Marysville has 'Got Opera'

The Borgamaria Lyric Opera Company will present "Got Opera? U Betcha!" Opera Scenes from Friday-Sunday at Lee Burrows Center for the Arts in Marysville.

Musical selections include iconic arias and ensembles from Bizet's "Carmen," Puccini's "La boheme" and Verdi's "Rigoletto" and "La traviata," among others.

"This is our eighth year, which is really quite miraculous, and we are happy to say that we are making this work mostly with marvelous people from this community," said Borgamaria musical director Joaquina Johnson.

"We are going to be presenting some of the most beloved of all music from some of the most outstanding operas — I think that the community is in for a very special treat," she said.

"This is a wonderful palette of operatic literature that I know anyone would love. Even if they haven't been to an opera before. This is a very good way to start to listen to opera," Johnson said.

"Our accompanist for this performance will be John Cozza, who is a highly regarded musician in Sacramento and throughout Northern California. He performs a lot of chamber music, accompanies many choirs and opera companies and he is on staff at Sacramento State University and the University of the Pacific," Johnson said.

"I am very excited about this program. We have some wonderful singers," she said.

Johnson said two singers in the program will make their Borgamaria debut: tenor Aaron Scheidel and soprano Liesl McPherrin.

Johnson said Scheidel was her student many years ago at Yuba College. "He went on to do a business degree at Sacramento State, and then he went on to do a music degree at San Jose State University and sang with the San Jose Opera," she said.

"He is a very successful rice farmer. Aaron is a wonderful singer, and you are going to love hearing him sing 'La donna e mobile' from 'Rigoletto' portraying the Duke of Mantua.

Johnson said McPherrin will soon leave for Westminster Choir College to complete her master's degree in vocal performance. "She will be studying with the very famous Sharon Sweet, a great singer from the Metropolitan Opera," Johnson added.

"Liesl will be singing 'Glitter and Be Gay' from 'Candide' as well as singing the wonderful 'Dunque io son' from 'The Barber of Seville' by Rossini. And joining her in that lovely duet will be Kenneth J. Pereira, whom you remember last season as the count in 'The Marriage of Figaro,'" Johnson said.

Pereira will sing in two other duets: as Count di Luna from "Il trovatore" and as Germont from "La traviata."

"I'm very excited about KJ, who has been my student for 12 years now and was a graduate of Yuba College and went on to the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Ind. He is a professor of voice at the University of Michigan in Eau Claire, just finishing his first year. And he also will be singing this summer in Mexico at a festival, doing some opera directing and teaching some voice. So this is very special," Johnson said.

Johnson said the performing artists include Kelly Barber Cunningham, Brant Bordsen, Thor Campbell, Kathryn Donovan, Bronwyn Eisermann, Helen Jackson, Karen Trefzger and Mark Tyler.

"All of these lovely singers will be with us, and I know this will be a special evening for you to come and attend — and to support the arts in our community," Johnson said.

CONTACT Susan Benitez at sbenitez@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4773. Find her on Facebook at /ADFeatures or on Twitter at @adfeatures.