Nancy Van de Vate listens to the cast and orchestra during the sitzprobe, or seated rehearsal, in the Ford Center.
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Opera Theatre Ensemble will present the world premiere of “Hamlet: Prince of Denmark” this weekend at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
The performance is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday (April 18). Tickets are $30 for general admission, $24 for faculty and staff, and $10 for students. They are available at the UM Box Office inside the Ole Miss Student Union and from the Ford Center website.
The opera, composed by UM alumna Nancy Van de Vate, adapts the classic Shakespeare play. The production will feature faculty, staff and students on stage and in the orchestra, and the entire cast will travel to Prague to perform May 30 with the Moravian Philharmonic.
Van de Vate said Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is beautifully written and the structure is very much like an opera, allowing a smooth transition from stage play to opera theatre.
But the process of composing isn’t complete until the opera comes to life, she said.
“I can put black spots on paper, but the piece doesn’t exist until it’s performed,” Van de Vate said.
Van de Vate completed her undergraduate education at Wellesley College and came to Ole Miss to earn her master’s degree in music composition. She went on to earn a Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University.
She has composed more than 115 works in many different forms and is considered one of the world’s most accomplished female composers. She resides in Vienna, having received dual citizenship for her musical achievements and contributions to the Republic of Austria.
“I’m delighted to be back in Oxford, and I’m thrilled to work with such a fine music department,” she said.
Julia Aubrey, UM associate professor of music, serves as the production’s artistic and stage director.
“This is very much a University of Mississippi and community project,” Aubrey said. “We have faculty, students, guest artists and community members working on stage, in the orchestra pit and behind the scenes. To stage ‘Hamlet’ as a play can be daunting. To direct it as an opera is an exciting challenge. This production gives the university and Oxford an opportunity to experience something extraordinary.”
The performance will also feature guest singers for the lead roles. Tenor Ryan MacPherson will perform the role of Hamlet, UM music faculty members Jennifer and Bradley Robinson will perform as Gertrude and Claudius, and guest faculty artist G. William Bugg, of Samford University, will perform as the ghost/gravedigger.
“It’s an honor to be performing something as powerful and challenging as ‘Hamlet,'” MacPherson said. “I hope the audience finds not only a love for contemporary music and new opera, but also an appreciation of Mrs. Van de Vate as a writer.”
“We are very pleased to be producing this project in collaboration with the Department of Music’s opera program,” said Norm Easterbrook, Ford Center director. “This is a very satisfying opportunity for us to utilize our resources to yield what we hope will be highly rewarding experiences for our students, faculty and staff.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Ford Foundation, the Office of the Provost and College of Liberal Arts and donors to our Ford Center Friends program for their continuing support, without which this project simply would not have come to fruition.”