The Lincoln Opera Outreach Project brought a performance of Bach’s Coffee Cantata to the Ramsey Theatre at Wayne State College on March 31 to entertain listeners and celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday.
The performance of comedic opera Bach’s Coffee Cantata was a free event hosted in the Peterson Fine Arts Building that provided coffee and snacks for guests. The ensemble comprised of soprano Krista Lawrence, baritone Trey Meyer, tenor Sebastion Sorensen, pianist Jeremy Duck, flautist Rose Anahita Khorsandi and cellist Riley Beranek, according to the event’s pamphlet.
Matthew Clegg, a music professor at WSC, helped organize the event for the WSC music students and the public.
“I know the majority of the performers that were there today, and they actually reached out to me and asked if Wayne State would be interested in hosting them,” Clegg said. “There are funds to make that possible, and Wayne State is really good at bringing in groups like that.”
Many of the students who attended the event study music.
“I hope they see that you can create your own opportunities to perform music,” Clegg said. “Nobody in there got paid an extraordinary amount of money to come perform, but they formed this group so they could perform music they enjoyed and program it.”
Clegg also said he appreciated how the group performed a variety of musical styles.
“I also think it is really neat how they incorporated modern music with some of the older music, because right now, we live in a society that appreciates classical music a bit less,” Clegg said. “It is not as popular as a genre, and so the fact that they incorporated some of more modern genres is good and helps people want to come to the concerts.”
Erick Owen is studying vocal and instrumental music education at WSC. Owen said he helped pass out programs for audience members, set up a QR code for the music students and welcomed people to the event.
“I really enjoyed it,” Owen said. “My favorite part is how they were able to turn the Bach Cantata into musical theater-y music and just seeing the story progress. The response definitely made me laugh.”
Owen said that Bach’s Coffee Cantata was a great way to celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday on March 31 of 1685.
“This brings classical music to a modern audience, and I just really love that,” Owen said.
The event provided free cookies, brownies and coffee for the attendees in the lobby before and after the performance, as no food or drink is permitted in the theater itself.
