Flora L. Thornton Opera Program to Present Cendrillon

Seaver College students enrolled in the Flora L. Thornton Opera Program will perform Jules Massenet’s Cendrillon in a digital performance on April 22 and 23 at 7:30 PM PST and April 24 at 2 PM PST. Combining the classic Cinderella story with Massenet's soaring melodies, the opera will be sung in French and presented with English supertitles.

Keith Colclough, assistant professor of music and director of opera at Seaver College, will direct the all-student cast, featuring Malone Blaich, Kaitlyn Chui, Molly Day, Anika DeLong, Carmen Edano, Jack Gerding, Andrea Hupman, Alison Kiasaleh, Anahi Casas Perez, Sydney Swearengin, Haily Watson, Brittany Weinstock, and Kaytlin Withers. Long Tao “Pierre” Tang, assistant professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles at Seaver College, will conduct the performance.

“The cast has prepared and recorded the entire project while socially distant in accordance with COVID-19 safety protocols. The logistics of rehearsing this complicated music over the Internet have required extra innovation and planning on behalf of the cast and production team,” shared Colclough. “I am extremely proud of our cast’s resilience and cannot wait to share their work with an audience.”

The Flora L. Thornton Opera Program at Pepperdine University has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s leading undergraduate vocal programs. It features an annual fully staged opera, a biennial summer intensive in Heidelberg, Germany, and master classes with top industry professionals. A one-million-dollar endowment from Flora Laney Thornton, one of Southern California’s most beloved and honored arts philanthropists, ensures high-quality productions. Pepperdine graduates have won scholarships to many of the nation’s most prestigious graduate programs, including the Juilliard School, Yale Graduate Opera Program, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, Rice University, and USC. Pepperdine graduates are now gracing the rosters of America’s leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Seattle Opera.

Tickets for this performance are free and registration is required. A viewing link will be sent to all registered attendees in advance of the performance. For additional information about Cendrillon, visit the event’s registration page.