Music a la Carte features opera duets today

There will be another free Music a la Carte event in the Memorial Union lounge today from 12-1 p.m.

This event will feature vocalists from the music department.  They will be performing duets from opera and musical repertoire with a collaborative pianist, Elizabeth Atchley. There will be some faculty artists performing as well, including Nicholas Larson, Janet Hackett and Megan Sand.      
“The concert is made up of almost entirely Mozart opera duets, and also includes the beautiful “Flower duet from Lakme” by Leo Delibes,” said Megan Sand, the acting head of vocal studies and opera for the School of Arts and Communication.

In addition, there will be a preview of a scene from the upcoming opera benefit performance, “Delight, Despair and Dessert,” which takes place on Friday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Corvallis High School Theater.    
Sand urges people to attend Music a la Carte since these singers are some of the best collegiate singers in the area. Many have won regional competitions as soloists and participated in major choral events and national and international tours.

 “People who attend will get to enjoy being entertained with gorgeous vocal music on their lunch break,” Sand said.  
Cole Haole-Valenzuela is also a member of the group performing on Friday, and will also have a solo.

“Music a la Carte exposes people to different styles and genres of music and art. This is not just some little concert; this is absolute art. What do you have to lose by just staying for a few minutes to see what the event is all about?” Haole-Valenzuela said.

There are many opportunities to attend Music a la Carte because every week there is a new group or musician who performs.

“If you don’t like the group or didn’t like the group, you should definitely give other groups a listen. We don’t invite musicians that aren’t fully qualified to put on a great show. We invite the best of Oregon, the United States and the world,” Haole-Valenzuela said.

Laurel Mehaffey is a senior in vocal performance at OSU and the vocal studies opera intern in the department.  
“People probably often walk by Benton Hall wondering what all those strange sounds are coming out of the windows, but maybe don’t realize what actually happens in our building,” Mehaffey said. “Friday is a fun chance to present what it is we work on with some beautiful, whimsical and engaging music.”  

Hannah Johnson, news reporter
news@dailybarometer.com