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Willamette University's Dramatic Vocal Arts Ensemble will present Ned Rorem's new operatic masterpiece "Our Town" at 7 p.m. on March 12 and 13 in Smith Auditorium.

"Our Town" successfully portrays the complexities of life, love and death in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, through the conventional boy meets girl next-door storyline.

Rorem captures the plain text with sweeping melodies and recurring motifs, emphasizing the heart-wrenching sentimentality residing in everyday life throughout the entire opera. The dynamic combination of McClatchy's remarkable text selections and Rorem's melodic lines make a beautiful and emotional show.

Northwest tenor Les Green guides the characters and the audience through a fantastic portrayal of quintessential small-town America. Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Ned Rorem and librettist J.D. McClatchy adapted American playwright Thorton Wilder's internationally acclaimed play into a beautifully crafted opera directed by Allison Swensen-Mitchell and conducted by Hekun Wu.

Tickets are available through the Willamette Department of Music at (503) 370-6255. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for students.

02-26-2010