NATCHITOCHES – The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra will present a concert, “From a Romantic Comedy to a Big Surprise!” on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Tickets are $16.50 each and are available at https://nnssla.org/ticket-sales. NSU, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D. A livestream will be available at capa.nsula.edu/livestream.
Douglas Bakenhus is the music director, Syll-Young Olson is assistant director and Sofiko Tchetchelashvili is the instructor
The concert will feature the NSU Opera Ensemble on excerpts from Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” directed by Dr. Robert Cardwell. Members performing are Malaina Aultman as Fiordiligi, Brooke Jones as Dorabella, Clairie Parent as Despina, Douglas Flores as Ferrando, Nathan Gay as Guglielmo, Alexander Haynes-Villarreal as Don Alfonso.
This concert will also include modern works by Valerie Coleman and a Chickasaw classical composer, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. Also, on the program is Haydn’s “Symphony No. 94” the so called, “Surprise Symphony.”
Cardwell has performed with opera houses and music organizations throughout the United States, Italy, and Austria, including Sarasota Opera, Amarillo Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Amalfi Coast Music Festival and the AIMS Symphony Orchestra. Some of his favorite performances include leading baritone roles in “Don Giovanni,” “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “I Pagliacci,” “La Traviata” and “Pirates of Penzance.” His research interests include the use of repertoire by composers from underrepresented communities to promote a more diverse and inclusive experience in the voice studio and the stage.
A member of the Opera Studio at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, Cardwell performed various opera aria and scenes concerts and was a finalist in their annual Meistersinger Competition. As an apprentice artist for Sarasota Opera, he was seen in Verdi’s “Aida,” “La battaglia di Legnano” and Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” After completing his apprenticeship, he went on to sing the role of Sciarrone in “Tosca” with the Central Florida Lyric Opera. Cardwell sang the title role in Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi,” in addition to a series of opera aria and scenes concerts with the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival in Italy. He also sang the title role of Rossini’s “Il barbiere di Siviglia” and Tonio in Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci” with the UNT Opera. Other roles with UNT Opera include Baron Zeta in “The Merry Widow,” The Duke in “Romeo et Juliette” and The Pirate King in “The Pirates of Penzance.”
The 2023-24 season, “Symphony in the Key of Love,” will honor the late arts philanthropist and former Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Society co-founder and former president Jim Bob Key. Each concert will have selections dedicated to Key. After serving as the second president of the Symphony Society in 1968-1969, Key was a lifetime member of its board of directors. He served on the National Council of the Metropolitan Opera and the regional boards of the Shreveport Symphony and Shreveport Opera. He was a member of the Louisiana State Arts Council, which founded the Louisiana Outdoor Drama Association amphitheater located at Grand Ecore. He was inducted in the NSU Creative and Performing Arts Hall of Fame in 2014 and selected a Natchitoches Treasure in 2015.
