Last night I attended a tremendously delightful performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute. The quality of many of the voices caught me by surprise. There was genuine operatic talent on display and a remarkable orchestra as well. I've rarely enjoyed a musical production as much as I did this fine performance at Lawrence's Stansbury Theatre. And believe it or not, the tickets were just $10 each.

Many people look to the Performing Arts Center or Green Bay's Weidner Center for great performances, but often overlook the inexpensive gems available at Lawrence University. Lawrence is a rich source for music and drama, greatly adding to the rich quality of life we enjoy for low cost in Appleton.

The Lawrence production of The Magic Flute was expertly directed by Timothy Troy and conducted by David Becker. While most of the cast was drawn from students at Lawrence (I'm still amazed at how much talent is at that university!), one leading role, that of Tamino, was performed by a Lawrence faculty member, Steven Spears, a graduate of Juilliard and his second year of teaching at Lawrence. The Queen of the Night was played by guest artist Amy Shoremount-Obra, a student of Marlena Malas with an artist diploma from Juilliard also. Bravo!