280 for more
information.
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NIKKI THORPE The Gamecock
air at WUSC-FM 90.5. His show, 1
traditional Celtic music.
DE.
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ONG 10
Office: (803) 782-7744
Info: (803) 782-8100
MEET WALLY SPARKS (R) (THX)
1:00 3:15 5:30 7:40 9:50 12:00
METRO (R) (THX)
1:00 4:15 7:10 9:40 12:15
ZEUS AND ROXANNE (PG)
1:15 7:00 PEOPLE
VS. LARRY FLINT (R) (
4:10 9:15 12:00
SCREAM (R)
1:00 3:15 5:30 7:40 9:50 12:00
GRIDLOCK (R) (THX)
1:00 3:15 5:20 7:30 9:40 12:00
METRO (R)
1:30 4:15 6:50 9;20
SCREAM (R)
1:10 3:25 5:35 7:50 10:00
BEVERLY HILLS NINJA (PG 13)
1:00 3:00 5:00 7:00 9:00
IN LOVE AND WAR (PG-13)
12:45 3:00 5:20 7:40 10:00
ZUES AND ROXANNE (PG)
12:50 3:05 5:10
lefore 3PM) $3.75 (3-6 PM)
ws before 3 p.m.
- Friday