From the Mozart-only concerts to the shiny-wrapped Mozart pralines and everything in between, Mozart seems to be all around this year.
This year marks the composer's 250th birthday, and Duke has been doing its fair share to celebrate the event, with special programs and concerts dedicated to the Austrian composer.
But while many people know Mozart as a crafter of concertos and symphonies, fewer are familiar with his contributions to the opera genre. The Duke Symphony Orchestra will change that perception when they present a concert version of Mozart's renowned opera, The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), this weekend.
The presentation, which will feature the original Italian but forego the elaborate sets and costumes, will have an added twist: the lead singer is a Duke alumnus who portrayed Figaro while studying at Duke. Josh Sekoski graduated in 2001 and boasts of being one of the few who majored only in music.
While a sophomore, Sekoski performed his first opera role as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro seven years ago.
"I feel more comfortable in the role now than I did then," Sekoski wrote in an e-mail. "I feel that I have a more mature grasp of the score and the character after having 'lived' with the opera for several years."
Sekoski was contacted for the role by Maestro Harry Davidson, the Duke Symphony's conductor, with whom Sekoski first collaborated in 2001 for a performance of Songs of Travel, by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Since graduating, Sekoski has also contributed to a production of The Barber of Seville.
"I'm thrilled that Josh can come back and sing Figaro again at Duke," wrote Susan Dunn, professor of the practice of music who taught Sekoski at Duke, in an e-mail. "It's so good for our students to see that others who went before them have accomplished wonderful things and are making a living in music."
Sekoski is also participating in a career panel dedicated to finding work in the music industry.
"The reason I'm an opera singer is because I believe it is the single most noble and inspiring art form known to humanity," wrote Sekoski, who is currently a singer for the Sarasota Opera. "Great opera moves us, it entertains us, but most importantly, it challenges us to be better people."
The same could be said of Mozart's musical legacy.
The Marriage of Figaro will be performed in Baldwin Auditorium tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The career panel will be held Friday at 4 p.m. in Biddle Music Building.
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