Release Date: June 22, 2007

World Premiere Announced for "Later the Same Evening:
an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper"
A joint project of the National Gallery of Art, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and University of Maryland School of Music

Washington, DC — The world premiere of Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper will bring to life iconic works by the great American artist whose urban scenes are among the most enduring and popular images of the 20th century. Performed at both the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center from November 15 through 18, 2007, and the National Gallery of Art on December 2, 2007 (showtimes below), this innovative opera is offered in conjunction with the first comprehensive exhibition of Hopper’s work to be seen in American museums outside New York in more than 25 years. The exhibition Edward Hopper is on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 16, 2007 through January 21, 2008.

A joint project of the National Gallery of Art, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and the University of Maryland School of Music, Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper is written by Pulitzer Prize–nominated composer John Musto with award-winning librettist Mark Campbell, who previously collaborated on the highly successful opera Volpone. Leon Major, professor of opera at the UM School of Music, directs the fully staged production, which will be performed by the School's Maryland Opera Studio and the National Gallery Orchestra, conducted by Glen Cortese. The opera is co-commissioned by the Clarice Smith Center and the UM School of Music.

"At the University of Maryland, we welcome opportunities to work with the other great institutions in the nation's capital," said Susie Farr, executive director, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. "Later the Same Evening creates an important occasion to expose the wonderful young singers of the Maryland Opera Studio to the creative process from conception through performance."

Five of Hopper’s paintings, which poignantly capture moments of profound loneliness and a sense of estrangement, are deftly woven into the set design through projections. Room in New York (1932), Hotel Window (1955), Hotel Room (1931), Two on the Aisle (1927), and Automat (1927) all depict New York scenes that convey a sense of solitude, welcome and unwelcome, that one can feel in the city. The opera imagines the lives of the figures in these paintings and connects them as characters—both directly and tangentially—on one evening in New York City in 1932.

Design Team and Cast
The production’s design team includes Erhard Rom, scenic designer; David Roberts, costume designer; and Nancy Schertler, lighting designer. The cast includes Maryland Opera Studio members Claire Kuttler as Elaine O'Neill, Andrew Adelsberger as Gus O'Neill, Melissa Schiel as Estelle Oglethorpe, Onyu Park as Ruth Baldwin, Eric C. Black as Ronaldo Cabral, Jenna Lebherz as Thelma Yablonski, Adam Hall as Jimmy O'Keefe, and Jenny Chen as Valentina Scarcella.

Performances
Four performances of Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper will be given at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Kay Theatre Thursday through Saturday, November 15 through 17, 2007, at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 3:00 pm. One performance will be given at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, December 2, at 6:30 pm.

Tickets and Reservations
Tickets for the November 15 through 18 performances at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center are $20 for the general public, $7 for full-time students of all ages, and are available now by visiting www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787). The Clarice Smith Center is located near the intersection of Route 193 and Stadium Drive at the University of Maryland, College Park. For the free December 2 performance at the National Gallery of Art, east Building, seating will be first come, first seated beginning at 6 p.m.

Funding
Programs of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center are supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is generously provided by grants from the Leading College and University Presenters Program of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, one of the world’s preeminent museums, preserves, collects, exhibits, and fosters the understanding of works of art at the highest possible museum and scholarly standards. The Gallery's collection of some 116,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and decorative arts traces the development of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present. Temporary exhibitions presenting a range of art history and programs including lectures, tours, concerts, films, and family activities are offered to the public year-round. The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden, located on the National Mall between Third and Ninth Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, and are closed on December 25 and January 1. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.nga.gov or call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176.

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center transforms lives through sustained engagement with the arts. Through extended residencies, the Center forges relationships between extraordinary guest artists, faculty, students, and the wider community, creating multiple avenues for learning and illuminating the creative process. Providing transformational experiences both onstage and off, the Center supports and develops provocative work that represents diverse perspectives, sparking dialogue and reflection. Located on the University of Maryland, College Park campus between Washington, DC and Baltimore, the Center serves as home to the UM School of Music, Departments of Dance and Theatre, and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. For more information, visit www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

University of Maryland School of Music
The University of Maryland School of Music serves as an advocate for the art of music in American culture. The School provides a comprehensive program of study for cultivating and transforming musical traditions in ways that prepare our students for meaningful engagement with their art, culture, and world community through excellence in music performance, composition, scholarship, and teaching. With world-class faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, the School fosters a community of 600 student musicians at one of the nation's leading public universities. The UM School of Music awards the following degrees: PhD, DMA, MM, MA, BME, BM and BA. Among the School's many outstanding offerings is a two-year graduate program in opera performance. Known as the Maryland Opera Studio, this master of music degree specializes in the complete education of young opera singers, preparing them for careers on the professional stage. The program includes work in all areas of vocal and theatrical training, movement & dance, operatic language study, and performance experience. The UM School of Music is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). For more information, visit www.music.umd.edu.