Time to listen

Three shows to feature selection of pieces from operas, musicals
An interesting selection of pieces from renowned operas and Broadway musicals will be presented in separate shows in Dubai and Ajman this week. The first Opera Gala Night will be hosted tonight at the Al Zawara Grand Ballroom in Ajman Kempinski Hotel and Resort.

The performance is being staged by Opera and Concert Productions Worldwide (OCPW), which is part of The European Chamber Opera, one of the largest touring companies in the UK.

The programme tonight includes classics such as Verdi's La Traviata, Mozart's Don Giovanni and the Magic Flute, Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's La Boheme and Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman.

The performance will be followed with an open-air show at Nad Al Sheba Club in Dubai on Friday. The repertoire of songs will be the same including the artists, who are Melinda Hughes the soprano, Deborah Humble the mezzo soprano, Mark Luther the tenor, Stefan Sanchez the baritone, Orlando Sclenk the bass and Brian Parnell on the piano.

On Wednesday, the group will stage an exclusive extravaganza of Hollywood musicals from Broadway. It will include Maria and I Feel Pretty from West Side Story, Don't Cry for me Argentina from Evita, Summertime from Poggy and Bess, People Will Say We're in Love from Oklahoma, All I Ask Of You from the Phantom of The Opera and Getting To Know You from The King And I.

"We have come to Dubai earlier for performances and received a warm response," said Stefan Sanchez the baritone and head of the touring company. "We expect it to be well received and around 600 people attending, as those were the numbers we have previously seen.

"Opera has always been popular and our audience has included a cross section of nationalities always. "The OCPW artists are rising stars in the opera field and will be embarking on glittering international careers.

"The company's policy has always been to seek out the very best of young singing talent, finding singers on their way to great international careers."

He said each of the shows are expected to last for around an hour and a half. Sanchez added that Dubai had reached a stage where there was a need for a performing arts theatre, as popular interest was growing.

"Dubai is ideally located in the region for people to travel down and attend performances. I would love to help in any way that they wanted," he said.

The OCPW company has toured through Asia and the Middle East for the past 15 years and have given hundreds of opera and light music performances worldwide.

The shows in the UAE are inclusive of a three-course dinner, with the concert starting at 9.00pm. Tickets for all the three events can be obtained from Spinneys outlets in Bur Dubai, Jumeirah and Sharjah, MMI outlets in Dubai and the Nad Al Sheba box office.