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Caroline Worra says it
makes her feel like she has more family members in the audience
when Mizzou alumni attend her performances. Photo courtesy
of Caroline Worra
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Something to Sing About
By Nancy Moen
Alumna Caroline Worra sparked the Opera
Memphis performances of The Merry Widow with a "Hello,
Dolly" entrance down a stairway onto the opulent stage. Among
the men waiting in pursuit of the charming widow was a French
suitor, played by another MU singer, tenor Ryan MacPherson.
The two opera professionals sing regularly
with New
York City Opera, but the Memphis appearances in March were
the first time they sang lead roles together in a production.
Worra, MM '93 vocal performance, sang the role of the widow Hanna
Glawari, and MacPherson, BES '97 music, was Camille.
Worra and MacPherson attended MU at the same
time for one year while Worra was finishing her master's degree
and MacPherson was a freshman.
Since graduating from Mizzou, they bonded
while performing with the prestigious Merola Opera Program in
San Francisco. Lately, they've seen each other at auditions and
have worked together on productions through New York City Opera.
They were both delighted to find each other's
name on the cast list for the Memphis production of Merry
Widow. "It's great that people who went through the
same system at MU can come back together now to sing," MacPherson
says.
A contingent of music fans from MU, who call
themselves "Mizzou Groupies," joined members of the
Memphis chapter of the MU Alumni Association to attend The
Merry Widow closing performance on March 19. The group then
greeted Worra and MacPherson at a celebration sponsored by Opera
Memphis.
"It was wonderful to come to the
party afterward, walk into the room and feel like one of the most
loved men in the room," MacPherson says of the MU following.
"It's rare to see that kind of response from your alma mater,
and it's wonderful to experience that kind of support."
Tenor Ryan MacPherson sang the lead role of Captain Meriwether
Lewis in Corps
of Discovery, an original musical drama commissioned
by MU to commemorate the Lewis and Clark expedition. Photo
by Andrew Shurtleff
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Worra was determined to perform especially
well for this audience. "It can feel overwhelming to suddenly
have such a huge support group," she says. "What a dream
to have so many people appreciate what I am doing. My Mom, Dad
and Grandma always come to see my shows, and suddenly it felt
like my family grew by ten times."
Both singers have busy schedules and rising
careers. Worra sang the title role of Daphne for New
York City Opera in fall 2004. She recently made her European opera
debut as Anne Trulove in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
at the Teatro Massimo
Bellini in Catania, Sicily, and sang with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic in a concert version of Parsifal.
With New York City Opera, Worra will appear
as Jenny/Haidee in The Mines of Sulphur in fall 2005
and as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in spring 2006. A
recording of her lead performance from the professional debut
of The Mines of Sulphur will soon be released.
MacPherson created the role of Iff the Water
Genie in the world premiere of Haroun and the Sea of Stories
at New York City Opera. He made his Long Beach Opera debut last
year in Strauss' Die Schweigsame Frau and will sing the
role of Laurie this summer in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, with the
New York City Opera production of Little Women.
MacPherson will open New York City Opera's
season in September as Flamand in Strauss' Capriccio. He
will appear as the Duke in the Opera Memphis production of Rigoletto
set for April 1 and 4, 2006, and as Camille in the Lyric
Opera of Kansas City production of The Merry Widow.
He also has a Christmas CD in production, which should be released
in late fall.
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Last Update:
March 12, 2007
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