Arts
Festival brings classics to local stages
Musicians, singers, wardrobe and makeup artists and craftsmen have been hard at work at the Howard Auditorium this week getting ready for Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene,” which debuted Thursday as part of Varna International Music Academy’s “Muzika!” festival.
Sharon Tchonev, co-founder and director of operations for Varna, said although it’s an opera, “Street Scene” includes many different types of music.
“It’s a Broadway, jazzy opera,” Tchonev said. “It’s got blues and jazz and Broadway and dance and then some fun lights.”
Tchonev and her husband, Kalin, started Varna more than 20 years ago. The nonprofit is based in Bulgaria and Columbia.
“Muzika!” began in late June and included performances in Columbia, Greenville and Augusta, Ga.
Last year Varna staged “Muzika!” at Myrtle Beach High School, which is also home to the Long Bay Symphony. The high school, which is one of the few places on the Grand Strand with an orchestra pit, was not available this year.
“We were looking for a place where we could do this large production,” Tchonev said. “On the Grand Strand there aren’t many places.”
After consulting with Mayor Carol Jayroe and officials from the county, Howard and the Winyah Auditorium, they decided on Georgetown.
More than 300 singers and musicians will descend on the area to perform throughout the festival. Some will perform once; others multiple times. Many of the performers are being housed with volunteers who have opened their homes to them.
Some of the performers are members of Varna’s summer stock program. As part of their tuition, they perform and are given private lessons. Others are members of The Metropolitan Opera, or college students that auditioned.
Varna officials pick different shows for the festival each year. In August, they’ll meet to make the choices for next summer.
“Usually we try to find operas that are well known, or operas that are just fun,” Tchonev said. “People might not know them yet, like ‘Street Scene,’ [which] won a Tony Award for best original score. … We want to make it fun for the cast as well as the audience.”
Schedule
• Caroline Nordlund (violin), Sanuel Nordlund (cello), Ian Narlock (bass)and Yutine Chen (piano)perform works by Franck, Mendelsshon, Schoenfeld and Rossini, Sunday, 6 p.m., Belin Memorial United Methodist Church, Murrells Inlet.
• Woodwind concert features Vanguel Tangarov (clarinet), Trey Bradshaw (flute), Ekaterina Tangarova (piano) and Jessica Eaton (piano). Tuesday, 7 p.m., Duncan Memorial United Church, Georgetown.
• “The Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart, July 14, 7 p.m., and July 15, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Howard Auditorium, Georgetown.
Go to varnainternational.com for a complete schedule, which includes performances in Myrtle Beach and Conway, and to purchase tickets, which start at $20.
