Higher Ed Matters: Opera, movies to be presented at metro-east universities

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Opera Theatre will present “Scenes of Death and Daggers” at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Abbott Auditorium.

The performance is a collection of scenes from selected operas containing themes of murder, suicide, poison and daggers. Sprinkled throughout the unifying dark theme are bursts of comedic scenes.

Also included in the scenes will be singing in foreign languages. SIUE theater students will perform all of the scenes in their original language, including French, German and Italian.

The program contains scenes from popular repertoire, including Hansel and Gretel, Rigoletto, Cosi fan tutte, Dead Man Walking, Hamlet, The Magic Flute,The Mikado and Carmen.

“The quality of singers at SIUE continues to improve every year, and this has enabled us to program repertoire that is much more challenging,” said Marc Schapman, associate professor in the Department of Music and director of SIUE Opera Theatre. “The students have embraced this challenge beautifully resulting in our most challenging scenes program to date, both vocally and dramatically.”

General admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and free for SIUE students with a valid ID.

For tickets or more information, call the SIUE Box Office at 618-650-2774. Tickets can also be purchased at the door the evening of the performance.

The Hett will screen three recently released movies

McKendree University’s Hettenhausen Center for the Arts has added three recent releases to its Film Series in 2016:

▪  Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m.: “Straight Outta Compton” — A biographical drama about the rap group N.W.A., which emerged from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s and revolutionized hip hop culture. The movie, which came out in 2015, is rated R.

▪  Feb. 21 at 2 and 7 p.m.: “Bridge of Spies” — During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for a Soviet-captured American U2 spy plane pilot. Starring Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg. It’s rated PG-13.

▪  April 3 at 2 and 7 p.m.: “The Revenant” — In the 1820s, frontiersman Hugh Glass survives a bear mauling and a vicious winter as he sets out on a path of vengeance against members of his hunting team who left him for dead. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this flick which is rated R.

“We’ve had much success bringing current movies to the Hett during award season,” said Peter Palermo, director of the Hettenhausen Center. “This year’s offerings are all early favorites to bring home Oscars and Golden Globes.”

Admission is free for McKendree University students, faculty and staff members and $5 for the general public.

Collinsville resident honored by Missouri Institute of Science and Technology

Raymond E. Catlett, of Collinsville and a senior technical consultant for ABB Inc., has been inducted into the Academy of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

The academy is an advisory group to the Missouri S&T electrical and computer engineering department. Founded in 1980, the academy is composed of alumni and other electrical and computer engineers who have made outstanding contributions to their profession.

Catlett earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Missouri S&T in 1977. He also holds a master of science degree in engineering management from Washington University in St. Louis.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Higher Ed Matters: Opera, movies to be presented at metro-east universities."