Press Releases |
GENEROSITY OF JAMES AND RHONDA SEACREST WILL MAKE POSSIBLE
A RETURN TRIP TO IRELAND FOR UNL OPERA PROGRAM
 James and Rhonda Seacrest. Photo by Stephen Hermann, UNL College of Journalism and Mass Communications. James and Rhonda Seacrest, of Lincoln, have again made a generous gift commitment to the University of Nebraska Foundation to sponsor the trip. The Seacrests also sponsored the UNL Opera program's 2002 trip to Ireland, and have made a donation to the University of Nebraska Foundation to support a chamber orchestra to play for opera performances on an off campus. '' "The Seacrest gifts to support the chamber/opera orchestra initiative and the Ireland tour of The Most Happy Fella provide critical momentum vital to the forward progress of the UNL School of Music," said Dr. John W. Richmond, Professor and Director of the UNL School of Music. "Our opera program continues to garner national and international attention because of its emerging quality and competitiveness. These gifts will only enhance that progress and accelerate our advancement in two programs of strategic importance:' opera and chamber music. We simply could not be more grateful." The Most Happy Fella is the most operatic of all American musicals, but it also contains such Broadway show-stoppers as "Standin' on the Corner," "Big D," and the hauntingly beautiful "My Heart is So Full of You." '' This love story involves Tony, a middle-aged owner of a vineyard, who proposes through the mail to a woman who does not know what he looks like, enclosing a photo of his young, handsome foreman. She is hurt and humiliated when she learns the truth, but, after suitably heart-wrenching obstacles are negotiated, a loving understanding blossoms between the two during Tony's long convalescence from a near-fatal accident. '''' UNL Associate Professor of Voice Ariel Bybee will direct the production, which will be performed first in Lincoln in the spring of 2007. ''''''' In 2002, the UNL Opera program won four awards in competition in Waterford for its revival of The Bohemian Girl, including the coveted Best Operetta award. '''' The Seacrests have generously supported many organizations in Nebraska. They serve as board members or advisors to the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, the Lincoln Children's Museum, Nebraskans for Public Television, and the UNL Friends of Opera. They also played a critical role in the establishment of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery's Sheldon Statewide art education program. |
