This Thursday, May 9, a group of Mercyhurst voice students will present an Opera Scenes Program, directed by voice teacher Louisa Jonason. The show will start at 8 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall.

The Scenes Program is composed of four sections; the first is derived from German operas, the second from Italian, the third French, and finally English.

The pieces are composed by such famous composers as Mozart, Verdi, and Bizet. The program features solo arias as well as duets and small ensembles, with a large ensemble conclusion.

“[It] is a mix of scenes and arias from a variety of operas that our wonderful professor Ms. Jonason has put together,” said sophomore voice major Alexa Zeremenko. “Everyone should come see all of the hard work everyone involved has put into the program.”

All of the performers in the production attend Jonason’s Opera Workshop class every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m., and is a requirement for all vocal performance majors. The students listen to opera, learn what it takes to be a professional opera singer and sing for each other on a regular basis.

Adam Ferrari, a senior music education major with a concentration in voice, will be performing in his last scenes program as a student Thursday.

“I really enjoyed preparing my pieces for this year,” Ferrari said. “One of my arias is a piece that I’ve been doing for a couple years, so I’m very comfortable with it and proud to be able to present it.

“Another piece I’m in is the ‘Balcony Scene’ from Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet. I’m portraying the role of Romeo alongside my colleague Devon Meddock who is portraying Juliet. Her and I have great chemistry and I’m really excited to perform the piece with her because I feel it’s so solid.”

Among some of the other operas featured in the Scenes Program are Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Bizet’s Carmen.

The program is an exciting compilation of scenes from a variety of operas and composers. The students have worked hard on their pieces along with Jonason who has worked tirelessly to organize the performance.

The production is in Walker Recital Hall and is free of charge.