The Albany Area Arts Council will bring Peach State Opera Company to perform Gioachino Rossini’s La-Cenerentola (Cinderella) in a single performance at the Albany Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, October 7, 2017.

PSO is a touring company that serves small communities in Georgia and surrounding states whose mission is to “Enrich, Empower, and Engage.” The company produces condensed, family-friendly versions of classic operas in English which are equally enjoyable to both novice and veteran opera-goers.

Rossini’s Cinderella varies slightly from that of the well-known Disney version – Rossini’s production incorporates a wicked stepfather, instead of stepmother; a philosopher, in lieu of fairy godmother and a bracelet instead of a glass slipper – but the story’s moral remains the same as goodness and nobility of heart triumph over greed and envy.

In this production, PSO makes full-use of vocally acrobatic arias, buoyant ensembles and comic touches in this fairy tale opera with appeal for all ages.

PSO places an emphasis on engaging the communities it visits, especially though high school and college-age students, by actively involving them in both on and off-stage aspects of the production. Members of Southwest Georgia’s Ballet Theatre South Senior Company will be performing in the opera and students from the Albany State University Fine Arts Department will design and build a chariot for the production.

The event marks an exciting new effort from the AAAC as it furthers its mission of “uniting our community through the Arts and Humanities” by bringing a quality arts experience into the community and affording local talent the opportunity to perform alongside seasoned professionals.

The AAAC is working with community partners to extend them the benefit of selling tickets as low-risk fundraisers for their own organizations. This year’s community partners are Ballet Theatre South, Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County, Classical Conversations and The Dougherty County Youth Orchestra.
“The AAAC is very excited about this collaboration model and its potential to help us to cultivate greater appreciation for the arts within our community while strengthening relationships between organizations working toward that end,” said AAAC Director Nicole Williams.

Tickets are $20 for general admission and can be purchased from any of the above organizations, or from the Arts Council’s website at https://www.albanyartscouncil.org/cinderella.