Rossini opera features student stars

Audiences this weekend will be treated to one of the most famous operas ever written, Gioacchino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville." The IU Opera Theatre will perform the work in the original Italian script with English supertitles.\nThe performances will feature some of IU's greatest vocal talent personified in its student singers.\nTiffany Rosenquist, a third-year master's student, plays Rosina, the main female role in the opera. \n"I started studying voice when I was 12 and did 15 productions of both musical and regular theater in high school," Rosenquist said. "I had no exposure to opera and didn't know I wanted to be an opera singer."\nRosenquist soon discovered and embraced the operatic genre.\n"I was cast in operas (at IU) and in my junior year, I decided I loved opera and wanted to pursue it," she said.\nShe said this is her first leading operatic role.\nAnother leading role in the opera is Figaro, played by Jason Plourde, who is simultaneously finishing his master's and beginning his doctoral coursework. Like Rosenquist, Plourde's first musical experience was through jazz and musical theater. \nIn the opera, Rosina and Figaro love each other, but Count Almaviva is going after Rosina and Figaro tries to stop him.\nIn 2001, Plourde said he was cast in his first big role as the Count in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."\n"For grad school I auditioned at IU because it had -- and still has -- the best vocal program in the country," he said, "and since then I've been singing."\n Since the casting used one soprano and one mezzo (one for each weekend), Rosenquist's voice teacher encouraged her to audition.\nThe opera theater casts two performers per role, with one cast performing two days and the other cast performing the other two. Also playing the role of Rosina is Jennifer Feinstein, and Phillip Dothard as Figaro.\n"I also sort of lucked out," Rosenquist said. "Everyone else figured a lot of people would want the role, so they went for other roles. So there wasn't much competition."\nAfter facing adjustments to his voice, Plourde learned the part's most important aria and sung it at the audition.\n"This is most likely my last IU show, and I'll go out with a bang," he said.\nRosenquist and Plourde both gave the same advice for aspiring operatic stars: Have lots of practice and a will to never to give up.\n"I'm going to be 27," Plourde said, "and it's taken as many years to be able to sing this part."\nRosenquist offered more specific advice.\n"Find a good teacher that believes in you and has the same goal," she said. "Also, learn Italian. Grasping the language you sing really gives you an edge"