A group of West Virginia University voice students will get the chance to hone their skills alongside an expert at a master class on Jan. 29.

Gustavo Halley, a retired member of the Missouri-Kansas Conservatory of Music, at 4 p.m. on Bloch Learning and Performance Hall in WVU’s Creative Arts Center.

Halley, a native of Cuba and an expert on the history of recorded opera, has performed as a bass-baritone around the world. He portrayed Christopher Columbus in the world premier of Manuel deFalla’s scenic oratorio, “La Atlantida.” He’s portrayed Boris Gudonov, the King in “Aida” and “Tristan und Isolde,” Mephistopheles in “Faust,” and the Police Commissioner in “Der Rosenkavalier,” in venues across the United States, in Europe, and Mexico.

“A master class, for the students, is like having a mini voice lesson in front of an audience,” said Hope Koehler, an associate professor and coordinator of the voice program in WVU’s School of Music. “Dr. Halley will hear the student sing, then he will work with that student on various aspects of the performance.

“They might work on vocal technique, or they might work on presentation or interpretation,” Koehler explained. “Dr. Halley is an amazing teacher, and he has sung with so many great singers and knows so much repertoire – along with the traditions that go with it – that he’s a wellspring of information for the students.”

The master class is free and open to the public.

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CONTACT: David Welsh, WVU College of Creative Arts
304.293.3397; David.Welsh@mail.wvu.edu

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