Stetson Cupola 1997-26-1

Fall/Winter 1997 Volume XXIII No. 1 gM0** Stetson Weekend: Don't miss it! Stetson Weekend, February 6-8, 1998, will be filled with activity. In addition to the typical events related to Homecoming, we shall have Reunion programs for the classes ending in '3 and '8, i.e. 1943, 1958, 1973, ... right up to 1993. The weekend will also feature the dedication ceremony for the new Hollis Center, a musical program to celebrate the life of the late Harold "Prof" Giffin, and an update on the progress of the University's $200 Million Dollar Campaign. We are expecting the largest event crowd in recent history. You do not want to miss this special occasion, so be sure to make your reservations as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you "back home" in February. Gary Gary Meadows, '59, '63 MA Executive Director, Alumni Association Music alums' paths to success lead through Europe T Michael Lewis wo Stetson University School of Music alumni are making their way - internationally - in the world of opera and musical theater. Michael Lewis, '93, a bari-tenor, stars as Marius in the German production of Les Miserables in Duisburg, Germany. He came to that role from a production of Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg, Germany, where he played Christine's lover, Raoul. Both shows are owned by Stella, a company which produces all the large shows in Germany. Rather than take shows on tour, Lewis said, Stella builds a special theater for each one and German theater-goers travel to see them. Emmanuel "Mani" Cadet, '94, a tenor, spent last summer in Austria, playing Sportin' Life in the Bregenz Festspiele's English- language production of Porgy and Bess, and returns this summer to repeat the role. He is now playing Kaleh in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's world premier of Amistad, a true account of an uprising on the slave ship Amistad in which the slaves were eventually freed. Both students of Stetson music professor and alumna Mollie Sandiford Rich, '59, the two, who became friends at Stetson, went on to earn master's degrees in voice performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Lewis received his master's degree in 1995, then spent nine months in New York City, before winning his spot in Phantom and moving to Germany. Fluent in German, which he studied at Stetson, he now performs eight shows a week in German. Cadet received his master's degree in 1996, and since then has had roles with the Florida Grand Opera in Miami, Lowell House Opera in "Mani" Cadet "Mani" Cadet and Professor Mollie Rich, both Stetson alumni, met in Bregenz, Austria, during his summer '97 performances in the American opera, Porgy and Bess. Massachusetts, Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa, and Shreveport Opera in Louisiana; as well as musical theater roles in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Louis, Mo. He hopes to spend a few years working and studying in Italy in the near future. "I enjoy traveling," said Cadet, who relishes the wide experience he is getting. "In 1989,1 set some 10-year goals, and I've met them in eight. Young performers must establish themselves in different areas to get known. You need to 'pay your dues.' "People are encouraging, but it's difficult," he said, because tenors often play romantic leads, and some directors hesitate to cast black men in such roles. Lewis has the opposite problem: He feels typecast as a lover, and while he enjoys his musical theater roles, he wants to do opera again. He said he would also like to work again in New York: " I love New York; so many wonderful things are happening there." Essentially, however, Lewis said he is fulfilling his ultimate goal right now: "To work as a singer and to enjoy doing it." Cadet credits Rich with much of his success: "I've worked with other voice teachers, but I always come back to her. She and her husband (Robert Rich, '59, also a Stetson voice professor and alumnus) saw my potential. I have a solid foundation." Hard work and determination were also crucial: "I had the drive to do it; not everyone does," said Cadet. "I don't know where I'll be in five years, but I want a career as an opera singer. I have the discipline and I think I can do it." — Betty Brady