Acclaimed Purchase College Opera Presents Dido and Aeneas

On December 7 and 8, Purchase Opera, and its Director Jacque Trussel, will present a visionary interpretation of Dido and Aeneas, a monumental opera composed in 1689. Inspired by Virgil’s epic Latin poem The Aeneid, this production is set in modern corporate America where the coldness of mergers and acquisitions takes a life and death toll on its protagonists and their struggles for love in the face betrayal.

The performances will feature an orchestra comprised of students and graduates from the Purchase Conservatory of Music under the baton Hugh Murphy. The opera will also feature members of the Purchase Dance Company choreographed by senior William Byram. Dido and Aeneas is the first major collaboration between the college’s award winning conservatories of Dance and Music.

The Conservatory of Dance is one of only a handful of dance conservatories affording its students a comprehensive entrée into the world of professional dance. Its alumni currently perform with many of the foremost dance companies across the globe as well as teaching, directing, and choreographing many major productions.

Purchase Opera features students of the Conservatory of Music’s Voice and Opera Studies. The company has won 14 top awards for its professional-level productions from the National Opera Association as well as awards from the American Prize for best director and the Ernst Bacon Memorial award for the conducting of American music.

Performances will be held in the Recital Hall of The Performing Arts Center on Saturday, December 7 at 7pm and Sunday, December 8 at 1pm.

General admission tickets are $20. Discounts are available for students and seniors. To order tickets, please visit www.artscenter.org or call 914.251.6200.

This production is made possible with support from The Emily Grant Opera Performance and Production Fund, The L. Werlinich Opera Production Endowment, the Friends of Music, and the Friends of Opera.