| OCR Text |
Show THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UN1V£RS1TY • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1994 THE ARTS AND ENTERTA I NMENT Modesitt increases • • interest 1n opera By MICHELLE CLEGG JOURNAL ARTS EDITOR When most people think of opera, a fat lady wearing a Viking helmet comes to mind. That is not the case with Carol Ann Modesitt, SUU's assistant professor of voice and opera. Modesitt, an experienced soloist in opera and musical theatre, is recently new to SUU. Before coming to Cedar City, she was an artist-in-residence at Plymouth State College for three years. Other previous teaching experience was gained at the University of Colorado, Iowa State and Utah State University. Ann Modesitt's teaching career at USU wasn't the first time she'd visited Logan, Utah. She received degrees from USU and Eastern Kentucky University. Modesitt has taught music, but she can also perform . In 1991, she was the featured recitalist at a Temple Square international com petition. She was the featured soloist during the Pemigewasset Choral Society's 1993 Scotland tour. Modesitt returned to her teaching career when she came to SUU in the fall of 1993. When she arrived, she found herself with limited provisions. " I had two 'People need to see that we are doing quality things here,' said Carol Modesitt, assistant professor ofmusic. students enrolled," she said. Modesitt's first goal was to increase the number of students interested. She did this by talking up opera and showing students that it's not as bad as it seem s. "Once you get in to it (opera), as my students have discovered, it's SUU opera students perform dUiing the production of 'The Green -Eyed Mon ster Lurl<s anything but dull in the Opera Cellar. The opera program is under the direction of Carol Ann Modesitt. or boring. There's everything you'd Since Modesitt arrived, the opera program has find in the O.J. Simpson case-love, death, murder, increased, but she feels that it only has room to grow jealousy, scandal, intrigue, comedy-and the music' s and in1prove. Modesitt recently returned from an wonderful. The first challenge is getting students to opera convention and feels that SUU could compare understand this and getting them involved," she to most other schools. "It's a baby program but I said."I did that through Mozart." think we're doing a phenomenal job. We can hold Modesitt explained that Mozart's operas are still our own, " she said. popular today because they are timeless and sort of Not everyone knows this, however, because they " twisted." haven' t attended an opera at SUU. Modesitt feels if Mozart's opera's are not the only ones SUU plans they can' t come to see the opera, she will bring it to to perform, however. Tonight is the last performance them . She plans on getting out into the schools to of The Green-Eyed Monster Lurks in the Opera generate an interest of opera at a young age. If people Cellar, an original opera written by Modesitt. She learn to enjoy opera, they will spread the word, wro te this opera to involve as many students as she which will get the com munity out to see the operas. could. "You learn th rough getting up and going "People need to see that we are doing quality things through the actual process," she said. here," she said. "We are doi ng a fantastic job." Aton reviews life of Powell in book Monograph details life of explorer By JENNIFER DURCAN JOURNAL ARTS WRJTER 'Audacity' takes the stage Masque Club mem bers work a scene dUiing Tuesday's dress rehearsal. The play begins tonight and runs through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Randall Theatre. The script is an original by Lyam White. Tick ets are $2 with I.D and $3 without. I Students sit through their classes, day after day, thinking about many different things, but rarely is the professor the focus of their thoughts. Many would be surprised to learn that teachers, too, have lives outside of teaching. Jim Aton is one such professor at SUV. Besides being associate professor of language and literature, Aton is an accomplished researcher/ writer, recently having his monograph, fohn Wesley Powell, published. The book is an "overview of Powell's life and public career as an explorer, writer, bureaucrat, and scientist," said Aton. It looks specifically at his two most famous works, Exploration of the Colorado River, 1875 and Report on the Lands of the Arid Region, 1878 . Aton's monograph is a part of a series called Western Writers, published by Boise State University. T his series, as well as Aton's work, " provides a scholarly, authoritative overview of a particular writer that's written for the lay reader. It's written with the student in mind- at $3 .95, these books are affordable to studen ts, as well as informative," Aton said. Aton has been researching Powell for eight years and this monograph is just a small part of the work he has done. fohn Wesley Powell and other monograph's are available at both the SUU bookstore and at Branches, a bookstore in the new Main Street Plaza. |
