Mara Mignogna helps stage 'Dialogues of the Carmelites' at Baldwin Wallace University

2017 Apr 11

Mara Mignogna of Pittsburgh was among a talented group of students who staged the opera "Dialogues of the Carmelites" during the spring semester at Baldwin Wallace University. Scott Skiba, associate professor and director of opera studies, directed the captivating production with Octavio Mas-Arocas, director of orchestral studies, conducting the orchestra.

Francis Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites" is a fictionalized portrayal of the Martyrs of Compiegne. Set in the closing days of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, the opera tells the timely and tragic story of Carmelite nuns who were guillotined in Paris for refusing to renounce their vocation. Daniel Hathaway of clevelandclassical.com said the "strong student cast . . . sang beautifully both as soloists and as a choir [and] Conductor Octavio Mas-Arocas paced the show expertly." Mignogna, a graduate of Pittsburgh CAPA majoring in arts management and entrepreneurship, played viola in the production.

BW's Opera Workshop produces two full-scale opera productions each year to engage students in contemporary and classical approaches to opera. Students work with leading opera, theatre, music theatre and dance faculty, and receive comprehensive training for graduate school and beyond as they build a solid foundation of singing and acting techniques that are responsive to current industry expectations.