It's Saturday Presented by the STARS Musical Theatre Camp Students

SAULT STE. MARIE--You are invited to IT’S SATURDAY! presented by the STARS Musical Theatre Camp students Friday June 30, at 2 pm. at the Soo Theatre, 534 Ashmun St.. Admission is free.

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That's Amore Presented by the Soo Theatre Project

SAULT STE. MARIE--Soo Theatre Project announces "That's Amore," a concert featuring international tenor Eric Shaw and renowned soprano Karen Hughes. Mr. Shaw and Ms. Hughes will join together in concert June 17, 2006, 7:30 p.m. at the Soo Theatre, 534 Ashmun St. Assisting in this program of operatic and Broadway favorites will be soprano Kristianna VanOveren, soprano Dianna George, and pianist John Ignatowski.

Tickets will be available at the Soo Theatre office and at the door. The artists are generously donating all the proceeds from this performance to the continued restoration of the Soo Theatre.

Tenor Eric Shaw has performed at numerous musical centers worldwide, from Wexford to Lincoln Center to Tanglewood and Genoa, Italy. This season he will return to New York for performances with Leon Botstein and American Symphony orchestra, as well as the Victoria Symphony, the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily, and Opera Ontario based in Toronto. He is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and a graduate of McGill University.

Soprano Karen Hughes has performed in Europe, Great Britain, Canada, and most recently in Asia during 2005 with the Tianjin Symphony in Beijing, China. Regional finalist in the 2003 Metropolitan Opera Competition, Ms. Hughes has performed leading roles nationwide in Cosi fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, Die Fledermaus, Carmen, The Magic Flute, The Mikado, and Madama Butterfly. The Munster, Indiana native is also an active concert soloist and recitalist. She was heard in Carmina Burana presented by the Sault Symphony Orchestra last season. A graduate of DePauw University and the University of Nebraska, Ms. Hughes teaches voice and harp at Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios and the Sault Symphony School of Music.

Joining Eric and Karen will be joined by soprano Kristianna VanOveren, a Michigan native who has been featured with Opera Grand Rapids productions of Tosca, Noah's Flood, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and Monkey See, Monkey Do. She has also sung at the Spoleto, Italy Vocal Arts Symposium and with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Soo Theatre Project's own Dianna George, an accomplished soprano, will also join in the program with music from Die Fledermaus and The Pirates of Penzance. Pianist John Ignatowski, STARS instructor and organist-choir master for St. Mary's Church, will serve as accompanist for the program.

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STARS Presents Broadway Revue Student Show

STARS presents its Broadway Revue Student Show on May 19 and 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the LSSU Arts Center Auditorium. Tickets are $8. Tickets are available online through the LSSU Arts Center and at the Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios. For more information call 632-1930.

Dance, voice and theatre students will perform

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the community to show its support of the STARS project and for our students to display what they are learning and accomplishing,” said STARS spokesperson Colleen Arbic. “The Arts Center is such a spectacular venue for this event. It will be a great event for our students and a good opportunity for patrons to appreciate both our work and the facility.”

Students will be those of Dianna George in dance, Karen Hughes in voice and Dave Rhinard in theatre.

Ms. George is a founder and is current president of the Soo Theatre Project. She has taught dance in Detroit, Indianapolis, Petoskey and the Sault since 1967. She danced professionally as a principal with the Indianapolis Ballet, and her work as a choreographer includes more than 100 shows, from ballet to musical theatre. She holds a degree in fine arts, with concentration in theatre, native studies, music and writing from LSSU and Algoma University.

Internationally-known soprano Karen Hughes has performed in Europe, Canada and most-recently Asia during 2005 with the Tianjin Symphony in Beijing, China. She has played leading roles nationwide in numerous operas. As a harpist, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Austria and England. She holds a degree in harp performance from DePauw University and a master’s degree in voice from the University of Nebraska. She teaches harp, voice and piano with STARS.

David Rhinard teaches theatre with STARS. He has a varied background in theatre, including True Grist Dinner Theatre, where he worked as manager, producer, performer and director. Most recently, he has served as director of theatrical productions for Les Cheneaux Education Foundation and the Easter Upper Peninsula Fines Arts Council. He taught speech, drama and English in the Eaton Rapids Public Schools, and holds a degree in fine arts from Michigan State University, with additional studies at Spring Arbor College and Western Michigan University.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Soo Theatre Project.

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STARS Photos, Spring 2006

A photo gallery of STARS dance and music activities this spring is now available online.

STARS Youth Orchestra Presents Its Spring Concert May 13

The STARS Youth Orchestra, directed by Dottie Case, with guest soloist, Sarah Cole, presents its spring concert on Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church, 533 Bingham St., Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. A free will offering will be accepted to benefit the Soo Theatre Project.