Contact: Melissa Cox Norris, Director of Library Communications, (513) 556-1558 or melissa.norris@uc.edu
April 19, 2005 - On May 5 at 3pm in CCM’s Baur Room at UC, bruce mcclung, associate professor of musicology, will present the lecture “Municipal Opera: Cincinnati, Paoletta, and the Ohio Valley Exposition.”
At the public lecture, mcclung will present his research on the opera Paoletta, by Pietro Floridia, faculty member of UC’s College of Music from 1906-1908. A story of love and sorcery set in 15th-century Spain, Paoletta was commissioned by Cincinnati for the 1910 Ohio Valley Exposition, held in the city, and was reportedly the first opera commissioned by an American city. The opera was rewarded with reportedly 48 curtain calls on opening night and played for 28 subsequent performances.
An excerpt from Act III of Paoletta, "Come, My Sweet Dove, Come!," will be sung by CCM student Caitlin Lynch. CCM student and pianist Rob Elfline will perform a second number, “Ohio Valley Exposition March” by V. J. Heierhoff.
The May 5 lecture commemorates UC Libraries’ acquisition of their three-millionth volume, Paoletta. The volume includes the musical score for the opera, 124 original watercolor costume designs by Will R. Barnes, and a belt worn by one of the principal cast members. Paoletta was acquired by University Libraries, which includes Langsam Library and nine college and departmental libraries. “It’s not easy to choose a single volume when your group of libraries spans the full range of disciplines, “ said Victoria A. Montavon, dean and university librarian. “We really wanted the three-millionth volume to be something historic, we wanted it to be something rare, and we wanted it to reflect the University’s close ties to Cincinnati.” Paoletta – the score, belt, and costume sketches – is housed in UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library where it is available for study and research.
Free and open to the public, the lecture is part of the Off the Page Lecture Series, sponsored by the Friends of University Libraries to promote and highlight the collections of University Libraries. For more information, call 513-556-1558. ###
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